The sun rose high and bright in the early summer sky above Los Angeles County Station 51. A-Shift's crew was busy changing into their uniforms and exchanging small talk as usual. The previous shift's crew was preparing to leave after an uneventful night.

Captain Hank Stanley summoned his men to the apparatus bay for morning roll call. Once the men were in line-up, they noticed one of their small family, Engineer Mike Stoker, was missing. A not so subtle look from their captain had them quiet and at attention immediately.

"Good morning, men. As you can see we are missing our engineer today." Hank looked around, "and I see his replacement is also missing." The captain did not look pleased by this fact.

The guys exchanged concerned glances. Mike being out for any reason was a rare thing. They hoped their captain did not have bad news for them.

"Mike will be away from us for a short time. As you recall, this past spring he took an opportunity to go to a seminar in Sacramento. The training he received there qualified him to train new engineers. It's a real honor and as much as we’ll miss him, we should all be very proud of him."

The men of 51 showed their enthusiasm for their colleague before one made a comment.

"Ah, Cap?"

"Yes, Chet."

"Why didn't he tell us last shift that he'd be gone?"

"Well, you know our Mike. He doesn't like to draw attention to himself so he asked me to not say anything until after he had left. Although I didn't totally agree, I did respect his wishes."

A sudden commotion in the back lot and the sound of a door slamming, had heads turning to see a rather tall, broad shouldered man rushing in while tucking his shirt into his pants. His hat was askew and he was breathing hard. He quickly got into line with the rest of the crew and murmured a quick apology.

"Sorry, Captain Stanley."

"Nice of you to join us this morning," he said to the newcomer. "Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Preston Johnson. He'll be our A-shift engineer until Mike comes back. Welcome to Station 51, Preston."

"Thank you, sir. Again, I'm sorry for being late. I'm having trouble adjusting to big city traffic."

"Perhaps you'd like to tell the men a bit about yourself. Then after roll call we can adjourn to the kitchen for coffee and donuts, and you all can get better acquainted."

"Yes,sir. I'm not real fond of public speaking but I'll give it a shot. Even though my name is Preston, most everyone has called me Moose for as long as I can remember. It fits cause I'm so big," he laughed. The smiles from the rest of the men encouraged him to go on. "I moved here from Fargo, North Dakota where I worked a brush station for about seven years. Last year I took the engineer's exam and passed. I decided to move to a bigger city where I'd have a better chance to do that job. I've been here a few months and have been temping all over the county in various positions. This is my first real opportunity to work as an engineer. LA is really different from Fargo but I like it. I'm looking forward to working with all of you."

"Thanks, Preston. . . .uh. . .Moose. . . I'm sure you'll fit in with these guys in no time." Hank continued with the briefing. There were several announcements and a memo from the Chief. The captain concluded by giving out the day's assignments. He assigned Marco to cook. The paramedics were given the honor of cleaning the floors and taking care of a few follow-up inspections. Chet was assigned to the dorms and then he looked at his new charge.

"Sorry, but A-shift policy is that anyone who is late to line-up automatically gets latrine duty."

"No problem, Captain Stanley. I don't mind and I really am sorry for being late."

"Try not to let it happen again, okay?"

Preston nodded. He was thankful that he didn't get into real trouble for being late.

Once they were dismissed, they all went to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and get to know each other a little better before the first call of the day came in. Everyone seemed to be getting along for now and Hank Stanley had a feeling that Preston would fit right in. He just didn't know if he could bring himself to call the man 'Moose' again.

E!E!E!E!

The men were soon done with their coffee and still hadn’t been toned out for a rescue. That meant it was time to tackle their chores while they had the opportunity.

Curious as to how his temporary engineer would really do with the latrine duty, Hank Stanley decided to check it once he saw the tall man exit with cleaning supplies in hand. As a captain he knew that even the smallest of jobs could be an indication of how a person’s work ethics were.

Hank looked around the spotless room, certain that his first instincts about Preston. . .Moose, he corrected himself for a second time. . . were right on the money. Even the faucets were polished to a shine.

He exited with a satisfied smile on his face.

E!E!E!E!

Johnny pushed the wheeled bucket of soapy water over near the kitchen area and squeezed the excess liquid from the mop head in the rack on top of it. He then started to go over the floor in front of the sink while Roy put the chairs on top of the table to clear the way. He’d swept the entire floor, and Johnny had followed up with the mopping.

“You know, I think you’re right. . .I think Moose is gonna fit in fine here,” Gage commented as he continued with his work.

“Maybe after pulling duty here as an engineer, he’ll find a station where he can do it permanently.”

“Maybe. I sure can understand how he feels having to hold back on what he’s trained to do.”

Both men recalled how they had to have a nurse with them on all calls so she could handle the medical duties before the paramedic program was approved completely. They’d felt like their hands were tied behind their backs at times and Johnny even considered giving up on it at one point.

The dark-haired paramedic rewet the mop and wrung it out again, wondering how Preston liked his first experience cleaning the bathroom. He figured the guy would probably never be late again.

E!E!E!E!

Hank came out just in time to see Preston walk between the engine and squad. He followed behind and walked up to the engineer when he stopped at the pressure gauges.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get to play with ‘em soon enough,” he said with a grin.

“Yes, sir. I guess I shouldn’t be anxious. It would have to be for someone elses’s misfortune.”

“That’s true. But unfortunately it’s inevitable we’ll be needed several times during a shift.”

The quiet morning had been deceiving for the new arrival. But it all changed when true to the captain’s words, the tones sounded and the station was sent out on a call for a motor vehicle accident.

He and Preston climbed up into their respective seats in the engine while Roy acknowledged the call at the podium near the dayroom. Marco and Chet quickly joined them after getting a piece of paper with the information on it from Roy.

Preston started forward in the big red vehicle and Hank immediatley placed a firm hand on his right arm, stopping him.

“We follow them,” he explained with a motion with his other hand toward the squad. Roy had just started to drive the squad forward at the same time. It was now stopped as well and Johnny was peering upwards from his seat on the passenger side.

“Oh. . .right. Sorry. I guess I was a little anxious again.” Preston waited a moment as the smaller truck drove out of the station apparatus bay with the lights and siren on. He then followed it out into the street and turned left, keeping the squad in sight.

E!E!E!E!

Once at the scene, Roy brought the squad to a stop on the shoulder of the 405 Freeway, where a car and motorcycle collided, both going for the exit ramp at the same time. The cycle was several yards down the ramp away from the driver, who lay on the asphalt surface. And the sedan was up against the guard rail at the entrance of the ramp.

Johnny grabbed the trauma box and hurried to the motorcycle victim while Roy headed to the sedan involved with the biophone in hand.     

Preston parked the engine a little closer behind the squad than Mike normally would have, but the captain and others figured being it was his first run with them, this was expected until he got used to having the squad along on a call.

An officer on scene explained what happened as the men contiuned their work.

E!E!E!E!

Roy’s victim didn’t appear to be seriously injured, mostly shook up from the accident. But the driver’s side of the car was against the guard rail and the paramedic would need to do a careful once over with the woman before he could get her out from the other side.

