All things “Emergency” belong to Mark VII Productions and Universal Studios.

Warning:  There are a few “adult” scenes, though nothing X-rated; mostly suggestive, and some language may be offensive. Continue at your own risk.

 

 

   Serendipity

            by Ocean

                                                   

 

                                                                                        

 

  It never would have happened if it hadn't been for the cat.

            Roy was already on the ground checking over their patient after having successfully assisted him down the ladder, and, while scratched and bruised, the man didn't seem to be injured seriously. The over-plump gentleman had been up on his roof, intent upon installing a new television antenna in order to get a better reception for the big game that afternoon, and hadn't counted on falling through the hot black asphalt tiles, when the trusses, weakened by undiscovered termites, decided at that moment to give way.

            Firemen John Gage, Roy DeSoto, and Chet Kelly had carefully climbed up on the roof to rescue the hapless man, and after a few swipes with the K12 and a little muscle, managed to free his legs from his wooden confinement. Captain Hank Stanley, Marco Lopez, and Mike Stoker had remained on the ground watching. After they had extricated the man, Johnny had handed the tools to Chet as he stood at the top of the ladder, and Chet made his way down with them. 

            Johnny snapped the trauma box closed, and he was on his way down the ladder with it when it happened, his foot having just touched the third rung down. Mrs. Gallucci's cat wandered into the yard, and their patient's huge English sheepdog went wild. Max had been on a leash observing the rescue of his owner when he saw the feline slither quietly into his yard. Immediately, the dog gave chase, and with a yowl, the cat took flight, frantically trying to get away from the large canine. Johnny saw a tan blur below him as the buff and white colored cat dashed under the ladder, the dog immediately behind in pursuit. His eyes widened as the dog bumped the ladder and it teetered, but then righted itself. Gage had just sighed in relief when the cat took a turn, and the dog followed, his leash winding around the base of the ladder. All at once, as the leash pulled taut, Johnny felt his support yanked out from under him, and with a sickening feeling of dread, wind-milled his arms and legs as he tried to keep from falling. It was no use; the ladder was airborne, and so was Johnny.

            Roy's head snapped up upon hearing a crash, and he saw the trauma box smash into the ground, its contents spewing everywhere; then a split second later, saw his partner's body coming down in a free fall. Roy couldn't help but shudder as he saw Johnny plummet nearly eleven feet, then collide with a huge mass of rose bushes that broke his fall. The strangled cry came about three seconds after Johnny landed, as if in a delayed reaction. Roy was up and running before it died.

            All at once, chaos erupted. Max's owner clambered after him in an attempt to stop him from nearly choking himself on the leash while trying to get at the cat. Before he could reach the dog, the leash snapped from its collar and the dog sailed after the terror-stricken cat, which managed to dart up a nearby tree. Mrs. Gallucci was running toward the scene, horrified to see her cat being pursued by the sheepdog, and began screaming for the dog to get away, as it stood at the foot of the tree barking. A station wagon driven by the victim's wife had just pulled into the driveway, and she gawked at the chaotic scene, spotting a group of firemen running toward her precious blooming plants.

            Johnny lay embedded in the center of several large rose bushes, partially on his side, groaning in agony as hundreds of tiny razor sharp thorns pierced his skin simultaneously. A couple of the branches were jabbing viciously into him, threatening to skewer him.

            "Johnny?" 

The dark-haired paramedic heard an anxious voice call, and mutely squinted up in misery at his partner. Roy was standing next to the bush now, staring at him wide-eyed and breathless, after having dashed to his side. A second later, he was joined by the rest of the crew, who surrounded the bush, emanating murmurs of 'holy shit', and 'oh my God'.

            Their comrade in the rose bush was oozing blood from countless scratches and abrasions all over his body and face.

            "Johnny, uh, are you okay?" Roy asked, his voice a half an octave higher than normal.

            "Do I…look okay?" he strained out sarcastically through gritted teeth.

            “Um, no, actually; it, ah, looks like you’ve gotten yourself into a bit of a…thorny situation.”

            Johnny glared at Roy over his bad choice of words and spat, “No….shhhit, Sherlock. Now, get me….out…"

            Roy turned more serious, knowing his partner had to be in a good deal of pain. “Johnny, I need to know if you broke anything. Can you tell me – ” Roy's question was interrupted by a pain-filled cry as Johnny shifted slightly and was further impaled by thorns. His eyes squeezed shut tightly as his nerve endings exploded.

            Vibrations felt underfoot from a rapidly approaching person coincided with a woman’s shrieking, "Oh my God!" As the firemen turned, the homeowner's distraught wife pushed through them and screamed hysterically, "My roses! You're killing them! Get off my roses!" and proceeded to try to grab onto Johnny in an attempt to pull him out. She managed to latch onto one of his feet, and started tugging furiously. The firemen quickly yanked the woman away, but not before her ruthless attempt to pull Johnny from the bush caused him to scream in pain.

            As Captain Stanley restrained the woman, Roy turned to his crewmates. "Marco, you get over there," he pointed, "Chet and Mike, over there." He looked a little uncertain of exactly what to do, but knew something had to be done as quickly as possible to get his partner out of his excruciatingly painful predicament. "Okay, let's try to lift him." After pulling on gloves, each of them gently grabbed onto one of Johnny's appendages, trying to maneuver their hands underneath his body in order to lift.

            Johnny clenched his jaw tightly in an attempt to remain silent as they began to lift, but was unsuccessful at stifling his agony as the spikes both tore from his skin and penetrated new places, as if he were slowly being tortured. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes when he caught on a particular branch, which tore into his already injured back, and they were no longer able to lift him, and had to lower him back down.

            "This isn't working," Roy said in frustration.

            "We're gonna have to cut some of these branches," Chet stated.

            "I'll get the clippers," Marco offered, and ran off quickly toward the engine.

            Johnny was panting now. Roy looked down at him sympathetically. "Just hang in there, Johnny. We'll have you out of there in a second."

            "Hurry," he whispered through tightly clenched teeth.  

            Amidst a cacophony of protests from the homeowner’s wife, they finally managed to clip enough of the branches away to lift Johnny out of the rosebush. Roy gently removed several small limbs, which had embedded themselves into Johnny’s skin, and then they carried him a short distance before laying him down on the grass.

            Johnny gasped with every movement; the cool grass beneath him offering at least some small relief as he rolled to his side.

            Rather than try to remove his shirt, Roy began cutting it away as the rest of the crew fetched the biophone, drug, and trauma boxes. Johnny lay with his eyes tightly closed, muttering various expletives under his breath. The cool breeze hitting his now bare skin brought an awareness of a wet warmth spreading across his body, compliments of the wounds he had sustained from head to toe. Something dripped into his eye and his hand came back bloody after swiping at it.

            “Johnny, did you break anything?” Roy was hesitant to run his hands down Johnny’s arms and legs for fear of inflicting more pain on his friend.

            Johnny squinted up at Roy. His voice was tight and strained when he said, “No. I don’t think so.” He heard Chet on the biophone now explaining the situation to Rampart as Roy continued to examine Johnny.

            Despite the fact that Johnny didn’t think he broke any bones, Roy knew he had to check. It would be much worse for Johnny if he moved him without immobilizing a broken bone than to inflict pain upon him while checking. Even so, Roy’s experienced hands moved as gently as possible during his examination; his eyes continually watched Johnny’s face for indications of pain when he applied pressure, and he let up a little every time he saw his friend’s expression contort. He looked down at his hands when he had finished, and saw that they were covered with blood. Although in his mind he knew that Johnny was not injured badly, seeing his partner’s blood on his hands still unnerved him slightly.

            Roy cringed as he saw a large laceration on Johnny’s lower back that was freely bleeding, and reached for a gauze bandage to dress the particularly bad wound. There were cuts and puncture marks all over him; most were bleeding, some more heavily than others. Johnny groaned as Roy applied the bandage, then listened distantly as Roy took the phone from Chet and talked with the doctors.

            A moment later, he saw Roy’s face above his own. Roy offered him a reassuring smile. “Ambulance is on the way. How’re you feelin’?”

            “Like a voodoo doll,” Johnny grimaced again and closed his eyes. Even the tiniest movement caused pain.

            Roy chuckled, glad Johnny could joke about it. “You’re gonna be okay. There’s not a whole lot more I can do for you here, Johnny,” he said with resignation. He was reaching into the drug box for something while he spoke. “The doc ordered an IV and also some Meperidine for you if you want it.”

            Johnny didn’t have to think long about the offer. “I’ll take it,” he gritted out. I’ve already been punctured in about two hundred places; what’s one more?

            Roy nodded, knowing his friend must really be hurting if he wasn’t arguing about receiving pain meds. He prepared the IV, then reached for Johnny’s other arm, which was tucked underneath him. “Johnny, I need your good arm.”

            More expletives escaped Johnny’s lips as Roy gently maneuvered his undamaged arm out from under him and started the IV. By the time the ambulance arrived, and the stretcher was wheeled to his side, Johnny was beginning to feel woozy from the painkiller. They loaded him into the ambulance, along with Roy, as well as the man they had come to rescue, just to make sure he hadn’t sustained any serious injuries.

The man looked apologetically at Johnny as the doors slammed shut and the ambulance took off. “Hey, I’m really sorry about my dog,” he said. “Mrs. Gallucci is always letting that darned cat wander around.”

Johnny looked up at him, eyes at half-mast now. “S’okay. Jus’ part of the job.”

“Is he gonna be okay?” the man questioned Roy, a worried look on his face.

“Oh, yeah; he’ll live; no serious damage done,” Roy assured.    

The look of daggers Johnny tried to throw in Roy’s direction was somewhat subdued by the affects the medication was having upon him.

“I guess it’s a good thing that rose bush was there, huh?” The homeowner said. “He could have been hurt a lot worse if he’d have hit the ground.”

At this moment, Johnny wondered if hitting the ground might not have hurt as much.

“Yeah, lucky it was there,” Roy responded, a tinge of sarcasm edged his words as he glanced over at his partner, realizing by Johnny’s expression that he didn’t consider it so lucky.

 

 

            Roy left Johnny in the care of Dr. Mike Morton while he chatted with Dixie about his partner’s latest misfortune, and filled his supply order. After a cup of coffee, he made his way back to treatment room three to check on his friend.

            Johnny lay on his side, naked under the sheet that covered only his midsection while Dr. Morton worked at suturing the nasty cut in his back. Another nurse was busy removing thorns from Johnny’s leg as she looked through a magnifying lens. Thoroughly numbed, Johnny’s eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted, the arm underneath him dangling limply over the edge of the table. An extra IV bag now hung from the pole next to the examination table. Johnny seemed oblivious to what was going on; his breathing now slow and deep. Roy looked down at his partner, shaking his head at all the lacerations decorating his body. “How’s he doing?” he asked quietly.

            Mike Morton sighed and set his instruments down, crossing his arms. “Well, I’m just about done back here; this one’s gonna take about fifteen stitches. He’s got another bad one on his hip that’s gonna need at least fifteen more. Then, we’ve gotta get the rest of these thorns out. The ones in his head are gonna be a bitch with all that hair.”

