The Nightmare

Part 3

Johnny was stunned when he arrived at the hospital with the kids and discovered that Joanne was in active labor. He knew that she still had 6 more weeks. He chided himself for moving her from the car to the dorm but he thought she had been okay at that point.

Dixie informed him at Joanne’s doctor was on the way and that Joe Early and Kel Brackett were both in with her and Roy. Since her membranes had ruptured, there wasn’t anything that they good do to hold off the birth of the baby. She ushered the kids into a treatment room to be checked out as well just as a precaution. Soon after, Dr. Morton came into the room.

“So, what do we have here,” he asked. He knew the situation with Joanne Desoto and he put on his very best bedside manner for her children. He knew that John Gage was extremely worried as well.

Johnny gave him a run down on what had happened as far as the accident and what he had done when he came across them. Morton gave them a comprehensive check up and deemed them no worse for the wear physically.

“Um, Doc, I got Joanne out of the car. Is…is, um,” Johnny couldn’t bring himself to ask the question for fear of what the answer would be - that the premature labor was his fault.

“John, a person’s body can only endure so much stress. This year has been tough on Mrs. Desoto. So, to answer your question, no, you did nothing wrong. Her labor was not brought on by the fact that you moved her. She suffered a trauma, both physically and emotionally, and that is what is responsible.”

In an uncharacteristic move, Mike Morton gripped Johnny’s shoulder in a sign of support. “We’ll let you know how it’s going?”

Johnny nodded as Mike left the room. He walked back to the exam table and picked Jenny up. “Come on, Chris, let’s go see if we can find Ms. Dixie,” he said to the young boy.

They found her at the nurse’s station and she looked sympathetically at Johnny and the kids. “They’re taking her upstairs to labor and deliver,” she said quickly before he could even ask. “Are you going to wait here or take them home,” she asked nodding at the two kids.

“I thought we’d hang out in the cafeteria for a bit, is that okay?”

“Sure it is, Johnny. If I hear anything, I’ll come find you there,” she said as she reached for the ringing phone. “Rampart Emergency. Nurse McCall,” she said into the receiver as Johnny scooped Jennifer up again.

*********

Roy had left Joanne’s side only briefly since they had arrived at the hospital and that was to ask Bowers to let Captain Stanley know what was going on and to make sure that they were getting a replacement for him. Jeff had assured him that there was nothing to worry about, “just take care of your wife, Roy,” he had told him.

Now they had been transferred up to labor and delivery and it was a waiting game. Joanne’s contractions were steady so there was no need for pitocin but she had been so hysterical when she arrived that they had to give her a mild sedative.

Roy knew the potential dangers that they were facing with a premature baby. Joanne was not quite 35 weeks along in her pregnancy and he could only hope and pray that the baby’s lungs would be strong enough and would not be in respiratory distress.

Joanne was resting with her eyes closed but Roy knew that she wasn’t sleeping. A tear escaped her eyelid and traveled down her cheek. He reached over and brushed it away but didn’t say anything. He didn’t trust his voice. When she had finally been able to tell him the story beginning with the Jennifer and the car, the accident and then ending up at the station with Johnny, his blood had been boiling. His entire world had been put in danger. He shook his head to clear the ugly thoughts that swam in his head. The kids were safe now with Johnny and Roy had no doubts that his friend would look after them. His concern now had to be with Joanne and the baby.

*********

Johnny and the kids sat in the cafeteria for a long time. He made sure that both of them had gotten enough to eat. He had talked to them about what had happened and was amazed at their resiliency. Vince had come and gone but he’d be back when he could talk to Joanne until then there wasn’t much he could do. He told Johnny that they had impounded the car and that the Desoto’s groceries had been left at the station.

After leaving the cafeteria, he took the kids to the hospital gift shop and bought them crayons and coloring books and they retreated to the maternity waiting room. Grace Stanley had come by and offered to take the kids home but Johnny had said no. If they were going home, it would be with him. He didn’t know what might possibly be waiting at the Desoto house and he didn’t want to put Grace Stanley in harm’s way. She had waited with them for a while but had reluctantly gone home when Johnny assured her that he would call as soon as he had any news to report.

Joanne had been admitted at 2:45pm and it was now almost eight. Dixie had since gone home but not before checking on Joanne’s progress and letting Johnny know that it could still be awhile. The kids were getting sleepy and Johnny knew that he had to get them home and put them to bed. But where? Should he take them to their house where they would be comfortable or to his own? He decided to go to Roy’s house and check things out.

He noticed the police car parked on the street in front of the house and silently thanked Vince for arranging for the protection. As he pulled into the driveway, he felt ten times more comfortable about taking them home. He had been worried that the crazy lunatic who’d come after Joanne this afternoon would have done something to the house.

He led the kids inside and decided to let them forgo their baths. They could do that in the morning. Instead he had them get right into their pajamas and told them they would have a sleepover in the living room. He didn’t want to let them out of his sight. So they found a couple of big blankets and spread them out on the floor and the kids got their pillows and in no time the two exhausted children were asleep.

*********

“Come on, Jo, push,” Roy urged her.

Joanne bore down with all her might.

“That’s it, Honey. You’re doing great.”

She stopped. “I can’t, Roy. I can’t do it.”

“Sure you can, Honey,” he said soothingly. He grabbed the washcloth and wiped her face. He looked at the doctor who nodded at him.

“Come on now, Babe. One more time, Jo. One more time. You can do it,” he urged.

Again, she bore down but she was exhausted. Neither of the other kids had been this hard.

“That’s it, Joanne,” the doctor said. “Keep it up.”

Roy stood next to her whispering encouragement and support. She pushed with everything she had left in her.

“Okay, Joanne. Stop pushing for a minute.”

Joanne stopped abruptly and opened her eyes. She had her legs pulled up and Roy was supporting her from behind on one side while the nurse did the same on the other. She looked down at the doctor and she saw her baby’s head. She couldn’t believe it.

“Okay, Joanne, the rest is going to be easy. When I say so, push again and you’ll have your baby,” the doctor told her as he looked up at her astonished face. He smiled even though she couldn’t see it because of the surgical mask he had on. “Ready, let’s push.”

Joanne pushed again and felt her baby slide from her body. It was an incredible feeling.

“You have a son,” the doctor announced but the room was silent. Joanne looked frantically to Roy. He still had a hold on her hand but his attention was on the doctor.

“What’s wrong,” she cried out. “Why isn’t he crying?”

The next thing she heard was her baby’s wail. Roy looked back at her and smiled. He ran his hand across her cheek. “He’s okay, Sweetie,” he assured her. “The doctor was just clearing the mucus.”