Johnny’s victim wasn’t as fortunate. Though the young man had been wearing a helmet which protected his head, his lower left leg had an obvious compound fracture, a piece of bone jutting out through the skin and ripped material of his jeans. Both arms had suffered scrapes and road burn due to being unprotected with a t-shirt for attire. Johnny would need to do a through examination to see if there were any hidden injuries elsewhere.

A few witnesses who’d been trying to aid and comfort the cyclist stepped back and allowed the dark-haired paramedic to do his job. Marco arrived a few seconds later, having been sent to help by the captain. Chet was hosing down fluids around the front of the sedan.

E!E!E!E!

As soon as the officer had briefed him, Hank stepped over to where Roy was leaning inside the car. He leaned down as well and asked,  “How’s she doing?”

Roy glanced over his shoulder. “She’s okay, Cap. I think we’ll be able to get her out through this side.” He indicated the passenger door. “You’d better take the biophone down to Johnny. I have a feeling he’s gonna need it more urgently than I will.”

“Got it. And I’ll have Chet help you out.”

He motioned for Kelly to shut off the hose and for Preston to kill the pressure on it. Both complied and Chet was directed to assist Roy.

With the biophone in hand, Hank hurried on to where Johnny was still in the process of assesing his victim. Marco trotted past him after having been sent to retrieve a backboard.

The dark-haired paramedic looked up as the captain approached. “Cap, can you get Rampart on the horn?”

He immediately did as requested and before long the motorcycle victim was nearly ready for transport, thanks to the teamwork of the crew. Roy had assisted as well, once he determined the woman from the sedan was okay enough to be left in Chet’s care until  they were ready with the other victim.

Preston watched in amazement. He had only been around paramedics a minimal amount of time with some of his temporary duties and still had yet to see them in a life and death situation. But this was close enough for him. So amazed was he, that he’d not heard Captain Stanley call out to him at one point. It had taken two tries to grab his attention. The woman with Chet had passed out upon seeing the motorcycle victim all packaged, including the IV tubing that led to his arm, when they brought him up.

Hank attributed the lack of response to the newness of the situation. After all, Preston. . .er Moose. . .was very capable, he surmised, or he wouldn’t have made it this far in his career as a fireman.

Johnny and Roy were too busy to even notice. They quickly got each victim into ambulances that recently arrived on scene and were on their way. Marco followed behind in the squad.

The rest of the engine crew stayed behind to help clean up the scene so that the slowed traffic on the freeway could once again flow smoothly.

E!E!E!E!

Roy waited at the nurses station for Johnny to come out of the treatment room. He expected it to be a while because of the potential seriousness of the cyclist's injuries. Fortunately, it wasn't as long as he had anticipated before his partner and nurse Dixie McCall were standing beside him.

"How is he?"

"Actually not as bad as we thought. Doc says he was really lucky despite the compound fracture."

Dixie added, "Kel's waiting on an OR right now."

"Sooo, how was your vacation, Dix?"

The attractive head nurse smiled. "It was fantastic! I took the opportunity to really relax this time. I spent five days and nights at the beach doing absolutely nothing. It was heaven. It’s not crowded this time of year, you know. That was a blessing, too."

"If anyone deserved a rest, Dix, it was you. Care to spill the beans on where you went?"

She smiled mischievously at the dark-haired paramedic. "Malibu."

"Really? Far out! Might have to check out that action myself," he laughed.

"Any beach would be great actually," said Roy. "Jo wants to take the kids more this summer. You know to the ones closer by here. I'm just waiting to get approval on an few extra days off here and there."

"Too bad Moose can't sub as a medic, Roy."

"Moose?" asked the confused nurse. "Man or animal?"

"Man," Gage laughed.

"He's subbing as our engineer. Mike's out of town training new engineers for a while," added Roy. To his partner he said, "It's still his first day. Why don't you give it a little time before you recommend him for paramedic training, okay?"

"Aww, c'mon, Roy," Johnny laughed. "You know no one can replace you. I just don't want Brice for a partner is all."

Marco walked in and handed Roy the keys. "That guy going to be all right?" He smiled and nodded at Dixie in greeting.

"Thanks, Marco. Sounds like it. He's waiting on surgery right now. The lady in the sedan will be okay. Just sore for a while."

"Good to hear." Cap's voice over the HT let him know his ride was waiting outside. "See you guys back at the station. Bye, Dixie."

"Bye, Marco."

"Guess we better resupply and get a move on as well," said Roy.

"Yeah. We have those follow-ups to do too today. Maybe we can knock one out on the way back."

Roy nodded and handed the head nurse their list of needed supplies. Dixie took it with a grin and soon had the paramedics of Squad 51 ready to roll again.

"Later, Dix."

"See ya later, guys."

Once back in the squad Johnny picked up the mic. Before keying it, he pulled the inspection log from the glove box. "Okay, Roy - Marv's Delicatessen, Sammy's Burger Bar, or Mario's Pizzeria?"

He gave his partner a look that said he'd prefer to just go back to the station, but knowing the importance of the follow-ups he said, "Why don't we go to Marv's and if we're lucky we can take care of him and Mario's since they're in the same block."

"Sounds good." Johnny checked the address and keyed the mic, letting the dispatcher know that they would be temporarily out of service at Marv's and the reason.

Sam Lanier's voice came back over the air. "10-4, Squad 51."

Roy pulled the squad in front of the delicatessen and parked. Both firemen proceeded into the establishment, Johnny carrying the clipboard and paperwork with him.

A young blonde counter clerk, whose nametag read Cynthia, looked up when Roy cleared his throat.

"Uh - " She looked a bit panicked upon seeing the uniformed men standing in front of her. "Sorry. May I help you?"

"Yes," replied Roy. "We're from the fire department. Marv's expecting us today."

"He's in the back. I'll go get him." She paused before turning, her eyes locked on Johnny. With a grin and slightly reddened cheeks she quietly exited through a door to get her boss.

Roy rolled his eyes. Johnny stood pretending not to have noticed but a slight grin gave him away. Shaking his head and chuckling softly he said, "Some things never change, Junior."

"Hey, this time it wasn't me," Gage insisted, his hand splayed across his chest.

Marv's entrance from the stockroom interrupted their playful banter.

Within a half hour the paramedics were on their way to Mario's to complete the second of their re-inspections. Once that was completed, they reported back in.

"Squad 51, available."

"10-4, Squad 51."

A moment later the tones sounded, sending them on their second call of the day. They had been hoping to get back to the station to eat lunch before being sent back out.

"Squad 51. Man down. 1427 Barkley Court. One four two seven Barkley Court. Time out 12:15."

 

E!E!E!E!

The man down turned out to be a sixty-two year old retired police officer suffering a stroke. The paramedics efficiently treated him and transported him to the more capable hands of Doctor Joe Early at Rampart before making themselves available once again and heading back to the station.