Roy smiled. “Just don’t cut it or you might have a lawsuit on your hands.”

Mike raised his brows at Roy, the corner of his mouth turned down in a grimace. “This is gonna take awhile. You might as well leave and come back in about three or four hours. Then you can probably take him home.”

            Roy nodded. “So he doesn’t have to stay?”

            Morton shook his head. “Shouldn’t have to. He doesn’t have any head injury; the x-rays were all negative. He is going to have to be on antibiotics for about ten days, and he’ll probably miss a few shifts. I’d say he’s going to be pretty sore for awhile, but it’s nothing that won’t heal.”

            Roy nodded again. “Okay, I’ll be back.” He leaned down to talk to Johnny. “Hey, Johnny.”

            Gage didn’t move a muscle.

            Morton looked up from his stitching. “I gave him another 25 milligrams of Meperidine a little while ago, along with some Phenergan to keep the nausea at bay.”

            “Oh.” Roy bent back down and called more loudly, gently touching Johnny’s shoulder. “Johnny? Hey; it’s Roy.”

            The dark-haired paramedic’s eyes fluttered open. “Mmmm?”

            “Johnny, I’m leavin’. I gotta get back to the station. Cap’s calling in a replacement for you. I’ll be back when Dr. Morton’s done and take you home, okay?”

            “Wha….?”

            Roy tried again. Slowly and with crisper pronouncement, he reiterated what he had just said, which Gage seemed to comprehend.

            “O…..kay,” he answered drowsily. “Thanks…..Roy….have a…..gooo…da……” his voice trailed off.

            Roy patted a good spot on his shoulder. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you later. Bye, Doc.” He waved and left.

 

 

            Four hours later, Roy was back at Rampart along with Charlie Dwyer, who waited in the squad while Roy went into the hospital to retrieve Johnny. Dixie directed him to the doctor’s lounge, where they had taken Johnny to wait for Roy after removing all the thorns and suturing his wounds. Roy found him curled on his side on the couch, dressed in scrubs, eyes closed, looking like he’d been through the wringer. All the cuts and puncture marks had been cleaned, and some dressed, so that he had the appearance of someone with a bad case of chicken pox punctuated by little bandages here and there.

            Johnny opened his eyes upon hearing someone enter, and slowly and painfully pushed himself into a sitting position.

            “How’re you doin’?” Roy asked.

            “Oh, I’m just peachy, Roy,” he answered grumpily.

            Dixie entered then, pushing a wheelchair, and smiled at the paramedic.

            “C’mon; your chariot awaits.” Roy gestured to the wheelchair while Dixie wheeled it up next to the sofa.

            Very slowly and painstakingly, Johnny grabbed onto the arm of the wheelchair and tried to stand, unable to suppress a groan. Roy reached out and tried to assist him by steadying him under his elbow, which he responded to with a protesting, “Ow! Shit, Roy! Don’t touch me!”

            “Sorry,” Roy mumbled, letting go, while Dixie helped him rise from the other side.

            “Watch your hip, Johnny,” Dixie warned.

            “Tell me about it,” he said sarcastically.

            Slowly he lowered himself into the wheelchair, hissing as he sat down; Dixie reached down and guided his feet onto the footrests.

            Having gotten him settled, she handed Roy a bag. “His clothes are in here, along with some painkillers and antibiotics.” She leaned down to look at the hapless paramedic. “You go home and get some rest, and I’m sure by tomorrow you’ll be feeling better, okay?”

            “I will,” he mumbled.

            “Roy, is there anyone who can check in on him?”

            “I don’t need a babysitter,” he groused.

            From behind Johnny’s back, Roy looked up at Dixie and gave her a wink and a nod, indicating that he would indeed check in on his partner. Then, for Johnny’s sake stated, “Don’t worry, Dix. He’s tough.”

            She smiled, and nodded back knowingly. “Okay, then, Johnny. Let’s get you out of here.” She unlocked the wheelchair brakes and the three of them left the lounge. Roy gave him a ride home courtesy of the squad, making sure he made it up the stairs to his second story apartment without incident.

 

 

                                                            ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

 

            Just as Mike Morton said, Johnny missed two shifts. He spent the first two days lying around, mostly because it hurt too much to move, but after forty-eight hours had passed, he began to feel better, with a little help from the painkillers Dr. Morton had given him. The antibiotics assured that none of the lesions would become infected.

            Now, as he drove into work four days later, he thought back morosely to the day before. Bored with sitting around his apartment, he’d decided to pay his aunt a visit. He hadn’t seen her in nearly three weeks, and his guilt had built to a point where he couldn’t put it off any longer. Johnny loved his aunt; it was because of her that he was able to get his life back on track so many years ago. She had been his lifeline, his savior, after the loss of his entire family. It had taken him two years to find her after he left the reservation, and he owed her a lot for taking him into not only her home, but her heart.

It was just that things were so different now that she lived in a nursing home. Over the last couple of years, he’d begun to dread his weekly visits to her, not only because the whole atmosphere of the nursing home was so depressing, but also seeing her dementia growing worse and worse was disheartening; she no longer was able to remember who he was most of the time. Oh, there were times when she would break through her cloud and for brief moments she would seem as sharp and cognizant as she had once been. But most of the time, she recognized Johnny as someone else who had passed away many years ago, his brother. It killed him every time she called him David, since it always reminded him of what he had lost.

            Anger built up inside of him as he recalled the state he had found her in the previous day. He’d noticed the smell immediately upon entering her room. She had been incoherent and nearly unresponsive, and Johnny knew they’d been giving her sedatives again. They did that when the patients became difficult, or when they just didn’t want to be bothered taking care of them. Johnny had no idea how long she’d been lying in her own excrement, but he made sure the entire staff of the nursing home knew exactly how angry he was about it. He’d seen to it that she was cleaned up and examined by a doctor, then went to find the administrator to discuss the poor care she’d been getting. Unfortunately and conveniently, the administrator was not available at the time.

He’d almost run Meredith down as he stormed out the door, and was thankful for bumping into her that day. He’d gone with her while she visited her father, and afterward they’d commiserated together over a cup of coffee regarding the lack of care at Sunnyside Estates. Both seemed to be in the same predicament. Meredith’s mother had died several years ago, and she had no longer been able to care for her father when his disease worsened. After her divorce, she had gone back to work to try to help put her kids through college and support her father. Johnny had to work as well, and sometimes had difficulty making ends meet between supporting both himself and his aunt’s necessary living arrangements. He and Meredith had gotten to know each other over the last couple of years at the nursing home, and both often lamented that neither one could afford to put their loved ones in a better facility.

Sunnybrook Estates had seemed like a good place at the time, but they both soon realized how woefully understaffed it was, and that some of the employees were even downright dishonest. The last time Johnny had visited his aunt, he noticed that the little brass clock he had given her was missing from her nightstand. When he’d questioned his aunt’s nurse about it, she denied ever having seen it.

 

 

Depressed over his quandary, Johnny sighed and parked his Rover in the lot behind the station. His mind was on his aunt when he entered the dorm to change his clothes. Roy was sitting on the bench tying his shoe when Johnny walked in, and noticed his somber expression immediately, wondering if his partner was really ready to come back to work. Johnny had assured him when he’d called the other day that he was fine, but now Roy felt doubtful. Before he had a chance to ask, he noticed Chet staring at Johnny, as he slowly plodded into the dorm and opened his locker.

“Hey, it’s the human pin cushion!” Chet teased.

“Funny, Kelly,” Johnny said with a grimace.

“You’re movin’ a little slow there today, Gage.”

“I may be movin’ slow, but you are slow, Kelly.”

“Oh, good comeback, Gage.”

Johnny peeled off his shirt, moving much slower than usual, and reached for his uniform shirt. Roy scrutinized all the tiny cuts and marks still visible on Johnny’s arms, face, and neck, and saw the outline of the white gauze bandage on his back beneath his undershirt. “How’re you doin’?” he asked.

Johnny glanced in Roy’s direction. “Oh, I’m fine.”

“Everything healin’ up okay?”

Johnny shrugged, and continued to dress. “Sure. No problem.”

“Well, just be careful today, will ya?”

Johnny glanced sideways at Roy and shriveled up his nose. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m always careful.”

“I know. I just meant you should take it easy. That’s all.”

“What he means, Johnny, is that he doesn’t want your klutziness to cause you any more accidents, ‘cause he doesn’t wanna work with Brice, who’s an even bigger pain than you are.” Chet was unable to suppress the mischievous grin on his face that appeared after his dig, but Johnny ignored it just the same.

Gage turned to DeSoto with a look of indignation. “Oh, is that so?”

Roy grimaced at Chet and rolled his eyes. Looking back toward his partner, he assured, “Johnny, as usual, Chet’s just tryin’ to get you worked up.”

Johnny’s eyes narrowed with uncertainty. “Do you think I’m a klutz?”

Roy sighed. “No, Johnny. I don’t think you’re a klutz.” In an effort to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand, he added, “As a matter of fact, when it comes to this job, you’re one of the most coordinated guys I know,” and that was being truthful.

Chet snorted in the background as he hung up his shirt.

Johnny turned to him with a smug look on his face. “See? Roy doesn’t think I’m a klutz.”

“Gage, he’s just bein’ nice ‘cause he knows he’s gotta work with you all day.”

 Exasperated, John retorted, “Kelly, did it ever occur to you that the job that Roy and I do is very dangerous, and that sometimes things just happen?”

“The only thing dangerous is you, Gage,” Chet smirked. “So why is it that when things ‘just happen’, they always happen to you? Hmm?” Chet knew he was getting a rise out of Johnny, and was thoroughly enjoying it. They hadn’t had a good sparring match in several days, and now seemed like as good a time as any to start one up. Sometimes Johnny just didn’t realize when Chet was teasing, and that’s what made it fun for Chet. It was just too easy sometimes.

Johnny’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Well, maybe if you’d have been watchin’ that dog instead of pickin’ your ass, I wouldn’t have fallen off that ladder.”

“Ah, c’mon Gage. You can’t blame me for that. I was getting Roy the equipment. Besides, we all made it down that ladder okay; you were the only one that ended up falling.”

Johnny’s voice went up an octave. “I fell because that dog – ”

Chet was rubbing his chin now, as if he were analyzing something. “You know Johnny, maybe it’s not that you’re klutzy; maybe you’re just plain unlucky.”

“I am not unlucky!”

“Well then how come you’re always the one almost getting killed? I mean, look at when you got that monkey virus. Roy was there too, and he didn’t get sick. Or what about when you got bitten by that rattlesnake? All of us were down there by that car, but the snake didn’t attack any of us. Noooo, he waited until you were down there by yourself.” Chet’s eyes narrowed and he pointed his finger at Johnny. “That snake was waitin’ for you, man. And how about the time – ”

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Johnny interrupted, “You obviously don’t know anything about – ”

Chet’s eyes widened dramatically and he leaned toward Johnny. “Wait a minute! Maybe,” he said in a mystical voice, “maybe you’re not unlucky, John; maybe….you’re cursed.” On the word ‘cursed’, Chet lunged slightly toward Johnny, causing him to jerk backward.