The doctor held up the baby and Joanne let go of Roy’s hand to reach for him but he was whisked quickly away. She turned frightened eyes to Roy. “He looks good, Jo, try not to worry. It’s just precautionary because he’s so early.”

The doctor turned the baby over to the neonatal team that was waiting while he returned to Joanne. The placenta was delivered without problem and Joanne’s doctor sutured her episiotomy.

Roy listened as they called out the first apgar score – eight. That was good news. The baby was still crying and it didn’t sound to Roy like there was any problems with his lungs. Five minutes later they called out the next apgar – nine. Roy breathed a sigh of relief.

The baby was brought over to Joanne and laid in her arms. As looked down at him, she didn’t think he could be any more perfect. He looked so much like Chris had as an infant but where Chris had a bit of peach fuzz on his head this baby was bald. Jenny had been born with a small covering of dark hair that had gradually lightened as she’d grown. It was now a beautiful blonde. Joanne marveled at her son and she had tears running down her face. She wouldn’t have thought it possible that she had any tears left after today but these were happy tears. She looked up into Roy’s face and her strong, silent husband was crying tears of his own.

He smiled at her and she offered the baby up to him. He did not hesitate to take the child from her and held him close. He was reluctant to let go when the nurse gently advised them that they wanted to put him into a warming bed as a precaution.

Once he had been taken from the room and the nurses had finished their tasks, Roy took Joanne in his arms being careful not to disturb her IV. It had been such an emotional day for both of them. She pulled back.

“You should call Johnny,” she told him and he nodded but made no move to leave.

“We haven’t decided on a name,” he reminded her. “We’ve tossed around so many different things. What do you think we should name him?”

“What’s your favorite name,” she asked him with a twinkle in her eye.

“Patrick,” he replied without thinking.

She smiled. “I like that,” she agreed. “It will make a wonderful middle name.”

“Middle,” he asked confused.

“I think we should name him John Patrick Desoto,” she said softly as she ran her fingers through Roy’s hair.

He stared at her. They hadn’t discussed using the name John although it had been at the forefront of Roy’s mind. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “After everything he’s done for us this year…yes, I’m sure. Besides, it’s only fitting that he should be named for his godfather, don’t you think?”

Tears swam in his eyes as he gathered his wife in his arms again. He held her tight. After everything she had been through this year, here she was thinking of him and the bond that he had with his friend. But it was true, Johnny had rearranged his life to be there for them and he had been there every time Joanne had needed him. Even today it had been Johnny who’d been at the station and it was Johnny who right now was with his kids.

“I think he would be honored,” Roy whispered in her ear.

“Go ahead now. Go call him. He’s got to be going crazy. And I want to know how my children are,” she told him.

Roy kissed her passionately before tearing himself away. “I’ll be right back,” he said as pulled the door open and smiled at her.

“I’ll be waiting.”

*********

The phone rang in the Desoto home at 11:30 pm. Johnny sprang to his feet and reached the kitchen in seconds flat.

“Hello,” he said quietly into the receiver.

“John, it’s Roy.”

“Roy, how’s Joanne? How’s the baby?”

“Both are doing fine, Johnny. How are the kids?”

Johnny let out the breath that he didn’t know he was holding.

“Thank God,” he said softly. That was all that mattered. “The kids are okay, Roy. We’re having a sleepover in the living room,” he told his friend.

“It’s a boy,” Roy said grinning from ear to ear, not that Johnny could see it.

But he could hear it in Roy’s voice. “Congratulations, Pally.”

“He’s small but not so when you think that he’s almost 5 weeks early,” Roy said into the phone. “They weighed him at 5lbs 5 ounces. And he’s 19 inches. His apgars are really good, too.”

Johnny could hear the relief in Roy’s voice. They both knew the importance of the initial apgar scores. “Man, that’s great. Really great, Roy.”

Roy paused for a second but Johnny remained silent. He smiled again before continuing, “Don’t you want to know his name?”

“His name? Oh yeah, what’s his name?” That had been the least of Johnny’s concerns.

“His name is John,” Roy replied letting the information sink in for a moment. “John Patrick Desoto,” he finished.

Johnny was incredulous. “You named him John? You….you named…”

“Yes, we named him John,” Roy said cutting in. “We named him for his godfather. You will do us the honor of being his godfather, won’t you Johnny?”

Johnny was speechless.

“John, you there?”

“Yeah, I just….I don’t know what to say, Roy. Yeah, I would be honored to be his godfather. My God, Roy, are you sure? I mean, your brother…”

“Yes, we’re sure, Junior. After everything you’ve done for my family, I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else,” Roy assured him. He knew that Johnny would take this responsibility very seriously and that pleased him. Not that Roy was an extremely religious man but his children and his wife meant everything to him.

“I don’t know what to say except thank you.”

Roy smiled again. It was a rare occasion that John Gage was left speechless. “Look, I gotta call Jo’s mom and my mother and I want to get back to Joanne. I’ll be home as soon as they kick me out,”

“Okay, well don’t step on the kids when you come in,” he instructed, “oh, and Roy, just so you don’t get worried when you get here, Vince has a cop posted outside.” He didn’t want Roy to become concerned when he pulled up about why the police would be there.

“Yeah, there’s one here, too, right outside the room,” he said. It was a stark reminder of everything that had happened that day. “I’ll, uh, see you in the morning, Junior. Thanks for everything.”

“Okay, Pally, see ya then,” he answered. He hung up the phone and sat at the kitchen table. A huge grin was plastered on his face. Godfather. He was going to be a godfather. He couldn’t wait for the morning to come so he could go see his godson. He liked the sound of that. And he couldn’t wait to tell Chet. He looked at the clock and realized that it was too late to the call station. That would have to wait for morning. The guys could be sleeping and they got interrupted enough during the night.

********

After finishing his phone calls, Roy was headed back to Joanne’s room when he decided to make a trip past the nursery. He stood at the window searching for his son’s name on one of the bassinets but he couldn’t find him. He wondered briefly if they had taken the baby back to Joanne’s room but Roy knew that they had taken him to a warming bed earlier. He managed to get the attention of one of the nurses and she stepped outside.

“Um, excuse me but I’m looking for my son. He was brought up about an hour ago. Desoto.”

“Desoto. I don’t remember him coming up,” she mused. She turned to look at Roy, “Are you sure?”

“Am I sure?” he asked in disbelief. “Of course I’m sure. He was born a little premature and they wanted to put him in a warming bed.”

“Oh, then you should really be looking in the NICU. It’s just down the hall in pediatrics,” she said as if Roy should have known this.

He shook his head at the nurse’s retreating back and then walked further down the hall. The walls were brightly colored and cheerful not the soft pastels that adorned the walls of the nursery. When he came to the first window, he stopped. There was his son but the picture before him was not what he had expected.