When they arrived, they found only Henry the basset hound waiting for them as the engine crew had been dispatched to an unknown type rescue along with Squad 39. The two quickly set about discovering what they had missed for lunch. To Roy’s delight he found a still warm pot holding Captain Stanley’s famous clam chowder. While pulling it out he noticed a note attached to the lid. He promptly read it and passed the information along to his partner. Apparently there was a Tupperware container behind the jug of milk containing deli meat, sliced tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce for sandwiches. Johnny immediately dug the container out from behind the obstacle and set about assembling the sandwiches while Roy reheated the chowder. Halfway through their meal the duo heard the unmistakable sound of the engine backing into the bay and soon the crew entered the room.

“Hey,” Chet mumbled as he sat down across from Roy, who nodded his head in acknowledgement. The stocky fireman then turned his attention to Johnny. “John, you should have seen the chick we just rescued!”

“Yeah?” the paramedic grinned as he replied.

“Rescued? Isn’t that pushing it a bit?” Hank asked as he took a seat beside Chet.

“Umm….”

“What happened?” Roy asked as he started to clear his dishes from the table.

“She had her hand stuck in a mail box.”

The captain looked at Chet after he answered the paramedic.

“And you rescued her?” Johnny pointed a finger at the mustached man.

“No, Squad 39 did,” Marco answered from the living room area where he sat on the couch petting Henry. Moose sat nearby in the armchair chuckling.

“You got called out for that?” Johnny asked.

“We accompanied. Unknown rescue,” Hank replied.

“Oh.”

The captain noticed Johnny too had finished his meal, so he turned in his seat to look at Moose. “So, Preston, do you play cards?” he asked. He’d decided a game could help his men form a bond with Mike’s replacement, especially the paramedics since the engine crew would always be in a position to work alongside Preston and they wouldn’t.

“Yeah, some.” the engineer replied.

“Okay then,” Hank said as he clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Come on over. You too, Marco.” He swiveled back to face the table.

Roy, who was still standing, reached into a drawer and pulled out a deck of cards. He promptly sat back down while Johnny removed his dishes, placing them in the sink before sitting down once again to join the card game.

Roy took the cards out of the package and shuffled them. He then dealt out the cards to no ones objection.

Captain Stanley explained, “Okay, Preston, we play five card stud, dealers choice regarding wild cards and the loser does the supper dishes.”

“Okay, lets play,” Moose said as he picked up his cards and eyed his opponents.

In the middle of the third hand, Roy and Marco having won the first two, the gang was interrupted by the tones.

Station 51…Station 110…Engine 49… Fire alarm at Herbert Hoover High…524 Mills Street…Cross street Attley…five two four Mills Street…Time out 13:48.

E!E!E!E!

The men from Station 51 arrived at the scene just minutes after Engine and Squad 110, as well as Engine 49. A hose already snaked through a set of open double doors in the large one-story brick building; three fire fighters trained another hose on flames that could be seen through an open window. The captain from 110 trotted over to brief Hank as soon as he had climbed down.

“The fire started in the teachers’ lounge. So far it hasn’t spread to another room.”

Hank nodded, then listened as he continued.

“Supposedly everyone got out, but I sent my paramedics in to do a quick sweep of the building just as a precaution.”

“I’ll send a couple of my men in to assist.”

“Great. They can cover the east end.”

Hank turned to face Johnny and Roy. They’d heard the conversation and nodded in acknowledgment, then quickly got their gear.

Soon they were headed in as Chet and Marco were directed to grab an inch-and-a-half to assist in knocking down the flames. Preston handled his job with the gauges well.

E!E!E!E!

Johnny and Roy hurried through the somewhat hazy building, each checking out a room across the hall from the other. When they came to the bathrooms, Gage only hesitated a second before going into the girls’. There wasn’t much smoke from the fire inside yet, though some had filtered in. He heard giggles followed by a shushing sound from one of the stalls when he removed his mask and called out, “Hey!”

The dark-haired paramedic noticed one door was shut all the way. When it wouldn’t open, he bent down to check for an occupant. Two sets of feet in dress shoes with wedge heels were visible.

Gage knocked on the stall door. “Come out of there, the building’s on fire!”

When he didn’t get a response, he pounded on the door and ordered in a louder voice, “C’mon, you gotta evacuate!”

He heard a click as the lock inside was slid over. Then slowly the door opened and one of the girls peeked out. “This isn’t a trick?”

“No! Now get outta there, we’ve gotta go!”

He noticed a reefer between her thumb and index finger in the hand that was holding open the door.

No *wonder* they didn’t notice anything different going on . . .

The girls squeezed out of their tight quarters and held up the joints. “Whata we do with these?”

Before Johnny could respond, one girl grabbed her friend’s and quickly leaned back into the stall. She tossed both refers in the toilet and flushed.

There wasn’t time to lecture about the wrong of what she’d just done. Johnny needed to get the girls into clean air.  His mask still dangling, he rushed out behind them, making sure they could get to the nearest emergency exit under their own power.

E!E!E!E!

Roy continued on as Gage quickly got the girls safely out. Johnny wasn’t sure how much of the thin haze of smoke they’d breathed in along with their marijuana. He set up both on oxygen since they were coughing and showed some signs of breathing difficulty.

“I was sure we had everyone out,” the principal explained to the captains while he watched Johnny tend to the girls. “I hope they’re okay.”

Hank noticed the two teens seemed to be enjoying the attention of his youngest crew member. “I’d say they’re gonna be fine.”

E!E!E!E!

Though their reefers were disposed of, the girls soon realized their little escapade wasn’t going to go unknown by others when Johnny reported the drug use to Rampart over the biophone.

“Hey, why’d ya tell if we flushed ‘em?”

He shrugged, “They gotta know what’s in your system.”

Both girls frowned. Roy joined the threesome and when he saw the looks on their faces, wondered to himself what he’d missed.

E!E!E!E!

With the fire now out, Preston discharged the hose. Chet and Marco emerged from the building smelling of smoke, but otherwise unharmed. When they were ready to leave after it was decided Engine 49 would handle the clean-up, Preston went to pick up the chocks that would normally be behind and in front of the front left tire as an added safety measure. He was startled to find they weren't there. He’d forgotten to put them in place. By luck, no one else had noticed his little slip-up. He kept quiet about it and continued on as casual as possible. And he promised himself he wouldn’t make that mistake again.

E!E!E!E!

Johnny glanced at Roy as they headed back to the station after dropping the two girls off at Rampart.

“I wonder how much trouble those two’ll be in once their parents find out what they were doin’.”

“You mean ditching a class or smoking marijuana?”

“Both.”

“My guess is they’ll be more concerned about the ditching part. A lot of people seem to have an ‘it’s just marijuana’ attitude when it comes to that drug.”

Johnny turned to look out the window. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“You’ll be lucky if you don’t get a bill from ‘um for the stuff the girls flushed down the toilet.”

The younger man snorted a laugh. In these crazy days of the ‘70s, it wouldn’t surprise him either.

E!E!E!E!

When they got back to the station, the engine crew looked at their cards still in place at the table. Johnny and Roy would be joining them soon. They could resume their game then.

But having seen them all work harder at the latest fire than him, Preston made his own call.

“I’ll do the dishes.”

“You sure?” Hank wondered.

The engineer nodded.