Eyes rolled simultaneously as Roy and John looked at one another.

Kelly continued, wriggling his fingers in the air like a fortune-teller looking into a crystal ball. “Maybe some ancient Indian goddess put a curse on you when you were born, and that’s why all this stuff is happening to you – kinda like the evil witch in Sleeping Beauty, you know?”

At this, Johnny couldn’t help but burst out laughing at Kelly’s absurdity, finally realizing that once again, his Phantom friend was just putting him on, trying to get him riled up, and was doing a good job at it. Johnny pinned his badge on his shirt, while saying, “Kelly, you are just too much, you know that?”

“I’m serious, Johnny,” Chet said with an earnestly grave look about his face. “Now if I were you – ”

Chet never got a chance to tell Johnny what he should do, since at that moment, Captain Stanley poked his head through the door summoning his men for roll call.

 

 

Later that day, Roy and John were in the squad on their way back from a run. Their morning conversation had been gnawing at Johnny all day, and he was unusually quiet. Roy looked over at his dark-haired partner and noticed his contemplative mood. Johnny had been staring out the side window the entire way, his cheek laid against his fist as his arm rested on the doorframe.

Roy debated at least a full minute before he finally decided to ask Johnny what was bothering him, knowing it would probably come out sooner or later anyway, and wanting to get it over with. Besides, he wanted to make sure that his friend wasn’t still feeling the after-effects of his fall a few days ago. “Okay, what’s bothering you?”

Johnny jumped slightly upon hearing Roy’s voice, and glanced over at him. “Huh?”

“I said, what’s bothering you? You’ve been moping around most of the day hardly saying a word. I just figured you might as well talk about it.”

Johnny turned away, not answering.

“You’re not sick, are you?” Roy asked in concern.

Johnny looked back at him. “Nah. I’m not sick. I just…well, I’ve been thinkin’ about what Chet said this morning.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Ah, c’mon. You’re not takin’ what he said seriously, are you?”

“Of course not. I mean, I know I’m not unlucky. Right?”

“Right.”

“I mean, stuff happens to you too, you know.”

“I know. Well, nothing like the kind of stuff that happens to you.” Roy almost slapped himself after he’d said that, then backpedaled. “But that doesn’t mean you’re unlucky,” he added quickly.

Johnny furrowed his brow and stared at Roy. “You sure you don’t think I’m a klutz?”

Oh boy, here we go again. “No, Johnny, I don’t think you’re a klutz. I told you that. As a matter of fact, you’re about as sure-footed as a cat most of the time.”

“Most of the time?”

“Well, there was that time you slipped when you were climbin’ up that tower. Remember? The one with the dummy at the top?”

Johnny got a little indignant and his voice rose and octave. “Well, the rungs were slippery! That could have happened to anybody!”

“You’re right, Johnny.”

“I am not a klutz,” he mumbled to himself.

“I never said you were. Look, you know what I think it is?”

“What?”

“I think most of those times when you’ve been injured, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Johnny looked over at him, considering this statement. Slowly the revelation that Roy’s comment made sense sunk in. “Yeah. Yeah I was. I mean, if someone else would have been standin’ in my place, it would have happened to them, right?”

“Naturally.”

Johnny seemed satisfied with this logic for the moment. He remained silent another minute, then said, “You know, we do have an awfully dangerous job.”

Roy didn’t answer right away, considering. “I suppose. But I thought you enjoyed the danger. I mean, isn’t that part of the excitement of it for you?” Though Johnny would never admit it, Roy knew his partner thrived on the more perilous calls they received. He could almost see the rush Gage experienced every time they got into something life threatening. Maybe it was one reason why Johnny was injured more often than anyone else. He always seemed to be first to volunteer to lead the more harrowing rescues. What Roy didn’t know was that many times Johnny volunteered for those jobs not because he enjoyed the danger, but in an effort to keep harm from coming to Roy, knowing that he had a wife and children at home depending on him.

Johnny sighed and answered honestly. “Yeah, I like the excitement. That’s why I became a fireman and rescue man in the first place, aside from wantin’ to help people. And bein’ a paramedic is probably the best thing I’ve ever done with my life.” His voice was much quieter when he added, “But you know, lately there’ve been times when I’ve wondered if I’ll make it to thirty.” And what would happen to my aunt if something happened to me?

Roy turned and stared at him a second, trying not to show his shock at his partner’s statement. He really didn’t know what to say, because Johnny’s comment had merit. His partner had nearly bought it more times than Roy would like to count, and at times he wondered himself if someday the job wouldn’t kill Johnny. But those were thoughts he usually quickly put out of his mind. Johnny was so good at his job that Roy wouldn’t allow himself to believe that. “Of course you will, Johnny. You’ve just had a string of….” He stopped himself from finishing the sentence.

“Bad luck,” Johnny finished.

Roy sighed. “It’s not luck, Johnny. It just….happens sometimes.”

“For the last five years?”

“C’mon now; don’t blow this out of proportion. Look at all the hundreds of runs we go on every year. If you balance that against the times you’ve been injured, I’d say you’ve got a pretty good track record.” Roy knew that was a stretch, but he needed to find some way to put it into perspective for his friend.

“Yeah, right,” Johnny said glumly. “I don’t know, Roy. Maybe I shouldn’t press my luck any longer.”

Roy’s head snapped around at that. “You’re not….thinkin’ of quittin’?!”

Johnny chewed his lip a moment, then finally shrugged and said, “I don’t know. I guess not. What else would I do anyway?”

Roy felt somewhat relieved upon hearing that. “Johnny, look. This rose bush thing is just getting to you. It was just a little accident.”

“Little!” Johnny snorted. “You wouldn’t think it was so little if you’d been the one skewered in three hundred different places!” Johnny scratched his head in one of the spots that was healing from a rose thorn.

Roy smiled. “No, I guess not. Look, I bet this’ll be the last thing that ever happens. I bet nothing more will happen to you in the next five years.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely. I’ve got a feeling you’re heading into a lucky streak.”

“You do? What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know, other than the fact that I think you’re about due for it. I mean, how many more bad things could possibly happen?”

Johnny cringed. “Don’t ask.”

“I mean it, Johnny. I really think your luck is about to turn.”

Johnny rubbed his chin and said softly, “I hope you’re right.”

The conversation ended as Roy turned into a Quik-Stop to pick up some hamburger buns for dinner. Gage was cooking, and as usual, hamburgers were on the menu.

 

Two rows of people were queued in front of the counter, one short line and one longer line. John and Roy got in the short line in order to buy the buns, when Johnny began to wonder what everyone was doing in the second line. It looked like they were playing some sort of game.

Gage nudged DeSoto. “What’re they all doin’ over there anyway?”

Roy looked over at the line of people. Each one had a little card they were writing on. “Oh. I guess they’re playing that new lottery game that just came out.”

“Oh yeah? Huh.” Johnny continued to watch as each person got their turn to buy their ticket. A moment later, he left Roy in the line they were in and went to stand in the back of the lottery line. “Stay there. I’ll be right back.”

“What’re you doin’?” Roy asked irritably.

Gage smiled. “I’m gonna play.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Johnny said in an exasperated tone. “To try to win, Roy. First prize is three million bucks!” he emphasized the word million punctuated by his raised eyebrows.

“Johnny, you’re wasting your money. Your chances of winning are about one in a hundred million.”

“Well? Someone’s got to win, don’t they? Besides,” he said with a confident grin, “I’m suddenly feeling very lucky.”

Roy’s eyes rolled.

“You said yourself that you thought my luck was about to change.”

“Yeah, but, well, that’s a fool’s game, Johnny.”

A couple of other customers turned and glared at Roy’s comment.

“Well, we’ll see who’s a fool after I win all that money.”

Now a couple of customers chuckled at Johnny’s comment.

Roy sighed and moved up to the counter to pay for the buns. Johnny was busy picking numbers and writing them down on his little card. After Roy was done, he walked over to where Johnny was standing in line. “You owe me a dollar fifty.”

Johnny dug into his pocket and pulled out some money. He looked down at the two quarters in his hand, then looked up at Roy.

“I said a dollar fifty.”

“Ah, Roy, I’ve only got fifty cents. Um, could I….do you think….I could borrow fifty cents, Roy?” At Roy’s look of disgust, he quickly added, “I’ll pay you back tomorrow – plus what I owe for the food, okay?”

Roy looked skeptical, then sighed in resignation, digging into his pocket. “Okay. Just don’t forget. You still owe me four dollars from the last time we went to the grocery.” He handed Johnny the two quarters.

“Oh. Sorry. I won’t forget. I promise.” He grinned his most charming grin. “Hey, you wanna give me fifty cents more and split the ticket with me?”

“Huh? Give you – ” Roy’s brow crinkled at Johnny’s logic of giving him fifty more cents. He shook his head in annoyance, not bothering to try to figure out the math Johnny had just used. “No thanks. Like I said, it’s a fool’s game.”

Johnny shrugged, and handed the man the ticket and the dollar. “Suit yourself.”

Roy walked toward the door muttering, “But if the shoe fits….”

 

 

                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

Three days later, the A-shift of station 51 had completed their morning routines and had just returned from their first run of the day. Marco and Chet were busy preparing lunch, Captain Stanley was in his office, Mike was watching television, and John and Roy were relaxing, reading the paper.

Johnny sat on the sofa sipping his coffee as he skimmed his section of the paper. Turning the page, he almost missed the winning lottery numbers that were printed at the bottom of the page. He stared at them a moment, thinking to himself, then his brow furrowed, and he decided to get up and check his ticket. Might as well, he figured, just for the hell of it. I think I actually picked a couple of these numbers. I know I picked 5 and 1.

Roy glanced up at him absently as Johnny got up and left the room, taking the paper with him, then Roy went back to the sports section, submersing himself in the latest horse race statistics. The others continued making lunch; Marco began pouring milk for everyone. That’s when they heard the yell.

“Oh my GOD!” someone shouted from what sounded like somewhere in the dorm.

Roy jerked the paper down and looked up in alarm, wide-eyed. Marco nearly dropped the glass that was in his hand when they heard it again.

“OH MY GOD!” was heard even louder than before, followed by a loud strangled yell.

His heart pounding, Roy vaulted off the sofa and ran out the door toward the dorm, the soles of his leather shoes skidding as he rounded the corner. The rest of the crew followed, running behind Roy, and the Cap was right behind them as he came out of the office, a ‘What the hell was that?!’ expression on his face.

Roy flew into the dorm to find Johnny standing there shaking like a leaf, his eyes wide with disbelief, holding a piece of paper in his trembling hand, and looking like he was in shock. Roy was at his side instantly, his face a mask of concern. “Johnny! What is it? What’s wrong? Are you all right? Are you sick?” Roy kept asking questions because Johnny didn’t answer; instead he just stood there, his eyes glassing over, and he looked like he was about to pass out. He was breathing shallowly. He swayed slightly, and Roy grabbed his arm, urging him to sit. “Johnny? Here. Sit down. Can you hear me?”