There weren’t nearly as many beds in here as there were in the nursery and most of them weren’t even filled. The room was full of equipment and the baby was hooked up to a heart monitor and he was receiving oxygen through a nasal cannula.

Roy’s mind was reeling. They hadn’t said anything was wrong with the baby. He stood rooted to the spot as he watched his child. He viewed him with the eye of a paramedic. To Roy’s eye, his color was good and his breathing looked fine. He watched the rise of and fall of the baby’s chest counting respirations.

A nurse walked over to check on the baby and noticed Roy watching. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up sign which Roy found very comforting without even knowing why. As he stood there, he noticed that one of the doctor’s who had been in delivery room had entered. The nurse looked back up briefly. She said something to the doctor and indicated Roy with a tilt of her head. The doctor nodded and a few seconds later emerged from the room.

“Mr. Desoto,” he said extending his hand, “I’m Dr. Delaney.” Roy reached out and shook his hand.

The doctor turned and nodded toward the NICU with his head. “This can all be very intimidating but let me assure you that your son is fine.” When he saw Roy visibly relax he continued. “The NICU is a relatively new concept here at Rampart. We have five intensive care beds and 10 special care beds in this unit. Your son is here strictly as a precaution.” He looked back at Roy to make sure that he understood.

“We like to keep a close watch on any child born before 36 weeks gestation and while your son was not exhibiting any signs of distress, he does meet that criteria. His initial blood pressure when we brought him up was on the low side, which is why we have him on oxygen. It is not of grave concern but it does bear close monitoring.”

Roy nodded while trying to find his voice. The scene was quite intimidating as the doctor had said and even though Roy dealt with medical emergencies on a daily basis, it was a different matter when it was a member of your own family that was involved.

“Why the heart monitor,” he finally choked out.

The doctor looked sympathetically at Roy. “We’re just using them to monitor his heart rate and rhythm as well as his breathing rate and pattern. Again, strictly precautionary. If all goes well tonight, we’ll move him to the newborn nursery tomorrow.”

Roy nodded. “You know, I see this stuff everyday,” Roy said as he looked through the window, “but it’s so different now and he’s so small.”

“True. He is small but not for his gestational age. You’ve got a good, strong son there, Mr. Desoto. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. If you or your wife have any questions, just ask the nurse to page me.”

“Thank you, Doc,” Roy said reaching out to shake the doctor’s hand again. After the doctor left, Roy said a silent prayer that his son would be okay and give them no reason to keep him in the NICU. He did not want Joanne to have to see him this way. Even if it was precautionary, it would upset Joanne tremendously.

Reluctantly, he tore himself away from the window and walked slowly back to the maternity ward where his wife was waiting for him. He hoped that she would have been able to fall asleep. It had been a draining day both physically and emotionally for her and she needed her rest but, he thought, if I know my wife, she won’t sleep until she knows how her children are.

True enough, when he entered her room, Joanne’s eyes were closed but she wasn’t sleeping. She opened them as soon as she heard him come in. She reached out her hand to him and he took it.

“Did you get in touch with Johnny?”

“Yeah,” he said smiling at her, “he’s ecstatic. He’ll be walking on clouds for the next 18 years,” Roy joked.

“How are the kids doing? It was so awful for them.”

“And for you,” he reminded her, “but they’re fine. Johnny has them camping out in the living room.” He let go of her hand and pulled the blanket up over her chest. “You should get some sleep, Jo, it’s been a long day.”

“Did you go see the baby?” Her adrenaline had yet to slow down and she was not ready to sleep just yet. Roy averted his eyes for just a second but Joanne noticed. “He’s okay, isn’t he, Roy?”

He leaned over and brushed a kiss across her lips. “He’s fine, Honey. I just talked to the doctor. He said that we have a good, strong son. Those were his words.”

“But you saw him, right? How did he look to you?” It was extremely important to Joanne what Roy thought because of his medical knowledge and if there was something wrong that the doctor’s weren’t telling them then Roy would know.

“Yes, Honey, I saw him and he looks good. His color is good and his breathing is fine,” he assured her. He watched the lines of worry leave her face and he again prayed that the baby would be able to go to the newborn nursery in the morning.

“Did you get in touch with my mom?”

Roy groaned. “Yes and she’s probably packing her bags right now.”

Joanne laughed. “You poor guy,” she said teasing him. “I’m sure she won’t stay long.”

“One can only hope,” he said in mock seriousness and she swatted playfully at his arm. “Now, try to get some sleep, okay?”

“Okay,” she said grudgingly.

Roy turned the lights down low and settled himself in the chair next to the bed. He might not get much sleep but he intended to stay until the kicked him out. Even with the officer stationed outside the door, Roy wasn’t comfortable leaving Joanne alone even for the night.

He stretched his legs out in front of him and clasped his hands behind his head. He tried to stifle a yawn but was unsuccessful. He hadn’t realized just how tired he was. He closed his eyes and hoped that the staff would leave him be.

“Roy?”

He cocked open one eye. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes.

“Hmmm,” he murmured.

“I’m hungry,” Joanne whispered.

He opened the other eye and sat up in the chair. “You’re hungry,” he asked in amazement.

“Well, I haven’t had anything since lunch,” she said sheepishly. “Do you think they’ll bring me something to eat?”

He looked at his watch and groaned. It was one am and he doubted that they’d even have anything to give her but he told her he’d go ask.

As it turned out, the nurses managed to find something for Joanne to eat and no one said anything to him about leaving which surprised him to no end. All of the nurses were very pleasant for which he was very grateful. He’d had a few experiences with nurses who weren’t quite so nice so this was a welcome change.

Things had certainly changed since Jenny and Chris had been born. Roy hadn’t been allowed in the delivery room then and he certainly would never have been allowed to stay the night.

*********

Two days later, mother and baby were doing fine and were both scheduled to be released the next day. There had been a steady stream of visitors and Joanne would be happy to be at home where she could get some peace and quiet. Just as Roy had predicted, Johnny was walking on cloud nine and telling everyone about his new godson.

Joanne had just finished feeding the baby and placed him back in the bassinette. She picked up the teddy bear that his “godfather” had bought for him and placed it in the bassinette beside him.

“You’re going to be one spoiled child, little man,” she cooed softly to her son.

The nurse came back into the room as if on cue.

“How did he do with his feeding, Mrs. Desoto?”

Joanne smiled as she looked at the infant. “Let’s just say that he was hungry,” she answered.

The nurse laughed at the comment. “He looks so peaceful now,” she commented referring to how upset the baby had been when they had done the PKU test earlier. “Did you finish with those papers that we gave you earlier,” she asked.