Chet smiled wide as he picked up the cards. Having not won a hand yet, he was more than happy ‘Moose’ took on the chore.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I really like this guy. Maybe we can get him to replace Mike.”

The remark earned him a playful smack in the upper arm from Captain Stanley.

E!E!E!E!

The remainder of the shift involved one motor vehicle accident with injuries; two structure fires, a small house and a motel; and a couple of medical calls in between for the paramedics.

Though he finished the duty off without any more mistakes after the chock incident, Preston was glad to be getting time to reflect on his time so far as engineer at Station 51. Overall he was very proud of his performance. And his temporary crewmates seemed just as happy.

“So, Moose, yesterday you told Cap you sometimes play cards?”

He looked at Chet and nodded as the two continued out of the apparatus bay, to their vehicles in the lot behind the station. Johnny and Marco were a few steps behind them.

“Well, the three of us are gonna go over to Murray’s from Station 45 tonight for a few hands of poker. There’s always room for more.”

“Hey yeah!” Johnny commented with enthusiasm.

 “Is it just a friendly game or do you bet?”

“Both. We bet and if I win, we’re still friends at the end,” Johnny joked.

Preston laughed. “Sure,” he shrugged. “Sounds like fun.”

With that settled, Chet got his telephone number and the four men went their separate ways once they got to their vehicles.

E!E!E!E!

Already having left before the others, Roy was home sooner. As he sat at the kitchen table waiting for his breakfast of eggs and toast, he told his wife Joanne about the temporary engineer. 

“He sounds like a very nice person.”

“He really is. It’s gonna make things a lot easier on everyone while Mike’s gone. We lucked out.”

She placed the plate of food in front of him, a happy expression on her face. It was always good when Roy came home from work with a smile.

E!E!E!E!

The beginning of the next shift was drawing near and Preston felt relaxed and perfectly at ease with his latest assignment. He started his car in the parking lot at his apartment complex and turned right onto the road that would take him to the highway. He had left with plenty of time to make it to the station this morning.

While driving he reflected on his off time. The poker game was a lot of fun. It was nice to finally have someone to hang out with and the game lasted until the wee hours of the morning. He had thoroughly enjoyed himself and the companionship of the other men. It was also nice to meet some new people. This assignment was so different from many of his others. It wasn't easy always being the 'new guy' or the 'replacement'.

It was also nice to see how the guys interacted when not at work. He could see that Chet was a real jokester and liked to target Gage. He could also see that despite the goading, the two still got along and didn't let it interfere with the job. He was really looking forward to his time at Station 51.

Preston stopped for the light as it changed from amber to red and while waiting, he checked his watch.

"Oh no. I can't believe this!" He was now late for work. "How can this be?"

The light changed to green again and he eased into the intersection. He continued on his way to the station muttering to himself, “I left early. How can I be late?”

He pulled into the parking lot behind the station and hurried inside. “So much for a great shift,” he mused.

The hurried sound of footsteps caused Captain Stanley to stop speaking. "Nice of you to join us, Mr. Johnson. I suppose you remember what this means?"

The use of his last name clued Moose into the fact that the captain was not pleased with him being late again. "Yes, sir. I'm really sorry."

The fire captain continued with the briefing, hitting the highlights a second time for his wayward engineer's benefit. Daily assignments were given out and Preston was again given latrine duty. He didn't complain because he had been warned and because he really never minded that particular job. This shift just had to get better with time.

A few quick waves of hello to his shift mates and they were all off to tend to their duties. There would be plenty of time for chatting later on. Moose headed for the closet at the back of the apparatus bay.

Mop, cleanser, and bucket in hand, Preston entered the latrine. He scrubbed and mopped until the room was clean and near sparkling. After a final once over to be sure he hadn't missed anything, he returned the items to the supply closet and headed for the kitchen.

E!E!E!E!

"You gotta admit it, Gage, you sure do have the hang of losing at cards. Down to a science almost. And you do it so graciously too."

"Shut up, Chet."

Marco dipped the newspaper down just enough to be able to see the other men at the table. He rolled his eyes, shook his head slightly, and laughed. As far as the engineer could tell, this must be typical behavior for these two new co-workers of his. Well, that was if Marco's reaction was any indication.

"Just jiving ya, Johnny. Besides, you didn't lose them 'all'."

"That's right, Chet," Preston spoke up from the doorway. “That royal flush was a truly sweet hand. Not one you see every day."

Johnny smiled. "Thanks, Buddy," he said to Moose. "At least 'someone' appreciates - "

"Pure luck, Johnny Baby."

The klaxon sounded putting an end to the good natured ribbing. Station 51 received its first call of the day.

"Station 51. Structure fire. 1113 Reese Avenue. One one one three Reese Avenue. Time out 0900."

 

E!E!E!E!

The squad and engine pulled up in front of a modest size ranch house. An elderly man approached, waving to them as he neared the curb. Smoke emanated from the back of the house.

"It's the kitchen," he shouted and coughed slightly. "Breakfast is a goner. My wife, Martha, she's trying to put it out. She won't leave!"

“She what?!”

Hank immediately dispatched Marco and Chet with a reel line to put the fire out, and hurried along with the man as they trotted toward the house, the paramedics with them.

“You’ll have to stay out here,” the captain said as the man tried to follow them inside.

While the captain and Roy helped a stubborn Martha out, the reel line took care of the flames. And other than smoke and water damage, the kitchen and house would be around a little while longer.

Once outside, the paramedics escorted the coughing woman over to the squad and seated her on a yellow blanket one had quickly placed on the ground. Her her husband went on to explain how the near disaster had all come about.

"Martha was making breakfast. She always does. All these years. And, well, she turned her back for just a second really. Next thing we knew the curtains were on fire and then the cabinets started to go. A breeze must have caught the curtains and blew them towards the stove. I told her it wasn't a good idea to move the gas stove so close to the window. But she just loves to look outside when she washes dishes or cooks. When we remodeled it was the one thing she insisted on. She was downright stubborn about it. Not much I could do if you know what wives are like."

Hank was standing nearby and chuckled, "Yes, sir, I do.”

"I hope you’re going to be okay, dear.” He looked at the captain and informed him, “She  just got out of the hospital last week after a bad case of the flu." The statement ended with a few coughs/.

"John, got another one for you to check out here," the Hank said.

 
Johnny was assisting Roy with Marths and nodded at the captain.

"Have a seat - "

"George," the man added quietly. "How is she?" His wife was  coughing much more than he was and seemed to be having trouble catching her breath.

"My partner’s finding out right now. Just have a seat and I'll look you over too, okay?" The man nodded and sat down. Johnny gave the vitals he’d gotten for Marths to Roy. He then got the husband’s and both sets were relayed to Rampart, as well as the information on Martha’s recent hospitalization. George seemed to be fine, but the hospital requested they place Martha on oxygen and transport her. After her bout with the flu they wanted to check her over more carefully.

The ambulance arrived and Johnny rode in with Martha and her husband. Geaorge would get a ride home later on and was very concerned about his wife. After the customary two slaps on the door by Roy, the ambulance departed for the hospital.