After a few seconds, Johnny looked up at Roy and swallowed, and a small smile slowly grew across his face.

“What is it?” Roy demanded.

“I won,” Johnny whispered, still clutching the small piece of paper in both hands.

“What?” Roy crinkled up his nose in puzzlement.

“I WON!” he cried.

The others all looked at each other in confusion.

“Won what?” Chet asked.

Johnny jumped up, apparently beginning to recover from his shock. “I won the lottery! Look!” With trembling hand, he held up the ticket for Roy to see and grabbed the newspaper, holding them up together. “These are the numbers I played!”

Roy studied it, comparing the numbers, stunned. “I don’t believe it,” he said softly.

A huge grin spread across Johnny’s face.

Chet’s brows furrowed and he asked, “You’re not talking about that new lottery….are you?”

“What other lottery is there, Chet?” Johnny chortled.

Then Chet said it. “Oh my God.”

“What’d ya win, pal?” Captain Stanley leaned forward, taking a peek at the winning ticket.

Johnny laughed, nearly dancing around in delight. “Three million bucks. I won THREE MILLION BUCKS!” He ran his hand through his hair and continued laughing, shaking his head.

Captain Stanley blew his breath out through his mouth in a whistle, then offered his hand to John, who took it and shook it heartily. His brows were raised in disbelief, but he smiled, and said, “Congratulations, Gage.”

Johnny continued to smile, absolutely beside himself. “Thanks, Cap!”

Everyone was stunned, especially Chet, who finally also offered his congratulations, along with the rest of the crew.

Roy followed suit, his expression of shock and disbelief slowly turning into a small smile. Mechanically, he shook Johnny’s hand and offered a flat, “Congratulations, partner.”

 

 

The first thing Gage did was to call the number on the back of the ticket, explaining that he was the winner, and was told where to come the following day to collect the money. Then, he spent the next hour lamenting over where to put the ticket to keep it safe. He moved it from his pocket to his wallet, which Roy finally convinced him were bad spots, arguing that the ticket could be easily lost on a rescue. From there, it went from three different hiding places in his locker, to under his mattress, to his Rover, and then finally, the Cap convinced him to keep it locked up in his desk drawer. By the end of the afternoon, he had driven everyone crazy with his obsession over where to put the ticket. Everyone was glad for the run they had late that afternoon calling them out to a structure fire, if only just to get Gage’s mind off his winning ticket.

 

 

Johnny followed Roy into the day room to wait for dinner, and noticed Roy heading for the telephone. “Who ya callin’?” he asked as Roy dialed the number.

“Joanne.”

“Oh. What for?”

“I’m gonna tell her about your winning the lottery. Hi honey,” he said to his wife when Joanne answered.

Johnny rushed over to him. “Wait! Don’t tell her!” He waved his hands in the air to get Roy’s attention.

Roy looked over at Johnny in annoyance. He put his hand over the phone. “Why not?”

“Because! Well, I wanna tell her!”

“What?” He took his hand off the receiver. “Uh, Joanne, hold on a minute.” He turned to Johnny. “Why?”

“I just wanna tell her. Please? Can I tell her?” Johnny sounded like a ten year old.

“She’s my wife!”

Johnny stammered. “I know, it’s just that, well, I want to share it with someone; I mean, I’m the one that won the money!”

Roy sighed and went back to the phone. “Yeah, honey, I’m still here. Uh listen, Johnny wants to tell you something.” He held the phone out for Johnny, who grinned widely and snatched it away from Roy.

“Hi Joanne! Guess what?” Johnny said excitedly.

Roy sighed again and walked away, listening to his partner in the background telling his wife about winning the lottery.

 

 

By eight o’clock that evening, things began to wind down, and the men gathered around to eat a late supper. The men dug in hungrily to Mike’s fried chicken and everyone was relatively quiet. Several times, Roy looked over in Johnny’s direction and found him staring out into space dreamily with a small smile pasted on his face. Roy shoveled another bite of mashed potatoes into his mouth, then looked back at his partner. Johnny’s gaze was still transfixed on something unseen across the room. In his hand, a piece of fried chicken remained frozen, suspended in midair a few inches short of his mouth, whilst his elbow rested on the table.

Roy leaned toward him. “Earth to Gage.”

Everyone looked up and stared at Johnny, who was unfazed. Receiving no response, Roy pushed Johnny’s hand with the chicken in it toward his face, shoving it into his mouth. That seemed to wake him up.

Johnny jerked the chicken away from his mouth and looked annoyingly over at Roy. “What’re you doing?!” He picked up his napkin and wiped the grease away from his mouth.

“You better eat or you’ll be too weak to spend all that money you just won.”

Johnny smiled. “Oh. Yeah.” He took a bite of the chicken. “Mmm. This is delicious, Mike!” He was in such a good mood.

Then Chet decided to strike up a conversation about his pigeon as if Johnny weren’t even in the room. “So how long do you guys figure it’s gonna take Gage to get a big head about bein’ a millionaire?”

“About two days,” Marco answered.

Chet looked at the Cap. He shrugged and said, “I’d say about a week.”

“I give him about two weeks,” Mike chimed in.

“That’s generous, Mike.” Chet turned to Roy. “What about you, Roy?”

“No comment,” he answered, glancing sideways at Johnny, who now had a look of disgust upon his face. He turned to his partner and added in a tongue in cheek manner, “I just hope you remember us little people after you’re all famous and everything.”

Johnny finally spoke. “Hey, I want you guys to know that just because I’m rich now doesn’t mean I’m gonna change. I’m always gonna be the same friendly, generous guy I’ve always been, no matter how much money I have.”

“Generous, did you say?”

Johnny eyed Chet suspiciously. “Yeah, generous. But that doesn’t mean you can take advantage of me, Kelly.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Johnny. But I was wonderin’ if you might just extend me a little loan?”

“A loan!? For what?”

“I don’t know. But I could sure use some money.”

“Would you get a load of this guy? I haven’t even got the money yet and he’s already asking for a loan!”

“It’s just a few hundred, Gage? You won’t even notice it’s missing.”

John’s mouth dropped open. “A few hundred! Are you kiddin’ me? Oh man, I can see where this is gonna go. All my friends are gonna start hittin’ me up for cash now. I can just see it. I won’t have anything left after all you guys sponge me dry. Oh man!”

Chet tried to suppress his smile. He loved getting Gage worked up. Unfortunately, he was unable to achieve his goal of getting the young paramedic’s coil totally wound when the tones sounded, summoning the squad out to care for a sick child.

The rest of the crew watched as John and Roy pushed out their chairs and rushed off, then finished their dinner.

 

 

                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

Three days later, Roy sat at the table eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast. He would be leaving for work in about ten minutes. Joanne noted the somber expression on her husband’s face and decided to try to find out what was bugging him.

“Roy, is something bothering you?”

He looked up at her. “No,” he said through a mouthful of cereal. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, you’ve just been sort of withdrawn the last day or so.”

“Oh. No, there’s nothin’ wrong.”

She sat down next to him. After a while she said, “It’s bothering you that Johnny won that money, isn’t it?”

Roy put his spoon down, his appetite suddenly gone. “Of course not. Why would Johnny’s winning the lottery bother me?”

“I don’t know. I guess…are you worried that he’ll quit his job?”

That thought had been one of the things on his mind, amongst other things. He looked up in concern at his wife. “You think he’ll quit?”

“I don’t know, Roy. Maybe. What would you do if you won that much money?”

Roy was silent a moment. “I don’t know. I love being a paramedic, but I don’t know. Maybe I would. I mean, when you’re that rich you don’t need to work. I might be tempted to stay home with you and the kids, travel maybe, buy a nicer house, I don’t know.”

“What do you think he’ll do?” Joanne asked.

“I don’t know, Joanne. Johnny really loves his job. He’s not married, doesn’t have kids, what would he do if he didn’t work?”

“Probably the same thing any of us would do if we had a lot of money. Buy things, travel, find a hobby, volunteer our time.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly. After a few moments, he said, “I just hope having all that money doesn’t change him.”

“Change him? In what way?”

“Well, you know, sometimes having a lot of money changes people.”

“Oh Roy. I don’t think that’ll happen to Johnny. He’s a pretty down to earth kind of guy.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He thought a moment then said,  “You know I thought sure he’d call me on our days off, but he wasn’t home.”

So that’s what’s bothering him. He’s afraid Johnny is going to forget about him. “Roy, I’m sure he was just busy. I mean, he had to go get his check and figure out what to do with it. He’s got a lot to think about now. I’m sure he’s probably a little overwhelmed with all this too.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Roy got up and rinsed out his cereal bowl. “You know, he asked me if I wanted to go in with him 50/50 on the ticket, and I refused?”

Joanne’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. I told him not to play. I told him it was a fool’s game.”

Joanne was stunned. “Oh my gosh. You mean, we could’ve….been….”

“Millionaires.”

Joanne closed her eyes, stunned into speechlessness.

 

 

                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

The A-shift was back at work. Everyone but Johnny had arrived and was in the midst of changing into their uniforms. Chet finished and strode into the dayroom to make a fresh pot of coffee. When the others strolled in to the kitchen at around ten minutes until eight, Roy asked, “Anyone see Johnny yet?”

“Nope,” came their simultaneous replies.

“I wonder where he is,” Roy wondered aloud. “I couldn’t get a hold of him the last two days.”

“He probably went to cash in his ticket,” Marco offered.

“Yeah,” said Mike. “He was probably out spending his money.”

Roy nodded glumly. “Yeah,” he said softly. While Roy was truly happy for Johnny, another part of him began to feel down over the last couple of days when he not only couldn’t reach his friend, but didn’t hear from him. He thought for sure that Johnny would want to share his excitement over his winnings, that maybe they could have gone out and celebrated, but Johnny hadn’t been home every time he’d called. He couldn’t quite explain it, but as time had gone by over the last few days, he had an unexplainable feeling that now that Johnny had suddenly gained enormous wealth, their friendship might suffer.

Chet was looking out the window of the back door into the parking lot, and the others heard him say softly, “Holy shit.”

“What, Chet?”

“He’s here, guys. You guys aren’t gonna believe this.”

“Believe what, Chet?”

Chet didn’t answer; instead, he opened the door and went out into the parking lot. The others got up and followed him out.

Everyone was stunned to see Johnny climbing out of a brand new, shiny, fire engine red Corvette. Slowly, they walked toward him, and when Johnny saw his co-workers admiring the car, a huge grin erupted on his face.

The Cap whistled, while the rest of them just stared, wide-eyed. Roy swallowed, trying very hard to suppress the little green monster that was clawing around in the pit of his stomach. Johnny had parked the car next to his old Porsche, once the envy of the rest of the guys, but now made it look like a piece of junk.

Chet walked up to the car first. “Whoa, Gage. I guess we know what you did on your days off.”

Johnny continued to smile. “Like it?”

“It’s fabulous,” crooned Marco in awe.