“Yes,” Joanne said reaching for the pile. “Here you go,” she handed the papers to the nurse.

As the nurse left, Roy walked in. He took in the papers in her hand.

“What’s all that,” he asked Joanne.

“Birth certificate stuff,” she answered. “How are the kids doing?”

“Good, they’re doing good. They’re at Cap’s house now,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her.

“How’s the little man,” he asked not realizing that he used the same nickname that Joanne had taken to calling him.

“Full,” she replied. “He just finished eating.”

Roy nodded. “You need anything?”

“Yes, to go home,” she said jovially but Roy knew she was serious. There was a slight tap at the door and Roy walked over and pulled it open.

“Vince, hey, what’re you doing here?” Roy was surprised to see him.

He fidgeted a bit. “I hate to intrude on you but I didn’t want to put this off,” he finally said. “We, uh, got a sketch from the last woman that was attacked. She sat down with our artist and uh, this is what she came up with.” He held out the drawing to Joanne and she took it with trembling hands. “Now, I realize that you didn’t see his face…”

“His eyes, I saw his eyes,” Joanne interrupted. “I’d know them anywhere.” She studied the photograph. “Those are his eyes,” she finally said. She handed the sketch to Roy.

“Are you sure, Mrs. Desoto,” he asked. “We need to be positive…”

“It’s his eyes,” she replied looking at Roy. He was staring at the picture but hadn’t said anything. She looked back at Vince, “Did you show that to Liz yet? Liz Buchanan?”

He nodded. “She couldn’t be sure,” he said with a hint of disappointment. “You think this is the same guy,” he asked again. If it was then they definitely had a serial rapist on their hands.

Joanne leaned back over towards Roy and he moved to offer her a better view. She looked at the eyes staring back at her. She shuddered, “yes,” was her reply.

Finally Roy spoke up, “He looks familiar. I don’t know why. Something about him hits me as familiar. Like I’ve seen the guy before.”

“You think he’s in the department, Roy,” Vince asked conscious of the fact that Joanne thought he was at the picnic a couple of months ago.

“I don’t know really. I see so many people every day, it’s hard to tell,” he replied honestly. “Can I keep this,” he asked holding it up. “You know show it around. See if anyone recognizes him.”

Vince nodded, “Don’t see why not, Roy?” He paused not sure how to pose his next thought. He hit Roy with a stare. “You find out anything, you call me,” he said pointing to himself. “I don’t need you going off half cocked or worse yet that partner of yours, Roy,” Vince instructed.

Roy gave his best “who me” look and Vince stared him down. “I mean it, Roy,” he said again.

Roy acquiesced. “Okay, you got it. I’ll call you if I find out anything,” he replied. And he would call him but he wouldn’t promise not to do anything. “And Johnny’s still recuperating so I don’t think you have to worry about him,” he added quickly before Vince could push the subject.

Vince eyed the blonde haired paramedic suspiciously before he turned to leave. Something about his demeanor had the officer worried. Gage, he knew to be wary of but Desoto…he just couldn’t peg him. It was always the quiet ones that you had to worry about, Vince thought.

After he had left, Roy turned back to Joanne who was also looking at him oddly.

“What,” he asked.

She wanted to make him promise not to do anything if he found out anything but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The bastard had made their lives miserable for the last seven and half months. She wanted him to hurt and badly. She just didn’t want Roy hurt in the process.

“Nothing,” she lied. She picked up the teddy bear. “Look what Johnny dropped by last night,” she said changing the subject.

Roy laughed. “Come on now, Jo, you didn’t think he wouldn’t spoil the little man did you? After all, look how he spoils Chris and Jenny,” he added for emphasis.

The nurse came back a short time later to check on her patient. She noticed the drawing on the table where Roy had tossed it. She picked it up. “So, who’s the artist,” she asked.

“Huh?” Roy said turning around.

The nurse the sketch up. “This is a wonderful sketch of your baby’s godfather. I was just wondering who drew it. You or Mrs. Desoto?”

“Excuse me,” Roy choked out.

The nurse smiled. “The picture. It’s really great.” She noticed the dark look on Roy’s face. “I, uh, I didn’t know who…”

“Did you say godfather,” Roy questioned her angrily.

She didn’t know why he was directly so much hostility towards her. She looked to Mrs. Desoto in the bed. Her face was completely ashen.

“What were you talking about,” Roy demanded to know. “Have you seen this man?”

She backed towards the door. “Last night that man came by. He said he wanted to see his son. I told him visiting hours were over but he could look through the nursery window.” She hesitated and Roy advanced towards her. “I asked him which baby was his and he said Desoto and I laughed and said that I knew he wasn’t the father of the Desoto baby and he replied ‘Did I say son? I meant godson’ so I showed him which baby was his.”

“That baby is not his,” Roy roared at her oblivious to the fact that he was scaring the shit of the nurse.

She groped behind her for the door handle and pulled it open. “He gave me the teddy bear,” she said pointing to the stuffed animal in the bassinette with the baby, “and asked me to make sure that he got it. I, I didn’t know…I didn’t think anything of it,” she spit out. She looked at him with frightened eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

*******

Joanne grabbed the teddy bear out of the bassinette and threw it at Roy. “Get rid of this,” she screamed.

Roy stood in the doorway unfazed by the stuffed animal that bounced off his back. He watched the nurse as she retreated to the safety of the nurse’s station. He looked at the cop posted outside. “Get Vince back here now,” he barked. “That sunuvabitch has been here.” That said he retreated back into the room. He stalked to the phone and paged Dr. Brackett.

Within the hour, the room was filled with hospital administrators, nursing staff and police. Joanne watched everything going on with a feeling of trepidation. She knew in her heart that there was no way that this nightmare was going to end for them. My God, she thought, he thinks this is his baby. What will this do to Roy?

Vince provided the hospital with plenty of copies of the sketch. He ordered that they be posted throughout the hospital. The hospital administration were complying fully with the request of the police and detectives.

“I want another officer posted outside that nursery,” Vince ordered.

“No,” Joanne said quietly. She hadn’t spoken much since they’d all been assembled.

“Excuse me,” Vince said to her.

“I said no,” she repeated. “Oh, you can post an officer there if you want but my baby will not be leaving this room tonight,” she said vehemently.

The hospital administrator spoke up. “Mrs. Desoto, I understand your concern but it is not out policy to have the babies remain in the rooms at night.”

She looked at him crossly. “I don’t care,” she said simply. She looked around the room taking in all of the faces. “This is my son, not yours. I want John here with me. If you cannot or will not accommodate me, then you can discharge us both now.”

She looked to Roy for support and he smiled at his wife’s strength. At times when others might crumble, Joanne became a rock.