During clean-up, Hank noticed that Preston had again parked the engine closer to the squad than he cared for. Should they have needed equipment from the back of the squad, the proximity of the engine would have made it difficult to access it in a timely manner. The captain pulled the engineer off to the side and spoke to him about it. Moose promised to leave more room on the next call and after he was dismissed he stood by the gauges on the engine.

Roy finished putting the equipment back in the squad and noticed Captain Stanley pull Moose aside. He wondered what that was about but pushed it aside in favor of retrieving his partner from Rampart. He figured if it was important they would all know soon enough. He went around to the driver’s side and soon was headed in the direction the ambulance had gone.

Can this day get any worse? First I'm late, now this, Moose thought to himself. He finished his work and climbed into the driver's seat. "It just has to get better," he said with conviction. He waited for the rest of the crew to climb aboard the engine.

 

E!E!E!E!

After the call and the parking instructions from his captain, Moose’s day did indeed start to look up. The station responded to a motor vehicle accident, another structure fire, as well as accompanying the squad to an unknown rescue that turned out to be a workman at a company manufacturing dog food who’d gotten his arm caught in the bagging machine. This call had turned his stomach at first. The man was in terrible pain and kept asking for drugs, which of course the paramedic team gave him once it was cleared by Doctor Morton at Rampart General.

As the crew was cleaning up after dinner, the klaxon’s sounded again, sending the station to a ‘man trapped’ rescue. This had been the busiest day so far while being stationed at 51’s, and Preston was finding the fast pace and adrenaline rush tiring. He pulled up behind the squad, keeping in mind the words Captain Stanley had spoken to him earlier in the day and kept the engine far enough away from the truck in order to allow Gage and DeSoto easy access to any equipment they may require.

As the men climbed out of the engine, a balding foreman ran to the crew, explaining, “Herb’s hurt real bad. I sure hope you guys work fast, I think he’s lost a lot of blood.”

“We’ll do our best. Where is he?” Captain Stanley asked.

“Right this way,” the man began to walk back onto the construction site. As he quickly  led the fire team to his downed man, he explained, “We’re in the process of laying drainage pipes, Herb’s our pipeline inspector. Real good at it, too. Best in the business. Anyway, he’d just given the go ahead to the guys, allowing them to lay the next pipe in, when the cables on the crane gave way. The pipe came crashing down knocking quite a few of my men to the ground. It landed on Herb’s arm and pinned it. I thought for sure he was a goner at first. If it’d landed just a few inches to the right. . .”  he shuddered at the thought of what could’ve been.

“Are any of your other men injured?”

He shook his head. “No, sir. Just worried about Herb.”

The paramedic team quickly took over once the foreman led them to the injured man. Roy immediately dropped to his knees and began assessing his condition, while Johnny set up the biophone and contacted the hospital.

“We weren’t sure whether or not to try and lift the pipe off of him so we left it,” the foreman continued.

“Good. That’s exactly what you should’ve done. Don’t worry about Herb, we’ll get him out and taken care of,” Hank assured as he turned his attention to his paramedics. Soon a plan was in place to extricate the victim and Hank set things into motion. Realizing the two would more than likely need help with the victim once the heavy cylinder had been lifted, but he, Chet and Marco would be helping with the pipe, he decided to call Preston into action.

“Engine 51,” Hank spoke into his handie-talkie.

“Engine 51, go ahead, Captain.”

“We’re going to need your assistance.”

“”10-4.”

Seconds later Preston arrived on scene, “What do you want me to do, Cap?”

“John and Roy will need your assistance with the victim once we have the piping removed. Check in with them.”

“Okay.” Preston quickly moved into position to assist. “What can I do?” He asked Johnny.

“Nothing right now, we’ll need you once he’s been freed.”

“I’ll be ready.”

While Preston was on his way in, the other engine crew members assisted in getting the cables from the crane around one end of the large pipe. They’d have to be very careful and have it lifted off extremely slow. But they’d only need to get it up enough for the paramedics to move Herb’s arm from under it and the tube angled away from him. About eight to twelve inches of clearance would be sufficient.

The regular crane operator on duty was still shaken over what had occurred, thus Chet would operate the equipment, since he had prior experience while in the Army.    

With the help of the other construction crew members, the firemen, under the ever-watchful eye and guidance from their captain, had Herb unpinned within twenty minutes. Once the extremely heavy tube had been removed, he went downhill fast. His blood pressure dropped and his breathing became labored.

“He’s going into shock!” Johnny called out. He immediately picked up the transmitter of the biophone to report to Rampart again while Roy quickly went to work on the victim.

“Set him up on six liters of O2,” Roy directed Preston while he carefully examined the freed bloody arm. It was already swollen to twice its normal size, several hematomas were visible on the skin of the lower arm where blood vessels had obviously been damaged. And blood ran freely from a couple of puncture wounds where shattered bone had broken through.

“We’re gonna have to wrap and run!”

Preston had the oxygen set up by the time Johnny finished describing the damage to Rampart. He’d turned away from the victim in hope Herb wouldn’t hear.

In the meantime, holding back the deep concern in his voice, Roy spoke to Preston over a low groan from their patient.

“I need a tourniquet and sterile gauze.”

When he didn’t respond right away, Roy looked sharply at him. “Preston!”

White as a sheet, the engineer shifted his gaze from the second sickening sight he’d seen, to the paramedic.

“Tourniquet and sterile gauze,” Roy repeated.

While Preston handed it to him, Johnny administered an IV as directed in Herb’s good arm. Again the victim’s muffled groan could be heard from under the oxygen mask.

“We’re takin’ good care of you, Herb,” Gage assured. “We’ll have you outta here and in a hospital real soon.”

He exchanged a look with Roy that said more than words could. It was nearly hopeless the arm could be saved from the elbow down.

Having been informed they needed the stokes to carry him away from the site, the captain sent Marco and Chet to retrieve it. He’d gotten to where the paramedics were just in time to witness Preston’s brief delay.

Very shortly they had Herb ready to transport. Roy climbed up in the ambulance with him and Johnny closed the doors. He gave them a couple of slaps to indicate they were secure. The ambulance pulled away and he trotted to the squad to follow behind.

Preston caught up to him as he reached for the door handle.

“He’s going to lose his arm, isn’t he?”

“It looks that way,” Johnny answered as he climbed into the squad. He briefly eyed his temporary shiftmate’s somber face. “There’s gonna be a specialist standing by. He’ll do his best.”

The captain quickly joined them. As Johnny started to pull away, Hank reminded him they’d done everything they could. The dark-haired paramedic gave a brief wave of acknowledgment and continued on with lights and sirens in use.

“C’mon, let’s get back to the station,” Hank motioned for Preston to follow. He wanted to talk to him more, but not there. Soon the engine crew was on their way, leaving behind a group of very stunned and saddened construction workers.

E!E!E!E!

Once the engineer had the engine parked in the apparatus bay, the four crew members climbed down. Chet and Marco headed for the dayroom, expecting Preston to follow, but he’d been stopped by Captain Stanley.

“I need to see you in my office.”