Everyone started walking around the car, touching the smooth shiny finish. It was a beautiful car. It had T-tops that Johnny had taken off, driving in with the sun on his shoulders. Shiny silver side-pipes adorned the sides, and they could smell the aroma of the new luxurious leather seats and leather-covered steering wheel even while standing outside the car.

Johnny stood back, basking in the admiring glow of his friends, relishing in their compliments about how awesome his car was.

Mike asked to see under the hood, and Johnny gladly obliged by opening it for him. They listened while Johnny told them about all the features it had.

“I wanted the 210 L82 horsepower engine, but it’s not available in California, so I had to get the 180 horsepower, and go with the automatic transmission. Of course, that takes some of the fun out of it, but actually I’m kinda tired of shifting gears, so I don’t mind it too much.” He grinned at them. “It’s still faster’n shit.”

Captain Stanley smiled and shook his head. “You better watch out, or you’ll be getting tickets, you know. That car’s gonna be like a red flag out there to the cops, just beggin’ for attention.”

“Ah, but that’s one of the advantages of this car, Cap. You should have seen the attention I’ve already been paid by the fairer sex ever since I’ve been drivin’ this thing around.”

“A regular chick magnet, I suppose. Gage, you dog.” Chet commented, giving Johnny a little nudge to the shoulder and shaking his head.

Johnny smiled wider and raised his eyebrows once. “Hey, let me show you something else.” And he led them around the car, showing them the dash. “It comes with a standard AC Delco stereo radio with an AM/FM 8-track sound system. You should hear it, it’s awesome.” He opened the door, and Marco climbed in. Johnny handed him the keys and Marco started the engine. It sounded like a racecar as the engine idled, purring out a ‘fwump-fwump-fwump-fwump’ sound. Marco played with the stereo, enjoying himself, then got out to let someone else sit in the driver’s seat.

Johnny looked over at Roy, who had been standing in the background with his hands stuck in his pockets, watching. He walked over next to him. “Whadya think?” he asked with a smile.

“It’s nice, Johnny,” Roy said quietly.

“Here, get in,” Johnny opened the door again and gestured for Roy to sit in the driver’s seat. Rather reluctantly, Roy slid in, placing his hands on the wheel. He nodded his head in silent approval.

“You can drive it if you want,” Johnny said enthusiastically. “Maybe when we get off tomorrow we can go somewhere.”

Roy sat a moment, then got out of the car and shut the door. He almost said yes immediately, then hesitated. He knew it was silly, but he still felt perturbed that Johnny hadn’t been home the last two days and hadn’t even bothered to call him. He’d just gone out and bought this car and hadn’t even told Roy about it. Wasn’t he supposed to be his best friend? Didn’t best friends share stuff like that with each other? He would have thought that maybe Johnny would have invited him along to go car shopping together. But he didn’t. Apparently Johnny didn’t feel he needed his friend’s input on this one. Maybe now that Johnny had all this money he felt like he was better than everyone else.

 Stammering a bit, Roy answered, “Ah, I…I don’t know, Johnny. I know Joanne has a huge list of things for me to do tomorrow. I gotta get the garage cleaned out for one thing.”

“Oh,” Johnny looked disappointed, then brightened. “Well, I could help you with the garage, then we could go out for a spin? Whadya say?” he persisted.

“Ah, maybe. I’ll see. I’ll, uh, see what all Joanne has planned for me.”

Captain Stanley was now declaring that it was time to get to work, so Mike slammed the hood of the car closed and everyone turned toward the station house. Johnny pulled his keys out of the ignition, and when he turned around, Roy had already walked to the station house and gone inside. Johnny stared after him, puzzled at his friend’s lack of enthusiasm for him. He grabbed the brown grocery bag out of the passenger seat and headed in side.

 

“What’s in the bag, Johnny?”

Johnny smiled widely as he put the bag in the refrigerator. “It’s a surprise.”

This piqued Chet’s interest. “What kind of surprise?”

Johnny hesitated. “Well, I was gonna save it till dinner time, but I guess I might as well tell you now.”

“Tell us what now?” Hank asked.

“What’s in the bag, Cap,” Chet answered.

“What bag?”

They all watched as Johnny opened up the refrigerator door and pulled the paper bag back out. He then proceeded to pull out six huge New York strip steaks, and set them on the table. Everyone’s eyes bulged out as they beheld the succulent looking meat.

“Guys, thought we could enjoy these for dinner tonight. I’m barbecuing.”

With that, everyone broke out in praise for Johnny and his generosity, thanking him profusely. It wasn’t often they were able to enjoy such a treat, especially at work.

“What’s the occasion, Johnny?” Marco asked.

“Nothin’. I just wanted to do something special for my friends.” Johnny beamed, and looked meaningfully at Roy, who forced a smile back at him. He reached into the bag and pulled out two big gallons of premium ice cream. He had picked his favorite for one flavor, and Roy’s for the other. “I almost forgot; I got dessert too. Gotta put this in the freezer.” The others continued to thank John, commenting again on his bigheartedness.

 

 

The day went on uneventfully, everyone enjoying the delicious steaks Johnny grilled for dinner. They were even lucky enough not to have it interrupted by a call. In the morning, Roy went to look for Johnny, but he was on the telephone, so Roy dressed in his civvies and headed out without a word.  When Johnny finished his phone call, he headed into the dorm to change, wondering where Roy was, since they had talked about getting together that day. He was startled when he walked out in the parking lot and found that Roy’s Porsche was gone. He stood there for a moment, trying to figure out why Roy had left without saying anything.

            Is he angry with me for some reason? He’s been awfully quiet this shift. I wonder if he and Joanne had a fight.

He headed back to the dorm to change, and sat down on the bench to pull his shoes off. Hm. I wonder if me winning this money is bothering him? He couldn’t be jealous. No way. Roy, jealous of me? Nah. That’s not like Roy. Besides, he’s got way more’n me anyway. I mean, he’s got Joanne and the kids; that’s way better than a bunch of money any day. He’s the lucky one, really. Johnny thought as he walked out to his new car. Looking at it a moment, he thought, man, I’d trade this in a heartbeat for what Roy’s got. He got in and started the engine.

He pondered further as he drove. I wonder if he’s sore at me for not splitting the winnings? Well, I gave him a chance to go in half, and he turned me down. That’s not my fault.

Johnny took his time driving home, enjoying the beautiful warm day, despite the lateness of the season. By the time he reached his apartment, he decided he would just go in and do a few things, eat breakfast, and then head over to Roy’s. Maybe he could try to lift his friend’s spirits a little, or at least find out if anything was wrong.

 

 

Roy heard the distinctive sound of the Corvette’s engine in his driveway, and looked up. A twinge of guilt tugged at him for leaving that morning and not saying anything to Johnny, but for some reason he just didn’t want to see Johnny that day and used his friend’s occupation on the telephone as an excuse to leave. He felt the urge to smack himself for those feelings; after all, Johnny had been nothing but nice since he’d won the money. He hadn’t gloated, and in fact, had surprisingly been very humble about it all, even generously treating his friends.

The car door slammed, and as Johnny approached Roy, who was in the garage cleaning, Roy’s son Christopher ran out the front door.

“Uncle Johnny! Uncle Johnny!” Chris bolted toward his father’s partner. “Wow! Is that your car?”

Johnny put his arm around Chris and gave him a rough kind of masculine hug, nothing too frou-frou, since Chris was eleven years old now. “Hey sport! How’re you doin’?”

“I’m doin’ fine! Uncle Johnny, is this your new car? Mom told us about the money you won!”

“Yeah, sport, it’s mine. You like it?”

“Oh yeah! I love it! It is so cool! Hey, mom!” he yelled. “Come look at Uncle Johnny’s new car!” He looked up at Johnny. “Can I have a ride in it?” he asked enthusiastically.

Johnny looked toward the garage and saw Roy approaching. Joanne was on her way out the front door, wiping her hands on an apron.

“Mom, Dad! Look at Uncle Johnny’s car!”

“I see, dear,” Joanne said smiling. “It’s beautiful, Johnny.”

Just then Roy’s daughter Jennifer ran out the front door. “Uncle Johnny!”

Jennifer greeted Johnny in the same way he had been greeted by Chris. He gave Jenny a hug and a kiss on the top of her head. Both kids began begging their parents for a ride in Johnny’s car.

“Look kids, I don’t know. That’ll be up to your mom and dad. It’s only a two-seater. Jen, I think you might be too young to sit in the front seat.”

That was met by sharp complaints of disappointment by Roy’s young daughter.

“Roy? What do you think?” Joanne asked.

“I don’t know. I guess it would be all right.”

Both kids started yelling and jumping up and down. Johnny could sense a slight reluctance on Roy’s part. “Look, I have an idea. Joanne, why don’t you drive it and you could take Jen for a ride, and then Roy, you drive and take Chris.”

“Cool!”

“Yes!” Both kids exclaimed.

“Okay!” Now Joanne was enthusiastic. She had never driven a sports car like this before, and John’s suggestion for her to be the driver if Jenny was going to ride was a good one. Johnny opened the driver’s door for her, and she climbed in. Johnny made sure Jennifer was buckled in securely, and after a few instructions to Joanne, watched them slowly pull out of the driveway, then down the street.

Johnny laughed and shook his head. He looked down at Chris. “Well, I guess there’s no danger of her getting a ticket. Your mom drives like a grandma.”

Chris laughed at his comment.

Johnny took the opportunity to talk to Roy. “So, you almost done with the garage?”

Roy looked back. “No. I just got started.”

“Oh, well, c’mon. Let’s get it done.”

“Uh, that’s okay Johnny. I’m sure you’ve got a lot better things to do than help me clean my garage.”

Johnny furrowed his brow and scrutinized his friend. It wasn’t like Roy to turn Johnny down when he offered to lend a hand with any house projects. Usually, Roy tried his best to cajole Johnny into helping him, with the enticement of a nice dinner prepared by Joanne, and a little guy time on the side. Now Roy just seemed sort of despondent, like he didn’t want Johnny around.

Chris was waiting down by the sidewalk watching for his mother to return so that he could have his turn.

“Roy, what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing,” he said rather defensively, not making eye contact.

“C’mon Roy. I know something’s eating you. Are you mad at me for not sharing that ticket with you?”

Roy turned and looked at his partner. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Well, then what is it? You’ve hardly said two words to me for the past several days. You just left this morning without saying anything and we had talked about getting together.”

“I told you I had a lot of stuff Joanne wanted me to do today.”

“I know; and I offered to help you.”

“Well, I didn’t need your help.”

Johnny stared at him, not knowing what to say. 

“Look. There’s nothing wrong. That’s all. You don’t have to read anything into it, Johnny.”

Johnny considered it. “You’re not mad.”

“No,” Roy said rather irritated.

Johnny sighed and shrugged. “Okay.” Man. If Roy were a woman I’d say he was on his period. He stood there uncomfortably next to Roy, waiting for Joanne and Jennifer to return.

They were back a minute later, having taken a very short drive. Gingerly, Joanne maneuvered the sports car into the driveway, and got out, smiling.