That smile gave her the courage to continue. “You can sit there and assure me all day that my son will have protection but it will not change my mind. There has been an officer outside my room for the last two days but it didn’t stop that man from coming to this hospital. I will not give in on this, gentleman. Either John stays with me at all times or we leave now.” She clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling and she waited for someone to reply.

The room was silent for a long time. Joanne couldn’t stand the silence. What is wrong with these people? Can’t they see that I’m serious?

“Roy, get my bag,” she said calmly.

Dr. Blevins, the hospital administrator, finally broke. “All right, the baby may stay in the room. We will make the necessary adjustments,” he replied.

He made eye contact with Joanne and she nodded. John picked that moment to start crying.

“Okay people, let’s move. The Desotos need some privacy,” Vince ordered and the room quickly cleared.

Roy picked up his crying son and held him close. He looked at the small infant in his arms. You are my child not his, he thought. How dare he do this? God help you when I find who you are.

“I’m scared, Roy. What if he comes back here,” Joanne said voicing her own thoughts.

I’ll tear him to shreds. “He won’t, Jo. His face is out there now. He’s got to know that.”

“What about the kids?”

“I’ll see if they can stay with Johnny tonight at his place until we get home tomorrow. I’m not leaving you two alone here, that’s for sure.”

Joanne knew that Johnny would do whatever was necessary to keep her children safe while they were with him and that eased her mind tremendously.

Roy wandered over to the window still holding the baby. I’m missing something. What is it? I’ve seen this guy before. But where and when? Roy racked his brain trying to come up with answers but he just couldn’t figure it out. I was working when Joanne was attacked and I was working when Buchanan’s wife was attacked. But I wasn’t on when that last woman was…But I should have been. That’s when Joanne got those flowers! Johnny came in for me. I should’ve been on duty! We’re pretty sure that he was at the picnic so there’s a strong possibility that it is someone in the department but we can rule out A shift. He definitely doesn’t work A shift.

There’s something else though. Something tugging at my gut. Something about the last woman. What? She wasn’t actually raped. God, how I hate that word. She fought back. He smiled remembering that someone had actually hurt the bastard. That’s it. She hurt him and he bled. They were able to get a blood type on him. What was it? AB. Jesus. He’s AB. Did they type the baby? Do I really want to know? Joanne’s has type O and I’m A.

“Roy, are you okay,” Joanne asked concerned at how long he had been standing there.

“Hmmm” If the baby is type O or A, then there’s no way he could’ve fathered him. But if it’s B or AB, then I couldn’t have. What do I do? It may be the only way to get him to leave us alone or it could fuel his fire. It could destroy us but, damn it, I have to know. Please God, let me get through this. Let us get through this. I said I didn’t want to know but I have to. I have to stop him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I am. Umm, Jo, did they type the baby’s blood,” he asked turning from the window.

“I think so. Why? Is something wrong?” She could tell Roy was up to something by the look on his face. The determined set of his jaw.

“What is it?”

“The blood type? I-I don’t know. I didn’t ask,” she replied watching him. “It’s gotta be on his chart but…”

Roy flew from the room still holding the baby. He went directly to the nurse’s station and demanded to see the baby’s chart. There was a lot of confusion but by this time everyone knew that the Desotos were being given special consideration. The nurse pulled the baby’s chart and handed it to Roy.

Please God, let it say what I want it to say. He shifted the baby to be able to take the folder. He turned from the desk and slowly opened it. He scanned the page. There it was.

********

Johnny stepped off the elevator as Roy walked quickly from Joanne’s room. But Johnny had been carrying a rather large present and missed his friend. He noticed a lot of activity on the floor but didn’t think anything of it until he reached Joanne’s room.

“You guys havin’ a party or something,” he joked. “I’ve never seen so many people on this floor.”

Joanne turned tear filled eyes to Johnny and related this incident that took place earlier. Johnny set the package on the floor and took Joanne in his arms as she cried.

“Where’s Roy now?”

“He just left. I don’t know where he was going. This is tearing him up, Johnny. I don’t know what to do for him,” she sobbed as she clung to her friend.

“Where’s the picture,” he asked. He wanted to get a look at the guy who was torturing his friends.

Joanne reached over and lid open the drawer of the table beside the bed. She handed the paper to Johnny.

He took it from her shaking hands and slowly opened it. He tore his eyes from Joanne’s and looked down. Holy shit!

“This is him? Are you sure?” He couldn’t believe it and his words came out more harsh than he had intended.

Joanne nodded. “That’s the description that they got from his last victim,” she said placing emphasis on the word victim.

Johnny was dumbfounded. Jesus Christ! I would never have suspected.

“Look, Jo, I gotta go. I know who this is. I’ll call Vince.” He hugged her tight. “I’m so sorry, Joanne. But it’ll be over soon. I promise,” he said releasing her and starting for the door.

“Johnny,” she cried. “Who…”

But he was gone. Joanne climbed out of bed and hurried to the door. She looked out in the hallway. The police officer was running down the hall. Johnny was nowhere to be seen. She looked towards the nurse’s station and saw Roy walking slowly down the hall towards her.

“Roy,” she hollered to him. “Hurry.” He picked up his pace being careful not to jostle the baby too much.

“What’s wrong,” he asked as soon as he reached her. He noticed the police officer coming their way. “What happened?”

“Johnny came in while you were gone. He knows who it is, Roy. He took off out of here. I don’t know what he going to do, Roy. I’m scared.” And she looked it.

He handed the baby to her. “Stay here. I’ll find out what’s going on. Go back in the room, Joanne,” he told her starting towards the officer.

Her arms were trembling as she took the child from him but Joanne stayed where she was despite what Roy had said. She saw him exchanging heated words with the cop but she only caught bits and pieces of the conversation: Gage, Vince, Station 36 and a few choice swear words.

Roy looked down the hallway at her and locked eyes with her. “Jo, I gotta go. But I’ll be back,” he said loud enough so she could hear.

“Roy, no, please, let Vince,” she begged.

“I’m sorry, Jo. I just can’t. I have to,” he replied.

She watched another heated exchange between the officer and Roy. “I’ll have to arrest you,” she heard the man say to Roy. “Sorry you feel that way,” Roy had replied before sucker punching to cop and heading for the stairs.

********

He sat around the corner from the station. He knew they would come sooner or later. Everything was coming to a head now. He had known that once he had shown his face at the hospital there would be no turning back but he didn’t regret it. The only thing he regretted was that his sister had suffered so much. And that was the only thing that mattered.

Even Buchanan didn’t matter anymore. He’d succeeded on that score. He had just heard through the department grapevine that Buchanan had moved out last week. Just as he now had to live without his sister, David Buchanan would have to live without his wife and know of her torment.