The engineer glanced at the other two, who’d just stopped when they realized he wasn’t coming. He then looked at the captain. “Yes, sir.”

Chet and Marco watched as they went into the office.

“I wonder what that’s all about?”

Marco shrugged. “It can’t be too serious. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Chet nodded in agreement, but both kept their gazes on the entrance of the office until they were in the dayroom.

E!E!E!E!

Hank took a seat behind his desk and motioned for Preston to sit in a chair in front of it. “Have a seat.”

“I think I’d rather stand, if it’s all right with you, Cap.”

The captain nodded then leaned forward, his elbows resting on his desk. He looked up at the engineer with a reassuring smile.  “Relax. It’s nothing bad. You’re doing fine. In fact, you fit in very well with the crew. However, I’ve noticed you appear to be having a slight problem with adjusting to the runs with the squad. The trauma side of it.”

He nodded slightly. “I thought I’d seen a lot over my time with the fire department. But I’ve got to admit, being involved with it first hand with paramedics. . .actually seeing victims treated on the scene and not whisked away in an ambulance. . .has taken a lot of getting used to at the stations out here.” 

“That’s understandable. Until a person has enough hands-on experience with  a lot of these trauma cases. . .no matter how many years  they’ve been in the fire and rescue business. . .they’re gonna be affected by it. Don’t get me wrong though, John and Roy are too.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “But being these people depend on them, sometimes for their very survival, they’ve learned how to deal with it rather quickly. They know they can’t afford to freeze in the middle of a rescue, no matter how bad it is.”

“And they can’t afford for any of us to either,” Preston nodded. He got it now; why he’d been called in.

“Exactly.”

“I’ll work on that, Cap.”

“Well, that’s the thing. There’s no way to ‘work on it’ in between. It’s just a matter of making yourself aware of it on every call.”

Again Preston nodded. After he was dismissed, he exited the office and saw that the squad was parked beside the engine.  He walked into the dayroom where he saw John and Roy standing against the counter, each with a coffee cup in their hands that seemed like props more than anything.

They’d saved one man’s arm and likely couldn’t the other’s. And just as the captain had said, they were obviously affected by it. They just knew when to let it show. Preston’s respect for the paramedics grew.

E!E!E!E!

The following shift, while the squad was out on a late morning run, Preston walked into the dayroom and found Chet rigging a bucket of water above the doorway. He glanced up at the contraption, then back at the curly-haired fireman.

“John?”

“That’s right, Moose. The Phantom is gonna soak his pigeon this time.”

Marco looked up from his seat at the table and shook his head. “You’d better hope Cap doesn’t walk into your trap like last time.”

Preston folded his arms across his chest and gave the set-up thought. “Why don’t you and Gage get along?”

“We do,” Chet answered, his attention still on his project.

“Well, then why do you always target him?”

The fireman shrugged. “He’s gullible.”

“And he’s the only one who won’t ring Chet’s neck afterward,” Marco added with a grin.

“Ah. . .just in time,” Chet muttered when he heard the squad. The back end appeared outside the doorway.

“What a--”

“Shhhshhh,” Chet silenced Moose.

But his intended target didn’t come right in.

E!E!E!E!

“Boy, will we ever be glad to see you,” Hank Stanley said into the telephone receiver. “It’s been kind of rough.

“That’s right. It’s just not that easy to fill your shoes.

“Okay, pal, see you then.”

He placed the receiver back in the telephone cradle and looked up to see Roy and Johnny standing just inside the doorway with curious expressions on their faces.

“That was Mike,” he explained.

‘Oh’ Johnny mouthed while Roy offered, “Uhm. . .I thought Moose was doing a great job filling in for Mike.”

“He is.”

This time Johnny gave Roy a worried look. Had their captain lost his mind?

“Uh. . .Cap,” Johnny began.  Carefully selecting his words, he continued with,  “If Moose is doin’ such a good job, why’dya tell Mike . . .well. . .that it’s been rough and it’s not that easy to fill his shoes?”

“It’s like this, John,” he said as he leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped behind his head. “I remember watching an Andy Griffith show once where Aunt Bea went out of town and left Andy and Opie on their own.”

“Oh, I saw that a coupla times. But what’s that got to do with Mike?”

“If you recall, while Bea was gone Clara took care of the boys and so when she returned, everything looked so nice and in place, she was hurt to see they managed without her.”

Both paramedics kept blank stares on him, wondering if they were on the right track.

“Mike’s our Aunt Bea,” Hank blurted out.

Again Roy and Johnny exchanged glances before Johnny offered, “Wouldn’t he be more like our Andy and you’re our Aunt Bea? I mean you take care of everything.”

The captain sat forward in his chair. “Gage, I’m not Aunt Bea. I’m an Andy. You know, the leader in the group.”

“I kind of like you better as an Aunt Bea,” Roy smirked.

Johnny nodded in agreement.

“I’m not---oh look, the point is, I don’t want Mike to feel like we did so well with him gone. You know, let him know he was missed.”

“Sure, Cap. What ever you say.”

“C’mon, Opie,” Roy said as he turned to leave. “Let’s get some coffee.”

“I’m not Opie. You’re the one with the lighter hair.”

“Okay, Barney.”

“I’m not Barney either,” Gage protested as he followed his partner out.

Hank leaned back again, then glanced at the phone. “I’m not Aunt Bea,” he told himself. 

E!E!E!E!

Chet motioned for Preston to go over by Marco when they heard Johnny’s voice in the apparatus bay. The curly-haired fireman then rubbed one hand against another in anticipation, being careful to keep the string held tight in one hand. As the voice neared, he readied himself and stood off to the side.

As soon as he saw the blue uniform shirt, he gave a quick tug on the string, the bucket tipped and his target was soaked as planned. Only it was the wrong target.

“Roy!” Johnny called out from behind his partner. But quickly realizing what had happened, he couldn’t help but snicker as he immediately stepped around the still stunned and dripping senior paramedic.

“Oh man, you’re in for it now,” he remarked. The expression on Roy’s face seemed to say he agreed.

“And that’s why Chet doesn’t usually get anyone else,” Marco told Preston.

The substitute engineer nodded in understanding, a big smile on his face. This crew knew how to have fun.  He’d seen some of it before, but not quite like this.

E!E!E!E!

Everyone waited through out the day for Roy’s revenge on Chet. And each time they were between calls , Chet would walk behind Preston as often as possible. He figured a big target like that would take the full brunt of what ever Roy had planned.

But it wasn’t until he found his bed short-sheeted that he realized Roy had struck.

“Ahhh!”  Here he was exhausted and would have to remake it.

Moose peeked over the brick divider and shook his head. He wasn’t about to let on he’d helped Roy out.

Soon everyone had turned in and hoped for a quiet night.

E!E!E!E!

Two hours passed before the tones sounded waking the men and sending them to a structure fire. The squad and engine arrived to find a two story house, on the outskirts of a sparse residential area, in flames. They pulled up alongside the curb and were thankful the hydrant was in front of the house next door.