“This is such a cool car, Uncle Johnny!” Jennifer said.

“I’m glad you like it, Jenny Bean.”

“It’s my turn!” Chris said enthusiastically. “C’mon, Dad!” Chris ran over and opened the car door, impatient for Jennifer to get out. “C’mon, Jen, get out!”

Jennifer looked at her mother with disgust and turned to her brother saying, “Well, move your butt out of the way, and I’ll get out!”

“Jennifer!” her mother scolded. “I don’t want to hear talk like that!”

Chris moved minutely, practically pushing Jennifer out of the way as she exited the car, then jumped in. “C’mon, Dad!” he urged.

Slowly, Roy slid into the driver’s seat, and after buckling up, backed the car out of the driveway and drove off with Chris.

Johnny let out his breath and stood with his hands on his hips staring after Roy. Joanne looked over at him, noticing the smile on his face had been replaced by a worried look after Roy left.

“What’s wrong, Johnny?”

He turned to her. “Hm? Oh, nothing, really.” He hesitated a moment, then plunged in, “Joanne,” he scratched his head absently, “is Roy upset with me about something?”

Joanne smiled and looked down.

Johnny took a step toward her, his face turning concerned. “He is upset with me, isn’t he? What’d I do?”
            She looked back up at him. “Oh, Johnny. You didn’t do anything.” She sighed. “I think Roy is just having a little trouble adjusting to the fact that you won all that money.”

“Oh.” Johnny said, unsure of what he could do about it.

Joanne continued. “I think it’s a combination of two things.”

Johnny raised his brows at her in anticipation of her enlightening him.

“One, I think Roy’s afraid the money is going to change you somehow, maybe he thinks you won’t have time for him any more.”

Johnny’s jaw dropped. “Won’t have time? Well, I’m here now, aren’t I? That’s ridiculous, Joanne. Just because I’ve got some money now doesn’t mean I don’t wanna be friends with Roy any more. Why in the world would he think that?”

“He doesn’t,” she reassured. “Maybe he’s just….a little insecure.”

“Roy?” John said in obvious surprise. “I’ve never known Roy to be insecure about anything.”

“Well, he tries not to show it.”

“Huh,” Johnny said in wonderment. “What’s the other thing?”

“Well, just between me and you, I think he might just be a teensy bit jealous.”

Again, this surprised Johnny. Well, it didn’t totally surprise him, because he knew he’d probably be envious of Roy if he won that much money. But he’d be happy for him too. He smiled a small smile and shook his head.

“What?”

“It’s just funny. I…I never thought Roy would be jealous of me. I thought I was always the one…” he stopped.

“You?”

Johnny looked down self-consciously. “Well….I…I guess I’ve always been kinda….envious of Roy. I mean, he’s got a great life; he’s got you, and the kids, and a nice family life and everything. I think….that stuff is better’n money any day.” He looked down at her shyly.

Joanne smiled warmly. “What a lovely thing to say, Johnny; and you’re right, those things are better than money, but they’re things I know you’ll have some day too.”

“I hope so,” Johnny said softly, then looked up at the sound of the Corvette coming around the corner.

Joanne touched his arm. “Just give him a little time; he’ll get out of his funk.”

Johnny smiled at her. “I will. And don’t worry; Roy doesn’t have to worry about our friendship. It’s always gonna be there.”

“I know it will Johnny.”

Roy pulled the car back into the driveway.

Chris stayed in his seat, not wanting to leave, while Roy shut off the engine and climbed out.

“How’d you like it?” Johnny asked.

Roy seemed a little more relaxed. “I like it.” He said with a bit of reserved enthusiasm. Then he smiled a bit. “It’s fast, that’s for sure. Drives smooth, and it handles great. It’s a nice car, Johnny.”

Johnny smiled easily. “Thanks Roy. You’re welcome to take it out for longer if you want.”

 “Dad, can’t we go a little longer?”

“No, Chris, that’s enough.”

“Uncle Johnny? Can you take me for a ride now?”

Johnny glanced at Roy and decided it was time to leave. Roy just didn’t seem open to doing anything with him today. “Nah, sorry sport. I’ve…uh….got some places I’ve got to go.”

Roy looked at him, trying to read whether Johnny was now mad at him for the way he was acting. Johnny didn’t look angry, but Roy knew he was just making up an excuse to leave, since he hadn’t been very welcoming of his presence. Now he felt bad about it, but didn’t know what to say to save the situation. He’d already told Johnny he didn’t want his help, so he couldn’t very well go back on that.

“Will you be home later, Johnny? You’re welcome to come over for dinner,” Joanne invited.

Johnny smiled a crooked grin. “Ah, I don’t think so. I’m tryin’ to stay away from home.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

“Well, ever since I went to cash in that ticket I’ve been hounded by reporters and gold diggers.”

“Really?” Joanne was surprised. “They found out about it that fast?”

“Yeah. It’s incredible. You wouldn’t believe it. When I got home from getting the check the other day, there were people waiting for me at my door. Then, the phone kept ringing with people tryin’ to sell me stuff, and wantin’ to interview me – you name it. After a while I quit answering the phone, and then I finally just had to leave to stop ‘em from buggin’ me.” He turned to Roy. “I tried to call you before I left but you weren’t home.”

Roy nodded somberly.

“We were probably out in the yard working in the garden.” Joanne explained, looking over at Roy out of the corner of her eye.

Johnny scratched his temple absently with his finger. “Anyway, I went out for a drive just so I could have some peace and quiet. That’s when I bought the car. I just saw it sittin’ there on the car lot when I drove by, and I couldn’t resist, so I decided to stop and take a look at it. One thing kinda led to another. I spent most of the day Thursday just drivin’ around in it,” he smiled sheepishly. “I stopped by your house, but no one was home.”

Roy and Joanne exchanged glances again. “That must have been when we ran up to the garden store.”

“Oh,” Johnny said. A moment of uncomfortable silence ticked by, then Johnny decided he’d worn out his welcome. “Well, I…I gotta go.” He turned with a small smile and began to walk around to the driver’s side of the car.

“Uncle Johnny, can I please have another ride?” Chris begged.

Johnny smiled down at him sadly. “No, not right now, buddy. How about next time, okay?”

“Okay,” Chris responded glumly.

Roy tried unsuccessfully to think of something to say now to convince his friend to stay, but his mouth seemed to be glued shut.

“Johnny, can you make it for dinner?” Joanne asked hopefully, now sensing her husband’s regret at having been rather cold to his friend.

“Ah,” he hesitated, still sensing a little reservation from Roy, “how about if I take a rain check? I’ve really got some things I gotta do.” He had just decided a few moments ago as he was standing there that since Roy didn’t seem too receptive of his presence, he would go back to visit his aunt again. Ever since that thought had popped into his head, urgency was tugging at him to go check on her, and now he was a little anxious to get going. An idea was building about her situation, and he was rather glad now that Roy didn’t want help with the garage, so that he could see to her welfare.

“You sure?” Roy offered lamely.

Johnny glanced up at Roy after he’d crawled back in the driver’s seat. His friend looked as if he might be having second thoughts. Nah, I better go. Maybe I just need to give him some time, like Joanne says. “Yeah, I’m sure.” He started the car and put it in reverse. “Hey, I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

“See ya.”

Joanne slid her arm around Roy’s waist as they watched Johnny back out of the driveway, then wave as he drove away. She was just about to open her mouth to say something when Roy held up his hand.

“Don’t say it,” he said.

“Say what?” she asked innocently.

“Say, ‘I told you so’.”

“Okay, I won’t say ‘I told you so’. I’ll just remind you that Johnny tried to get a hold of you on his days off. He didn’t forget about you.”

“I know,” Roy said regretfully.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about regarding your friendship with Johnny.”

He smiled at her. “You’re right.”

 

 

The next morning at work Johnny found Roy in the dorm changing. The dark-haired paramedic stole a tentative glance at his partner, trying to determine his mood. “Mornin’,” he offered pleasantly with a small smile.

Roy looked up amicably. “Mornin’, Johnny.”

Hm. He seems to be in a good mood. “Ah, how’d the garage go yesterday? Get it all done?”

Roy grimaced. “Yeah, finally around four o’clock.” He hung up his shirt then looked back at Johnny a little apologetically. “I guess I should have taken you up on your offer to help. It was a much bigger job than I thought.”

“Oh.” Johnny stopped himself, unsure if he should pursue the next question, but he thought it might get Roy to open up a little if he asked it, so he did. “Um, so why didn’t ya, Roy?”

Roy looked away uncomfortably, hesitant in his answer. He searched for the right words to convey his remorse at how he’d treated his friend, but it didn’t exactly come out right. Instead, he mumbled a weak, “Well, I…I just thought you probably had other things you’d rather be doing….I mean, cleaning out my garage probably isn’t exactly your idea of fun on your day off….especially now that you’ve got….I mean, now that…you know…” his voice trailed off and he glanced up at Johnny in embarrassment, all the while thinking, good job, DeSoto; why don’t you just tell him the truth? Tell him you were a jerk; tell him you were jealous; tell him he’s still your best friend. Tell him you’re happy for him – anything but what you just said!

Johnny stared at him somberly. “Roy,” he said quietly, “just because I’ve got money now doesn’t mean I don’t wanna spend time with my friends any more. You’re still my best friend. Nothing’s gonna change that.”

Roy looked away, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. He continued dressing, unable to speak.

Johnny stared at the silent light-haired paramedic a moment, trying to ascertain Roy’s reaction to his affirmation of their friendship. When Johnny didn’t get a response, he turned away, opened his locker, and began to undress. Hurt and worry washed over him, and he now seriously wondered if the two of them would lose their friendship over this money thing. Lost in thought, he hurried and dressed, then sat down on the bench to tie his shoes.

Roy sat down next to him, then finally spoke. “Johnny?”

“What?” Gage answered, not looking up, continuing to tie his shoe.

“You’re right.”

“I’m right about what?”

“You’re right…about us still bein’ best friends. We still are. And the money’s not gonna change that.”

Johnny stopped tying his shoe and looked up at Roy. His blue eyes were sincere and serious in conveying the conviction of the words he just spoke. Johnny’s face softened, his own expression showing relief.

“And I think I forgot something,” Roy added, standing up.

“What’s that?”

“I never really congratulated you.” He held out his hand and a big smile broke out on his face.

Tentatively, Johnny shook his hand, a small smile of uncertainty still played on his face.

“Johnny, I’m happy for you. I really am.” And this time he meant it.

A bigger smile grew on John’s face. “Thanks, Roy. I appreciate that.”

Now Roy relaxed, confident that everything was okay. As was true to his nature, his friend forgave him, and was sensitive enough not to mention the fact that he understood that Roy was a little jealous, knowing that his actions were tempered with feelings of insecurity about their friendship.

Had it been Chet, Johnny might have rubbed it in. It’s what the Phantom would expect. But this was different. It humbled Johnny to know that Roy really valued his friendship – enough to be outwardly worried that something might come between it. It was nice to have that confirmed every once in awhile.