But Desoto had to go and make things difficult. Well, if he won’t play my game then I’ll have to change the rules a bit. Trying to get to Desoto through his wife didn’t seem to be working and it infuriated him. He’d thought about taking the kid last night but that would have been more trouble than it was worth. Besides, it really wasn’t Desoto’s kid anyway so he might not have been all that upset. God knows I wouldn’t be taking care of no one else’s brat, he thought.

Gage was the ticket. He and Desoto were really tight. He laughed to himself thinking how ironic it would be that Desoto would be more upset about something happening to his friend than he had been about his wife being raped. But he kind of liked Gage so it had been a difficult decision.

“It’s not their fault,” a voice inside his head told him.

He willed it to shut up but the voice kept repeating over and over. “Damn that shrink,” he said as he pounded his fist on the steering wheel.

“It doesn’t matter,” he told himself. “Desoto contributed to Carol’s suffering and therefore he must suffer.”

He thought back to the scene at the hospital. They were all so stupid, running around and posting his face all over the place like that was gonna help. He knew Gage would recognize him when he got there. He only hoped that he judged correctly how he would react.

A screech of tires brought him out of his reverie. A white Land Rover pulled to a stop in front of the station. He watched with glee as John Gage jumped out and ran inside. He won’t find anyone there, he thought with a smile. He made sure that Station 36 had been toned out in anticipation that Gage would react by coming here. This was his regular shift after all so by all means he should have been on duty. But that was all over now.

He exited his car and followed Gage into the station. He found him in the dayroom dialing the telephone. He held the gun out in front of him.

“That’s enough, Gage. Hang it up,” he ordered.

Johnny slowly put the phone back into it’s cradle.

“Where’s your friend, Gage?”

Johnny shrugged but remained silent.

“Surprised ya, didn’t I,” he sneered.

“Why, Evan? I don’t understand.” Johnny was sincere. He didn’t understand but he also wanted to keep Evan talking. He could only hope that the officer had called Vince like he asked.

“It’s not for you to understand. This is not about you. It’s about Desoto,” he seethed.

“Roy? What could Roy have possibly done to you,” he asked in disbelief.

“You wouldn’t understand, Gage. Believe me, you wouldn’t,”

Johnny just stared at him. He’d worked beside Evan Thompson for the last four months and he would never have suspected him of being capable of something like this.

“If this isn’t about me, then why are you holding a gun on me?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. We’re taking a little trip, John.” He waved the gun in the direction of the door. “Come on, out that way,” he instructed. Johnny hesitated. “MOVE,” he shouted. He waved the gun in Johnny’s face to accentuate his advantage.

Johnny started towards the back door but was startled to hear Roy calling his name.

“Johnny,” Roy called out again.

“Well, well,” Evan said. “I should have known. Where there’s one, the other is sure to follow,” he sang out. This certainly made things easier for him.

Johnny looked towards the door that led to the apparatus bay but he didn’t want Roy coming in here. He had no idea what Evan’s intentions were at this point and he didn’t want Roy getting hurt.

“Desoto,” Evan hollered to get his attention and a second later Roy appeared in the doorway.

“Thompson, you sonuvabitch,” Roy shouted as he advanced forward.

Evan circled around Gage so that he was behind Johnny and held the gun to Johnny’s temple. Gage had a small height advantage on him but Evan had the gun.

“That’s far enough, Desoto,” he told him. “One more step and Gage’ll have his brains all over this floor and I just cleaned it last shift so that would be a shame.” He laughed at his own comic genius. Neither Roy nor Johnny were laughing though.

“What do you want,” Roy asked calmly. “What is this all about?”

“You don’t know? You don’t remember,” Evan screamed at him.

Roy stared at him dumbfounded. “Remember what? What I am supposed to remember,” he asked.

“My sister. She begged you to let her die two years ago, but no, you had to play the hero. Told her she would be okay, that she would be fine,” he said through clenched teeth. It further infuriated him that Roy wouldn’t even remember his sister. “Well, Mr. Perfect, she wasn’t fine and she wasn’t okay. You saved her life so that she could live in torment. Two years she lived with it. We had to put that innocent, sweet girl in a sanitarium because of you.”

“Evan, whatever happened to your sister was not Roy’s fault. He was just doing his job, man,” Johnny tried reasoning with him.

“Shut up, Gage,” he barked. “You know, you shouldn’t be taking his side, John,” Evan laughed. “It’s because of him that you have to die.

Johnny swallowed unconsciously. If he didn’t know Evan’s intentions before, he knew them now. He looked at Roy.

“Thompson, let Gage go. This is between you and me. It has nothing to do with Johnny. It’s me you want,” Roy pleaded.

“Oh no, that wouldn’t do. You see I don’t want you to die, Desoto. I just want you to suffer like I did, like my sister did.” Evan was beyond crazed at this point. “You’re going to watch your friend die, just like I had to watch my sister die.”

Roy knew that he had to keep Evan Thompson talking if they were going to get out of this alive. He vaguely remembered treating a girl that had been raped about two years ago. He had been training Dave Buchanan at the time and as Roy stood there the pieces began to fall into place.

“I didn’t want your sister to die, Evan. I tried to help her. It’s my job to help people, Evan. Just like it’s yours. You don’t want Johnny to die. It goes against our grain.”

Evan tightened his grip on the trigger. “It might goes against yours because you’re the perfect paramedic with the perfect little family. Not so perfect now though, is it,” he laughed as he said it.

“How’s it feel, Roy? Your perfect little wife is tarnished, damaged goods and you…you get stuck with a kid that isn’t even yours.” He laughed hysterically. “It’s the icing on the cake for me.”

“He’s not your son, Thompson,” Roy shouted.

“Think what you will, Roy, but you and I both know the truth.”

Roy wasn’t sure if this was the best hand to play or not but he gambled anyway. “Blood tests don’t lie, Evan,” he said calmly.

Evan’s eyes grew bigger. “What tests? What are you talking about?”

“My son,” Roy said placing emphasis on the words and splaying a hand across his chest just as he had seen Johnny do so many times before, “has blood type O.”

Evan shook his head no.

“Your blood type is AB, Evan. You know what that means, don’t you?”

Again, Evan shook his head from side to side but the gun remained at Johnny’s head. Roy had been hoping to throw him off enough that he would lower the gun.

“MY SON, THOMPSON. MINE,” Roy shouted.

Sirens could be heard in the distance and they were growing louder by the second.

“No,” Evan cried and raised the gun and fired at Roy.

Johnny didn’t waste any time in reacting. He thrust his elbow into Evan’s stomach and grabbed for the gun.

Roy hit the ground with a thud and was still.

