*Disclaimer: The opening dialogue in this vignette is borrowed from the episode 'Helpful'. No copyright infringement is intended.
More to Life than Spaghetti
- A Brief Alternate Ending to ‘Helpful’ –
By Audrey W.
This takes place as Roy drives the squad away from Rampart while he tells Johnny that Joanne agrees Mike Stoker’s spaghetti is better than hers and she’s not mad at him anymore.
“See? Now I told you, I was right!” Gage stated with a proud crooked grin. "Look, I know women. If I hada never given Joanne that recipe. . .Man, I knew I was right all along!"
“If I had to make a choice between your being right and Joanne being mad at me___ I’d rather she was mad at me,” Roy answered in return.
Johnny sort of laughed as he scoffed at the statement. "Well, now, that's some fine gratitude. Okay. Okay, fine. Next time I won't even letcha tell me about it."
"Promise?"
Johnny rolled his eyes as he shifted his gaze from out the windshield, to the passenger window and back again. He wasn’t sure what to do with Roy’s last comment…laugh or complain.
Shortly into their rainy trip back to Station 51, the dark-haired paramedic looked at DeSoto and was about to finally come up with a comeback line when he noticed the other seemed preoccupied in thought.
“What?” Johnny asked.
“Hmmm?”
“What’s on your mind now? We already solved the problem between you and Joanne, so I know that can’t be it.”
“Nope.”
“Well, what then? You’re obviously thinkin’ about something.”
Roy gave a slight nod. “But you said you weren't going to let me tell you next time. It's next time."
"Oh c'mon, Roy! I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it at all. Man, didn’t ya just learn a lesson from all this? You can't keep everything to yourself and expect to figure it out. Admit it, I might even be able to help again,” he offered with a shrug.
"I’m not so sure you’re gonna like this one.”
"Look, you can tell me anything. Anything."
The older paramedic glanced at him. “Anything?”
“Anything,” Gage repeated with a firm nod.
“Okay. If you say so. I was just trying to decide whose fashion sense was more off. Yours with those patchwork pants you sometimes wear or Brackett’s with those blue striped ones he had on today.”
Maybe 'anything' was a little too broad, Johnny thought to himself.
He started to open his mouth in self defense, but quickly changed his mind. A slight smile played on his lips as he figured over all he had helped Roy out again, though certainly indirectly. Sure, he wasn’t exactly on the winning end being that he was just used as a bad example. But at least he had played a part in getting Roy off one topic and onto another, proving after a few days where it sure hadn’t felt like it, there was more to life than spaghetti.
This was inspired by watching the episode recently and wondering what in the heck were we thinking sometimes in the 1970s. lol But I have to admit, I miss those simpler times. :o)
*Click above to send Audrey feedback