Johnny had struggled with his own insecurities in his life with regard to friendships; it hadn’t been easy during his youth making friends while living on the reservation. Being a half-breed, he never seemed to fit into either the Indian or the White man’s world, and it seemed neither side ever fully embraced him. After his parents died, it became even harder. It seemed people either felt sorry for him or ostracized him, until he finally left. It wasn’t until after he found his aunt and attended high school that he was able to establish any meaningful friendships with anyone, and later on, his with Roy was probably the very first that had really solidified and come to mean something important to him.

Sometimes it was hard for Johnny not to become overly attached to that friendship, for he craved being close to someone, having been deprived for so long of the sort of relationships that many took for granted. But, on the other hand, a part of him remained cautiously reticent, unable to forget what had been taken away, and how painful it had been to lose. It seemed the two things balanced each other out.

Roy began asking Johnny about his new car, and soon the two friends fell back into a comfortable and familiar pattern, conversing about everything from cars to old fire engines.

To both paramedic’s relief, things seemed to be back to normal between them that shift. Talk about Johnny’s new found wealth finally died down, and everything seemed back to the way it was before. The day proceeded routinely except for a rather harrowing water rescue involving a boating accident.

The call came in at seven o’clock to rescue two men who had been injured in a boat crash. Their boats had collided when one of the drivers, who was drunk, plowed into the side of the other boat. The intoxicated driver had sailed over the windshield and was barely holding onto some of the wreckage from his boat to keep afloat, and the other casualty was a young man who had been water skiing and had crashed into the boat after the impact. One of the boats had caught fire, and Squad 51 was called to join the Coast Guard to rescue the now floating victims. The other passengers had jumped ship when the fire broke out.

The two paramedics had ridden to the scene on a Coast Guard cutter, and dove into the frigid water immediately upon their maneuvering the craft close enough to the victims. Roy had pulled his third victim into the rescue boat and was beginning treatment when he noticed trouble in the water.

Johnny was wrestling with the intoxicated driver, trying to pull him to safety using a standard water rescue position, while coaxing the man to calm down, who was in a state of total panic. Quite large at over two hundred and fifty pounds, the man began clawing desperately at Johnny, crying out for help, despite the fact that Johnny was earnestly trying his best to get him to safety. Wrapping his arms around Gage, John was no match for the man’s weight, and his head was forced under the water. Entangled with the man, he fought to get to the surface, but the drunk continued his flailing, refusing to release his frantic hold on the paramedic, using Johnny to try to push himself above the surface.

Roy strained to see what was going on, but it was growing dark, and all he could see was frantic splashing, peppered by the sound of his partner’s rising voice yelling at the victim to calm down. After that, there was more splashing, but Roy no longer was able to hear his partner. He only waited a split second longer before he dove in the water and made his way over with a life buoy and rope. Another Coast Guard man joined him, swimming to the scene. When they reached the victim, who was now almost totally under water, he was still flailing and Johnny was nowhere in sight. It didn’t take long to figure out what was happening, and Roy and the Coast Guard man dove under the surface to try to untangle them.

Johnny struggled frantically under the water to get free, unable to loosen the grasp the man had on him. The drunk alternated between clutching the paramedic’s hair, clawing his arms around him, and kicking at him with his feet, using combinations of all three to push himself to the surface.

By the time Roy and the Coast Guard man were able to reach Gage, Johnny was losing his battle at thrashing and fighting with the man; his lungs felt nearly on fire, and he was on the verge of losing consciousness. Together, they forced the man to loosen his grip on Johnny, thrusting the life buoy with attached rope into the drunk’s arms instead. Roy latched onto Johnny’s arm, pulling him to the surface. Johnny broke the surface of the water with a loud gasp, and began struggling to breathe, trying his best to gulp air into his oxygen-deprived lungs. Coughing raggedly, Johnny allowed Roy to tow him to the boat, where they pulled him aboard. He landed on the deck in a bent over heap, coughing violently while clutching at his chest. The coughs turned into choked gags, and a gush of seawater forced its way out of his stomach.

Roy had climbed aboard, along with the drunk driver. He had his hands full. He had one victim who was seriously injured, bleeding badly from a gash on his leg, a drunk who was yelling obscenities at everyone and also was bleeding from a head injury, three other people who were visibly shaken from the whole ordeal, and his partner, who lay on the deck trying to recover from nearly being drowned. The two Coast Guard personnel were trying to restrain the drunk, and with the help of another man who had been on board with him, managed to calm him down.

After a couple of minutes, and despite feeling awful, Johnny pulled himself together and began to help his partner treat the victims.

Roy looked up to see Johnny peel himself off the deck and stagger over to the large drunk man in order to assess his injury. It was the last thing Gage felt like doing; he would have liked to have thrown the man back overboard, but he knew the head injury might have caused some of the man’s irrationality, and his sense of duty was so ingrained in him, it was an almost automatic response to disregard his own discomforts to help another.

In the midst of wrapping his victim’s leg, Roy instinctively stretched a hand out to steady his wavering partner, even though he couldn’t reach him from his position. “Johnny,” he called.

Gage’s eyes looked up and over from behind his still dripping hair and caught the look of concern in Roy’s face. He managed a quick but strained smile at his friend along with a nod to let him know he was okay, then asked Roy to hand him some gauze. Roy complied, his eyes shifting constantly between his patient and his friend, glancing back every time he heard Gage cough.

Pulling his dripping penlight from his pocket, Johnny checked the man’s pupil responses, then began taking his vitals down. The cutter was well on its way back to shore when the two paramedics made contact with Rampart and commenced IV’s.

A very shaky Johnny finally climbed from the boat with Roy and met up with the ambulance attendants who had been waiting for their return.

After arguing unsuccessfully with his partner about coming along in the ambulance himself, Roy reluctantly agreed to let Johnny drive the squad into the hospital. Johnny had pushed him away when Roy tried to apply the stethoscope to his chest to listen to his lungs, maintaining that he was all right. Roy insisted on quickly taking John’s vitals before he left with the patients, which Johnny begrudgingly agreed to. Roy wasn’t happy about leaving his shivering and pale friend behind to drive the squad in, but felt relatively sure that he was all right. He would make certain that Johnny saw a doctor when they got to the hospital.

And he did. After an x-ray and a thorough exam, Dr. Early deemed Johnny fit to return to duty, recommending that he get some rest.

Little was said on the way back, except for a grumbled statement from Johnny that he ‘hated water rescues’, which brought a smile of relief from Roy, who knew that if his friend felt well enough to complain, he was probably indeed okay. Upon their return to the station, Johnny immediately headed for a hot shower, then slid under the warm covers of his bed without further word. When Roy found him a half hour later; he was sound asleep.

 

 

Once again the shift was over, and the men were in the locker area changing clothes before leaving for home. The first thing Roy wanted to ascertain that morning was that his partner was feeling okay. Johnny assured him he was as good as new; being able to sleep through the night without a call had helped immensely.

As he finished buttoning his shirt, Johnny decided he would try once more to see if Roy would be open to getting together.

“So, what are you up to today?” Johnny asked his friend casually.

“Ah, it’s my mother’s birthday. We’re all going to make a trip to her house to help her with some things, then we’re going to take her out to dinner tonight. I guess we’ll all probably spend the night there.”

“Oh. Well, that’s nice,” Johnny commented. At least it didn’t sound like Roy was making up an excuse not to see him.

“What are you gonna to today?” Roy asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. I got a few things I gotta take care of,” he answered vaguely. The plans he had that day were things he really didn’t want to discuss with Roy. One of them was to continue shopping for a new nursing home for his aunt. After visiting her the other day, he made the final decision to take her out of Sunnybrook Estates and move her somewhere nicer. She seemed fine this last time, but the place still seemed woefully understaffed, and Johnny felt strongly that his aunt was not getting the care she needed, or deserved. The place was also in need of repairs and updating, and it’s dreary atmosphere always left Johnny depressed when he left there. If it made him feel that way, then it must be worse for his aunt. He would have had her move in with him, but his job as a fireman required that he be away for days at a time, and he couldn’t leave her by herself. Besides, she needed constant twenty-four hour care that he was not able to give, even when home.

So, after he had left her the other day, he had visited two other nursing homes, and had been impressed with both of them. But, he still had two others he wanted to look at, and that was what he intended to do today.

Mentioning all this to Roy would only open up a can of worms, bringing forth questions about his family background that was always too painful for Johnny to talk about, so he didn’t. Instead, he kept most of his past a secret, rarely mentioning anything about his life from the time he was about ten, which was when his brother David was killed in a fire, or after that when he was twelve, and he lost both his parents in an automobile accident. In regards to his teenaged years, he sometimes mentioned high school, but never gave many details other than some of his experiences there, like being on the track team, or the fact that he was the editor of his school paper.

Another thing on his agenda was to go back down to the pier and check out a boat he had seen the day before during their water rescue. They had walked past it on the way to the Coast Guard boat, and ever since he’d set eyes on it, he couldn’t get the beautiful sailboat out of his mind. He’d always dreamed of owning a boat like that, knowing it was only that – just a dream. Now it could be a reality.

He didn’t want to mention it to Roy just yet, feeling that revealing the fact that he was considering buying an expensive yacht might just make his partner feel more uncomfortable, despite the fact that Roy had told him the day before that he was truly happy for him. Roy had even asked Johnny excitedly what else he was going to do with the money, and they had fantasized about the possibilities together. The only difference was that they were no longer fantasies for Johnny. With that much money, he could do most anything he desired. Even though he’d had to give up over half his winnings to pay taxes, it still left him with over a million dollars, a sum that if invested properly, could set him up nicely for the rest of his life.

Roy glanced warily at Johnny at his vagueness, but brushed it off, anxious to get home and get a few things done before he had to go to his mother’s. He was regretful of not being able to ask Johnny to get together with him, but couldn’t do anything about that. The two parted ways amicably in the parking lot, with the promise to get together on their next day off.

 

 

By the end of the day, Johnny had decided where to move his aunt. It was one of the most upscale nursing homes in the LA area, but he figured that money was now no object. The care was impeccable, and the amenities were countless. The facility had a multitude of care levels, so that as a person became more dependent, they could be move to a higher level of care. The rooms were luxurious and private, each one offering its own private balcony, with a nice view of the mountains. Nurses and caregivers were there around the clock. There was a swimming pool with therapy sessions daily, game room, library, TV room, and even a golf course for those who were more mobile. The move would take place in just a few weeks. Johnny had some negotiating to do with Sunnyside Estates, and was waiting for word from the administrator regarding the necessary procedure needed to release her. He left there feeling much relieved that she would soon be receiving better care.

Again, on the way out, he ran into Meredith, who was just arriving to see her father. He told her of his good fortune, and while she was happy for Johnny and congratulated him, she was sad that Johnny’s aunt would be leaving soon, since that would probably mean they wouldn’t see each other any more. They had become friends over the last few years, and enjoyed each other’s company; they had become allies in a way, each looking out for the other’s loved one, and fought together many times to procure better care. Johnny assured her he would keep in touch, and would still come to visit Ben, her father. He felt a little guilty that he had the money to do this and Meredith did not. But there was nothing he could do about that. It would have been inappropriate to offer to pay to move her father to the same facility as his aunt, so he didn’t.