Johnny and Evan continued to struggle for the gun.

Vince and several other policeman rushed the station and took in the scene. Vince knelt down beside Roy and felt for a pulse. He nodded at the others.

Evan was on top of Johnny as they continued to fight for control.

“Thompson,” he shouted. “Give it up.”

As the struggle on the floor continued, a shot rang out and both men stilled. Evan collapsed on top of him and Johnny had to push him off in order to move. Vince was beside them in seconds.

“Gage, you all right,” he asked the dark haired paramedic.

Johnny nodded and reached for Evan. He placed his fingers on Evan’s neck. There was no pulse. At Vince’s inquiring look, he shook his head and then looked around the room. His eyes found Roy’s still form and he scurried over to his friend.

He reached out to him and Roy groaned eliciting a smile from Johnny. “Stay still, Roy,” he said gently.

Roy struggled to open his eyes and sit up at the same time. “What…Where’s Thompson?”

Johnny pushed him back down. “Let me have a look,” he told him. He checked out Roy’s head wound and was amazed that it only appeared to be a crease considering the amount of blood that was about but head wounds did bleed a lot.

Johnny looked at Vince. “Get me some bandages and call for an ambulance. It doesn’t look too bad but since he lost consciousness, I want him to go to Rampart.”

“I don’t need to go to the hospital,” Roy contradicted. “Where’s Thompson,” he asked again as he pulled himself up on one elbow.

Johnny nodded with his head as he took the supplies from Vince. Roy looked at Thompson’s still form lying in a pool of blood and then back at Johnny. “Dead?”

“Yeah, Roy, he’s dead,” Johnny said solemnly.

Roy collapsed back onto the floor. The nightmare was finally over.

********

Epilogue

The sound of John’s crying filtered in to Roy and Joanne as they slept. Joanne rolled from Roy’s arms.

Roy reached out to stop her. “I’ll bring him to you,” he offered.

She leaned over to kiss him. “That’s okay. It’s going to be a long day. Try to get a little more sleep.”

“You kiss me like that and then tell me to go back to sleep,” he chastised her. “Not likely to happen.”

She swatted playfully at him before leaving the bedroom. John’s room was right next to theirs and she slipped quietly inside closing the door behind her. She went right to the crib and lifted the fussy baby out.

“How’s my little man today,” she cooed as she went about changing his diaper. Once he had been cleaned and changed, she carried him to the rocking chair that sat in front of the window. She settled herself in the chair and put John to her breast. “It’s a big day for you today,” she softly. John had curled his fingers around her index finger and she gently ran her thumb across his tiny but soft hand. She held him close to her as he nursed and reveled in his sweetness. She so loved this time of day with him. Chris and Jenny were still sleeping and it was time for just the two of them. As he had wanted to earlier, sometimes Roy would bring the baby into their bed and share this special time with them but today she wanted the time alone with her son.

He was three months old and today was his Christening Day. People would surround them all day and she would hardly have a chance to spend time with him today. She watched him as he nursed and it brought a smile to her face. How he has grown, she thought, in just three short months.

Three months isn’t a very long time but to Joanne it seemed an eternity. By all rights, John should only be about six weeks old now but fate seemed to have something else in mind. She firmly believed that everything happened for a reason even if sometimes the reason wasn’t abundantly clear. Evan Thompson had almost destroyed their lives this past year and it had been a horrible ordeal every step of the way. Few people would be able to say anything positive about this nightmare but, with the love of a wonderful husband and the support of great friends, Joanne had been able to find a silver lining.

Joanne Desoto had discovered the depths of her husband’s love for her. Roy had always told her often that he loved her but that love had been put to the test this year and it wasn’t his words that had reassured her but his actions. They had suffered a blow that could kill even the strongest of marriages yet they had managed to emerge intact and if possible, stronger than before.

They had also been reminded of how much their friends cared about them, Johnny most of all. He and Roy had hit it off from the first time they met and both had been excited when Roy’s request for Johnny to be his partner had been granted. There wasn’t anything that either of them wouldn’t do for the other and Johnny had proved it this year. He had totally rearranged his life for his friends, for Joanne, and he would always hold a special place in her heart. There weren’t many people in this world that would do that. Oh, they would tell you they would but when it came time it would be another story. Johnny truly was a diamond in the rough.

And she had her children. Chris and Jenny had bounced back rather quickly from their terrifying ordeal thanks in part to their young age and to the people who loved them. And there was John, who had stolen her heart before she even knew it. She had been terrified when she delivered him almost 6 weeks early but he was fine and growing strong and healthy. He was a survivor just like his mother. And he was such a good baby, tolerating the poking and prodding that Chris always subjected him to and he seemed to enjoy Jenny’s endless mothering. She would have loved this baby no matter what but she had to admit that her heart had soared when Roy explained the blood types to her.

Being a firemen’s wife, she knew that life was precious and was not to be taken for granted and she knew that even though it was Evan Thompson who had been killed 3 months ago, it could very easily have been Roy or Johnny. Roy had recovered very well from that crease he took in the head but Johnny had worried them for a while. He had taken someone’s life and it had been hard on him. It was his job to save lives and he grappled with his conflicting emotions as they all had. They were all glad that the nightmare was over but a life had been taken that day and none of them felt any satisfaction about it. It didn’t change the facts of what had happened but it did mean that they would no longer have to worry about Evan Thompson toying with them. It was all just so senseless. Evan had been a troubled man and the Desotos had paid the price. It wasn’t fair but few things in life seldom were.

John finished his feeding and Joanne reluctantly laid him back in the crib while she went to shower and she was pleasantly surprised when Roy joined her there. It would indeed be a long day but she was looking forward to every minute of it.

The church was serene and the flickering of the christening candle fascinated John until he eventually fell asleep in his Godfather’s arms. Johnny had truly surprised them by bringing along a lump of clay with him to the christening. He had explained that it was a symbol of an unformed life and he pledged his intention to do his best to help mould it. It was a touching moment for everyone and one that would remain with them forever.

Watching Johnny interact with John always brought a smile to Joanne’s face. Her pastor had told her that sometimes it is best to stick with family when choosing a godparent because friendships have a tendency to fade and for people to grow apart but she knew that would never happen. She knew that John Gage could be trusted to maintain a long-term relationship with her son regardless of anything else and she knew that he would be an exemplary role model for him both in action and in word. John Gage was not bound to them by blood but by love and sacrifice and that was the strongest tie of all.

After the service, everyone gathered for a celebration at the Desoto house. There were so many people there that the backyard and the house were practically exploding. All of the guys from Station 51 and their families were there and it was great to see all of the guys back together again. Hank Stanley had pulled some strings so that Johnny would return to 51’s when his medical leave was up two months ago and it was as if he’d never left. The Phantom was back in business and LA County had the best paramedic team back together again.