Chet and Marco immediately jumped out of the vehicle to start pulling hose off the back of the engine. They stopped briefly when they realized the engine was right beside the hydrant. They might be able to hook up to the sides of the hydrant but should they need a larger line, they wouldn't be able to pull it off.

"Preston!" Marco shouted several times before he got the engineer's attention. "Pull up some! We don't have full access to the hydrant."

Preston was stunned that he had stopped so close to the hydrant and jumped back into the driver's seat to move the truck. He swore silently as he knew there was no way he could start her up and move her without the captain knowing.

 

E!E!E!E!

Captain Stanley quickly assessed the scene and put in a call for back-up. Getting out of the engine and crossing the sidewalk, he was met by a distraught couple in their early thirties.

"Is everyone out of the house?"

"Yes, yes," stated the wife. "The kids are at their grandparents tonight. I am so thankful for that!"

The two were coughing and he directed them to go with the paramedics for assistance.
He turned to start shouting orders to his men and was surprised to hear the engine start up. The fire captain was equally surprised to see the slightly guilty look on his engineer’s face. Time was critical and there wasn't any to spare to find out just what had occurred. Making a mental note to inquire later, he hoped the other engine company arrived soon and that they could save the house.

Once the engine was out of the way, the hoses were charged and the men of 51 set to work trying to douse the flames, which seemed to be gaining ground. It wasn't long before Engine 110 arrived to lend their support. With the extra reserves, they were able to hold back the fire's progress.

John and Roy had the couple sit down while they administered some oxygen and took vitals. Both seemed to respond to the treatment and their vitals did not indicate a trip to the emergency room. However it was suggested that they follow-up with their family physician.

"You guys are pretty lucky," remarked John Gag,e as a small portion of the roof collapsed into the second story.

"Yeah," sighed the husband. "If it wasn't for Tippy we might still be in there."

"Tippy?"

"Our dog," offered the woman. A look of distress came over her face. "Tippy! Where is she?" She jumped up and looked around frantically bringing on another coughing fit.
Johnny attempted to have her sit back down but she threw his hand off and ran towards the house. Fortunately, Preston saw her bolt and was in a position to head her off.

"Ma'am please!" he urged. "You can't go in there. What's the problem? Maybe we can help."

"Have you seen Tippy?"

"Who is Tippy? I thought everyone was out," asked the confused engineer.

"Our dog!" she shouted. "She's our dog."

Captain Stanley ran over to see what was going on and took over with the lady so Moose could go back to monitoring the gauges.

"What's the problem Mrs. -"

"Ashton. Oh -" she exclaimed sadly, "Our dog. It’s Tippy, our dog! She woke us up and saved us. Now she's missing.”

The captain got on the HT and informed the others of the missing dog. Unfortunately no one could report having seen her. He asked them to be on the lookout. Mrs. Ashton broke down in tears.

"We've had her for ten years. She's part of our family," she sobbed. "She - she saved our lives!"

Hank herded her back over to the paramedics. She found little solace in the waiting arms of her husband. "Oh, Bob - what're we going to do without her?"

A shout drew their attention as a familiar fireman came towards them through the thick smoke in front of the house. He appeared to be carrying something and he was in a big hurry.

Chet kneeled down beside the paramedics and laid his burden on the ground. "I found her by the back porch,” he explained, his voice muffled by his air mask. “I don't think she's breathing." He looked sadly at the furry heroine and then to the paramedics. Knowing the dog was in the best of care, he hurried back to the house.

Johnny dropped to his knees beside the dog and quickly put the oxygen mask over the dog's mouth and nose.

"Johnny -" Roy began. The look in his partner's eyes told him to stop. He was going to try no matter what.

Roy joined him on the ground and started to assist. The oxygen didn't seem to be helping, so Johnny decided to try a few mild chest compressions as well. A few minutes later, Tippy stirred. The paramedics broke out in grins and Carol Ashton’s tears turned to those of joy.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it," said Bob in amazement.

Not long after, the captain came over to tell them the fire was out and was happy to see the dog was in better shape than originally reported. The dog's tail gave a few half-hearted wags.

"I see you've been busy as well."

"All in a day's - night's work, Cap," said Gage.

"When you're through here we could use your help."

The police came over to get some details from the Ashton's and Hank returned to supervise the clean-up. Chet stopped by to see if he was right about the dog. He was surprised to see her trying to sit up.

"I thought - "

"She was, Chet, but we tried a little doggie CPR on her. It was Johnny's idea. Chet - meet Tippy!"

The stocky fireman leaned down to pet her and was soon on the receiving end of several grateful kisses from the Irish Setter.

"She likes ya, Chet," smirked Johnny.

"Most Irish girls do, Gage," he said with a wink. "Amazing work, guys."

Thanks to Chet, word spread that the dog survived. Preston hoped with the good news, late hour, and extensive clean-up, that Captain Stanley would not inquire about his earlier mistake. Approximately three hours after being sent out, the weary men of Station 51 rolled back into the station and without hesitation, dropped onto their beds, hoping for a little rest before they had to get up.

E!E!E!E!

A tired A-shift greeted the men coming in to replace them. The next crew cheerfully allowed the men to leave a few minutes early and started to pull the hose that needed to be taken care of. As quickly as they could, the men of A-shift changed and headed out to their cars.

Preston hurried after Johnny having come up with a few ideas on how to retaliate the next time the 'Phantom' reared his head. He was hoping they could get together to discuss them over the break. Roy was the last one in the locker room when Hank came in.

"Have you seen Preston?"

"I think he left with Johnny. He wanted to talk to him about something but wouldn't tell me what."

"Oh."

"Any reason you're looking for him?"

The captain shook his head. "Nothing that can't wait till next shift I suppose. See you in a few days, Roy."

The paramedic watched his captain turn to leave. Clearly he had something important on his mind. He only hoped it wasn't anything too serious.

E!E!E!E!

Johnny and Preston walked out toward their vehicles discussing their plans. With Chet and Marco already having left, the two conspirators were at ease with the conversation.

As they approached the row of cars in the lot, the paramedic asked, “Hey, do you ever go bowlin’?”

The other glanced at him in surprise. “Do I--? Heck yeah. I was the captain on my crew’s team back in Fargo. We’d bowl against the other crews, the one on duty would take the calls from there. But being a smaller area than here, the game didn’t get interrupted too often. I might be a little rusty though.”

Johnny grinned. “Well, how ‘bout we meet at the bowlin’ alley later then? We can bounce around ideas for a prank and maybe even throw in a friendly bet on the game in the meantime. . .”

Preston stopped and gave him a wary look. “Just how good are you, anyway?”

“I do okay,” Johnny shrugged. “I do all right.”

“You wouldn’t be taking advantage of a guy who’s a little outta practice would ya?”

“Who me?” he kidded, his right hand splayed on his chest. “Nah,” he waved the notion off. “I figure a rusty league bowler is about equal to a casual bowler like myself, so I won’t get tromped.”

“Well, I have to admit that makes sense. Okay, you’re on.”

“Good deal. I’ll meet you there at eleven, okay? It’s at
Sepulveda Blvd and Orangewood Street.”

“Sounds good.” But as Johnny walked away he called out, “Hey, what’re we gonna bet?”

Gage shrugged. “How’bout the one with the lowest score buys lunch. It’s only a coupla bucks for a burger and fries there. Then if we go a second round and the same person comes up short at the end, it’s already taken care of. If the other takes a dive, we can think of somethin’ else.”

“That’ll work.”

With that they went their separate ways for the morning.

E!E!E!E!

Johnny snickered as he and Preston walked out of the bowling alley. He was happy he’d out bowled his new buddy, even though barely. And they’d had some good laughs thinking of what they could do to get Chet at the station.

“As long as we keep it simple and basically harmless, Cap won’t mind. He’s even been in on one or two before.”

Preston had wondered what the chances were of him and Johnny getting into trouble if they hit their colleague with a couple of pranks in one shift. They’d had a few ideas that weren’t too elaborate.

“Well then, how about the tearing material behind his back so he’ll think he ripped his pants and the flour in his boots?”

Johnny grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “Moose, you’re my kinda prankster.”

E!E!E!E!

Anxious to get to work anticipating a fun shift, Preston made it to the station earlier than he had since starting there. He was glad to see Johnny there early as well so they could decide when to strike with their first prank – the ‘ripped’ pants.

Chet and Marco walked into the locker room to change into uniform just as the other two were finishing up. Roy followed close behind. Preston left the room first while Gage remained to talk to Roy. Neither wanted anything out of the ordinary to tip Chet off.

E!E!E!E!

Once all the men were dressed and in the dayroom, their captain summoned them to the bay for roll call. He kept it brief then sent Chet and Preston to the dayroom to tidy it up; Johnny and Roy had to inventory their squad; Marco would have to do the latrine. He’d planned on talking to his substitute engineer about the slip up a few days earlier, but decided to hold off so it wouldn’t be so obvious to the others.

No sense in everyone knowing I’ve had to talk with him again. With a little luck, things’ll go so well today I won’t *have* to talk to him about it.

The last thing the captain needed was a discouraged man on his crew and he had a feeling another lecture might bring about just that. He’d rather give him another chance if he could first. After all, nothing serious had come from any of the minor errors.

E!E!E!E!

Johnny stood up and placed the drug box back in its compartment, looking over the squad roof in the meantime. His partner noticed and wondered, “Expecting someone?”

“Huh?” His attention was still on something else.

“I said--”

But Johnny was already on his way around the back end of the red truck. Roy shook his head and sighed. At least he’d only left him with the biophone calibration check.

E!E!E!E!

Johnny had seen the brief signal from his co-conspirator in the doorway of the dayroom. It was time to have a little fun at Chet’s expense. He carefully peeked in and saw Preston pull a slightly torn piece of cloth out of his pocket, Chet’s back to him. The curly haired fireman was busy stuffing the previous day’s newspaper into an already full trashcan.

“Maybe you oughta take that out before we try to add anything else,” Preston suggested.

“Probably right,” Chet said without turning around. As he bent over again to pick it up, Preston quickly ripped the cloth and stuffed it back in his pocket as Chet stayed bent over unmoving. The fireman slowly turned around, apparently to see if Moose had noticed what happened. By that time the prankster was involved in wiping off the counter near the sink.

Johnny hurried back around the squad, snickering to himself. His partner just stood with arms folded across his chest waiting for an explanation. But before Johnny could say anything, they saw Chet head for the latrine, a hand over the seat of his pants.

“Would that look on your face have anything to do with Chet?”

The dark-haired paramedic was about to explain, but the tones went off.

“Squad 51, woman trapped, 2143 West Beechnut Drive, two one four three West Beechnut Drive, time out 08:35.”

Preston acknowledged the call for them at the podium and handed Roy the slip of paper with the info on it as the paramedic c,imbed into the squad. He gave Johnny a quick thumbs up at the same time, and Gage paramedic returned the gesture with a nod and grin. As the squad pulled away, the engineer went back to his chores, figuring Chet would be awhile trying to figure out where he’d ripped his pants. He wondered what Marco was thinking if Chet had gone straight to the lockers for a new change of trousers.

E!E!E!E!

Once Johnny and Roy got their victim freed from a sauna with a faulty latch and taken to Rampart for treatment of dehydration, it was close to 10:00 a.m. Roy called them in as available and they were immediately sent on another call, this one for a motor vehicle accident. It was away from town in Topanga Canyon. Engine 36 would be meeting them there, as Engine 51 was still out on a dumpster fire.

After what felt like forever in travel, Roy drove around one of many curves along the way when a man in his early twenties came into view a short distance up the road. He was standing near a red car, waving for them to pull over.

The senior medic brought the squad to a stop along the side of the canyon road about a yard away from the edge that dropped off and a few feet behind the car.

“What happened?” Johnny asked as he climbed out of the squad.

“It’s our friend Daryl. He was ahead of us in his truck. . .we were comin’ up here to hang out, you know? And a car came from the other direction and kinda crossed the line. Daryl swerved and lost control, went right over the embankment.”

“Is he still in the truck?” Roy asked as he took a worried glance down at the steep incline.

“Yeah, man, we can’t get him out.”

“Where’s the car that caused the accident?” Johnny wondered as he helped Roy get equipment out of the squad.

“They kept going.”

Johnny just shook his head. It didn’t surprise him.

The paramedics started down the hill when dispatch called over the radio. Johnny kept the drug box in one hand as he scrambled back up the short distance to answer while Roy kept on with the biophone in his grasp.

“Squad 51, go ahead LA.”

“Squad 51, be aware Engine 36 was involved in a minor MVA and has been delayed. Engine 51 is available and responding in their place. ETA is twenty minutes.”

“10-4, LA.”

He trotted away from the cab and yelled down, “Roy! Engine 36 is being replaced by 51!”

“Got it!”

“The engine should be here in about twenty minutes,” Johnny told the man who’d waved them over. “Stay here and lettum know we’re down below.” He then cautiously but quickly made his way down through the torn up brush to where the wrecked truck lay on its side, hidden from view from the road above.

“He’s conscious,” Roy informed him when he reached the scene. “Pulse is strong, respirations are normal, considering. But he says his left leg and arm hurt. He’s got quite a few small facial lacerations, too, and he’s liable to have one hell of a bruise from the seatbelt. We’re gonna need help getting him outta here, though. Probably the jaws. He’s pinned in there good.”

Johnny nodded. “I’ll get Rampart on the horn and lettum know what we’ve got so far,” he said as he set down the trauma box then kneeled to set up the biophone.

But a few tries later, he couldn’t get a signal from their location.

“I’ll relay it to ‘em through dispatch from the squad,” he offered.

Roy gave a quick nod and watched as Gage made his way back up the slope.

E!E!E!E!

Knowing the engine was due at any time, Johnny glanced down the road when he first reached the top of the embankment. He couldn’t see far because of the curved road. However, no siren could be heard yet.

He opened the passenger side door and contacted dispatch on the radio. As he explained the situation, he could then hear the sound of a siren approaching. But he was involved in relaying the initial information for Rampart, thus remained sitting halfway on the seat inside.

Part 2