Johnny was playing the role of the proud Godfather to a tee but he still made time for her other children as well. Whenever anyone wanted to hold the baby, they would send Chris or Jenny over to Johnny and ask him to do something for them. They all knew full well that Johnny would never say no to the kids and then they would graciously offer to take John from him. It amazed Joanne that Johnny hadn’t caught on yet. She smiled as she watched Johnny hand the baby to her sister and was startled by a tap on the shoulder.

“You looked like you were a million miles away there,” Chet told her.

“I was just watching Johnny fall victim again,” she laughed.

Chet looked past her to see Jenny dragging Johnny by the hand across the lawn. “Yeah, he sure is gullible,” Chet said.

Joanne just smiled. “I wouldn’t have him any other way,” she replied and Chet nodded his agreement. “The phantom wouldn’t want him any other way either.”

“I just have one question, Joanne,” he told her seriously.

“What’s that, Chet,” she asked turning to face him.

“Okay, I can see where you’d want Gage to be John’s Godfather, but did ya have to name the baby after him too,” he asked in disbelief and she laughed.

“You don’t understand, he’s unbearable,” Chet whined.

“I’m sorry, Chet, but it’s just one of those things that you’ll have to live with,” she replied with amusement.

Roy came up behind her and grabbed Joanne about the waist. “You trying to hit on my best girl, Chet?” he joked. She jumped ever so slightly, a constant reminder of what she’d been through.

“I’m not that stupid, Roy,” Chet quipped without thinking. He cringed at his careless joke. He hadn’t meant anything by it but the last person who had done anything to Joanne had ended up dead. He held his breath waiting to see how it had been received.

Joanne remained silent but Roy smiled knowingly and laughed it off. “Good thing for you then,” he shot back.

“I better get the cake out,” Joanne said changing the subject and Roy reluctantly released her.

As she made her way to the kitchen, Chet turned back to Roy.

“I thought you said you invited Vince,” he said before taking a sip of beer.

“I did,” Roy acknowledged, “but he was on duty.”

Chet shrugged. “I thought maybe he was still mad at you.”

Roy smiled thinking of the police officer that they had gotten to know quite differently this year. “Yeah, well, I think he just wants me to think he’s mad,” Roy said after some thought. “He sure did chew me out and Johnny, too. He threatened to arrest both of us for obstruction,” he added remembering the confrontation after Roy was released from the emergency room. “And I really thought he was going to charge me for hitting that policeman and he would have been justified but I don’t regret doing it.”

“Regret what,” asked Johnny as he joined the group.

“Sucker punching that cop,” Chet said before Roy could answer.

“Oh, that,”

Roy grinned at his friend and partner. “Chet thinks Vince is still mad at us, at me,” he said filling Johnny in on the conversation.

Johnny returned the smile. “I think Vince has to act that way. It’s his job,” he said to Chet. “But you know, Roy, if we hadn’t a gone down there, it wouldn’t have ended. The police wouldn’t have gotten him. You really can’t tell me that if Vince would have shown up first that Evan would have shown his face.”

Roy shook his head. “Well, it is over, thank God. And luckily they didn’t press charges against me,” he said as he watched Joanne emerged from the house carrying the cake. “Desserts out, Johnny,” Roy said to his friend and watched his face light up. He’s as bad as the kids, Roy thought.

Joanne was serving the cake and punch when Johnny spoke up.

“Can I have everyone’s attention please,” he said loudly to be heard over the crowd. When everyone had quieted down, he spoke again, “I would like to ask everyone to raise their glasses to my Godson, John Patrick Desoto. May his life be filled with love, laughter, health and happiness.”

“Here, Here,” the crowd chorused.

“Touching Gage,” Chet remarked. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“You know, Chet, I am a deep person,” he said splaying a hand across his chest. “You just don’t look past the surface.”

“That’s cause what’s on the surface is more fun to toy with, Johnny,” Chet replied quickly.

The day had turned to dusk and the guests had gone home. Joanne and her sister, Vicky, were just finishing up the tedious task of clean up in the kitchen. Johnny and Roy had taken care of the outside and when everything was done they settled in the living room for coffee and more cake. Roy was finally getting the chance to hold his own son and Joanne decided to open John’s gifts. She regretted that she hadn’t had the time to do it while everyone was there.

When she got to Johnny’s she held it up. “A savings bond, Johnny?” she teased but then quickly sobered when she looked at it. “It’s too much, John.”

He shook his head.

“But you’ve already done so much. The infant seat for the car that you brought to the hospital and …”

“You needed one of those,” he cut in. “Roy knows. It’ll be the law soon anyway.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she said as she got up and went to him. “Thank you, John Gage,” she finally said as she hugged him. “Thank you for everything.”

Johnny blushed.

He’s full of surprises, Joanne thought. Just when you think you know the person he shows you another side that you didn’t know was there. He could have gotten some frivolous gift that would have gone quickly by the wayside but he hadn’t. He had chosen gifts that would protect and provide for her son. Yes, she thought, we definitely made the right choice in choosing Johnny.

“Well, I really should be going,” Johnny announced. “Tomorrow’s a work day.”

Roy nodded and tried to stifle a yawn.

“I should go, too,” Vicky agreed and Roy started to stand.

“I’ll give her a ride, Roy,” Johnny said halting Roy’s progress.

Vicky looked at him shyly. “Are you sure it’s not out of your way,” she asked.

Johnny smiled. “Not at all. I’d be glad too,” he assured her and she blushed.

Roy and Joanne exchanged glances.

The two adults said their goodbyes to the Desoto family and made their way out.

After the kids had been bathed and put to bed, Roy and Joanne decided to turn in and as Roy was brushing his teeth, Joanne lingered in the doorway.

“Did you see the Buchanan’s,” she said smiling and he glanced up at her. “Thank you for talking to him, Roy. It really did help. I know that’s not your thing but …” She let her thoughts trail off.

Roy wiped his mouth on a towel. “Yeah, well, you can be quite persuasive when you want something, Mrs. Desoto,” he said as he slid an arm around her waist.

They made their way to the bedroom.

“God, it was a great day,” Joanne said happily as she pulled back the bedcovers and slid in.

Roy turned off the light and did the same. Joanne snuggled close to him.

“Roy”

“Hmmm”

“Did you notice Johnny’s hand on Vicky’s back as they left?”

“Huh?”

“You know, on her back, like this,” she said using Roy’s hand in a demonstration. “You don’t think…”

“Not unless his hand was here,” Roy said and moved his hand causing Joanne to giggle.

“Roy!”

Stories by Terribv Guest Dispatchers