Johnny had a quiet dinner at home that night alone, much of which he spent contemplating what the rest of his life was going to be like, now that he was wealthy.

 

 

                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

The next day brought the excitement he had been looking forward to. After breakfast, Johnny jumped into his new Corvette and headed down to the water. He hoped the ‘For Sale’ sign he saw on had what looked like a spectacular sailboat, was still there, and he wanted to check it out. He wondered what a boat like that would cost. He knew he could probably afford a new boat, but there was something about this particular one that had captured his fancy.

After parking his car, Johnny got out and started walking around the pier. He took his time, strolling past all the boats, enjoying the salty air and the cries of the seagulls overhead. It was a beautiful day, and the skies were bright blue with only a hint of wispy clouds overhead. He finally came to the boat that had piqued his interest, and slowly began to examine it as he walked around it, relieved to see that the ‘For Sale’ sign remained.

It was a magnificent sailboat. Single masted, it was about forty-eight feet long, Johnny estimated, with a single jib and mainsail. He continued walking slowly down the pier, scrutinizing each detail with admiration, then stopped and stared, hands in pockets, while he daydreamed about it. The sound of a woman’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts, and he looked around to see where it had come from.

“Can I help you?” She had seen him pull up in his Corvette from her cabin, and had found herself having difficulty taking her eyes off him. Watching him surreptitiously, she was pleasantly surprised to find him studying her boat, or rather, her father’s boat.

Caught off guard, Johnny squinted up, shading his eyes, unaware that anyone had been nearby. When he saw the pretty girl smiling down at him, he returned the smile. “Is this your boat?” he asked.

“Yes, it is,” she answered, “or actually, it’s my father’s. I couldn’t help but notice you looking her over. Are you in the market for a sailboat?”

“Well, I might be,” he called back up to her. “I was down here yesterday and saw your sign, and just wanted to take a look.” He looked back down at the boat. “It’s a beautiful vessel,” he said admiringly.

“Thank you. It’s only a year old. Would you like a tour?”

He looked back up at her, his face brightening into a bigger smile. “That would be great!”

“C’mon around,” she motioned him to come around to board the boat, and he followed her over and climbed aboard.

Now standing face to face with the woman, he found himself staring. At five foot seven, she was tall enough to be a model, and certainly not lacking in beauty. Her skin was flawless, and the sun bounced off her shiny light honey brown hair as it swirled around her face in the breeze. Green eyes sparkled at him from behind long dark lashes and above perfectly sculpted cheekbones. She had an easy smile and lips that looked so soft he actually felt the urge to lean forward and kiss them. He couldn’t help it when his eyes dropped slightly, focusing on breasts that were nearly spilling out of the bikini top she was wearing underneath an open sleeveless shirt, and below that she wore white shorts. His gaze continued downward automatically past her bare smooth stomach and on to long sexy legs; her perfectly painted pink toenails peeking out from inside sandals. Everything about her looked perfect to Johnny, and he swallowed, caught up in the fantasy of her, totally forgetting for a moment why he was there.

He seemed to have the same impact on her. She found herself staring back into the sexiest pair of brown eyes she thought she’d ever seen. She had already admired how he filled out the well-worn blue jeans he was wearing, and now couldn’t pull her gaze away from his face; she was drawn to his strong jaw line and quickly found herself becoming absorbed in that crooked grin he was wearing. The white t-shirt showed off smooth tan arms that looked so tempting to touch that she wished she could run her fingers up and down the strong-looking biceps. Her eyes were drawn back to his face, and it crossed her mind how strikingly handsome he was, but in an every day sort of way.

She was first to recover from their meeting, and extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Heather Banks,” she said with a smile.”

His eyes snapped back up to her face, and then he noticed her hand extended and took it, introducing himself. “I’m John Gage. Ah, you can call me Johnny if you like.” His hand remained wrapped around hers after their handshake, and she almost laughed at the silly and slightly shy smile on his face.

Slowly Heather disengaged her hand from his, since he neglected to let go, causing Johnny to blush slightly in embarrassment. “Would you like to see the boat?”

He kept staring at her. “Huh?”

“The boat? Would you like to see the boat?”

His eyes opened wide, and he suddenly remembered why he was there. “Oh! The boat….ah….yeah,” he stammered, “sure, I’d love to see it.”

“Okay. Well, follow me.” He had no problem doing that, enjoying the view of her from behind almost as much as from the front.

They walked all around the yacht, and she showed him the engine, the steering and mechanical systems, pointing out the fine details and nuances of the craft. Surprised at how knowledgeable she was, Johnny listened as she also explained the electrical and plumbing systems, and the overall construction of the vessel. He tried to take it all in as she recited the measurements, water capacity, and even fuel consumption.

After all that, she took him below to the cabin. His eyes grew wide as he took in the beauty and spaciousness of it, his eyes focusing on the rich varnishes of the teak and ash, and the luxurious décor. They first stepped into a small galley; it had a U-shaped counter complete with oven, stove, double sink, refrigerator, and even a microwave oven.  Adjacent to the kitchen was a small living area with a table for eating and booth-like seating on one side, a built-in sofa on the other. The stern of the boat held an impressive stateroom, and Heather led Johnny through a narrow door to show it off. Johnny’s jaw dropped at the sight of the queen-sized bed before him, accented with rich wood cabinets on either side, a large skylight in the ceiling, and another porthole in the wall over the bed. The bath was small, but adequate. She then led him to another small stateroom in the bow of the boat that had a double bed, with storage cabinets above on either side.

The whole tour took a total of about two hours, and by the time she had finished, Johnny was in love with the boat.

The next logical step was to talk price. Johnny was almost afraid to ask how much, and when she told him what they were asking, he almost felt light-headed. He’d never spent that much money in his life; the thought of it was overwhelming. Instinctively, he almost said no immediately, but had to stop and remind himself that he could afford this boat. Yes, it would cost him a bundle, probably a good ten percent of his winnings, but when he thought of how awesome it would be to own a yacht like this, he knew he had to have it. He also knew it would be stupid to appear too anxious. Just like buying a car, you never paid the asking price. Before he could question it though, she said, “It’s a fair price. Daddy paid over two hundred for it just a year ago. He’s only had it out five times.”

“Shouldn’t I talk to your father about this?”

“Daddy’s very busy. He trusts me to sell it,” she said with confidence.

Johnny smiled and nodded. He thought a moment, trying to figure out a way to approach it. What he really needed to do was to do some price comparison. This was the first boat he had looked at and even though he knew he could afford it, he wanted to get a good deal. “Well,” he started.

Heather held up her hand to stop him. With a smile, she said, “I have an idea. I wouldn’t expect anyone to buy something this expensive without taking it out for a spin. If you’d like, before you decide, why don’t I take you out sailing on her? If you like it, maybe that’ll help your decision.”

Johnny liked this idea a lot. The thought of having the chance to sail this magnificent boat appealed greatly to him, and it was even better that this beautiful girl had invited him. He couldn’t help the wide grin that erupted on his face. “I’d like that. Um, when….?”

“How about tomorrow morning?” She would have offered to do it today, but had a date to play tennis with her brother after lunch.

His face fell. “I have to work tomorrow.”

“Oh,” she was a little disappointed as well, but tried not to show it. Trying to act interested, she asked, “Where do you work?”

“I’m a fireman,” he smiled, “and also a paramedic.”

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Really?” she asked pleasantly, while thinking to herself, Boy, they must be paying firemen a lot these days, while glancing over at the parking lot where his red Corvette was parked.

“Yeah, um, is there another time maybe…?” he asked hopefully.

“What about the day after tomorrow?”

Johnny knew he had planned to spend some time with Roy that day, but it probably wouldn’t be until later in the afternoon, so he agreed. They decided to meet at ten a.m. Johnny lingered a few moments longer, then finally left, after thanking her. He was in incredibly good spirits the rest of that day and the next.

 

 

                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

Friday morning couldn’t come quickly enough for John Gage. The anticipation of his impending sailing date had even made it hard to sleep that night. For once, he was glad for the two calls they received at the station during the night, if only to occupy his attention.

Roy stared after his partner as he practically vaulted out of the dorm and nearly skipped to his car, bewildered as to what his hurry was. Johnny had made a hasty good-bye that morning, telling Roy he’d see him later for dinner, patting him on the shoulder, then saying, ‘See you later, Pally’, and wearing a broad grin on his face. Before Roy had even gotten the chance to ask Johnny his plans, the younger man was out the door. Roy figured something was up; his partner had practically been bouncing off the walls their entire shift; it had seemed as if nothing, including one of Chet’s water bombs, could spoil his mood. 

 

 

Johnny made it home at breakneck speed, showered and changed, gobbled down a quick breakfast, then drove to the dock. As promised, the girl, Heather, was there waiting for him. He drew in a breath as it hit him once more how beautiful she was. And, he was going to be out sailing with her! He’d already noticed there was no ring on her left hand, and fully intended to ask her out after the sail, provided everything went well. He figured that buying the boat would certainly help his chances of getting a date with her, and while tempted, he still wanted to shop, just to make sure he was making a careful purchase. It was too much money to be careless with.

            She called a cute, ‘ahoy, sailor!’ to him, making him smile, then invited him on board. Then, when they were ready to go, she asked if he wanted to back the boat out of the slip. Sensing his nervousness, she asked how much experience he’d had sailing. Johnny told her that he’d sailed quite a few times, but never had captained a boat quite this large. So, she offered to give him a few pointers, since she was quite familiar with the vessel.

            With Johnny at the helm, she gave instructions on how to avoid hitting the pilings, telling him that a little boost, not a lot of power, can finesse a sailboat out of just about any situation. She explained how to work with the wind and current, how to use momentum rather than revolutions per minute, and good line handling to keep the sailboat from scraping. She had a polished way about her mannerisms that allowed Johnny not to feel inferior, instead offering gentle instruction and praising him when he maneuvered the boat successfully.

Slowly, and taking stock of the wind and current, he kept a grip on the bow line, and the sailboat pushed off from the dock. At her instruction, he gave a little juice to the engine in reverse, put it in neutral, and then backed out until they were clear of the slip and other boats. He steered the boat perfectly, and smiled a grin of deep satisfaction at his adeptness.

Soon they were out on open water. It was a crisp day, but the sun felt warm, and the wind was perfect for sailing. Johnny relaxed behind the large wooden wheel, enjoying the feel of the warm smooth teak his fingers were wrapped around. Heather sat by him as they sailed, talking about how to neutralize wind and current by working with them, instead of against them. She explained that knowing how your boat will respond to those elements takes some time, but it can be roughly calculated by thinking of how the boat’s above-water and below-water profiles react to the two forces. In the case of some boats, she stated, a high bow and mast set well forward would mean that the wind will push the bow more than the stern. A shallow forefoot and deep stern meant that the current will push her stern more than the bow. Johnny knew from previous sails that a boat does not turn like a car, with the rear following the front wheels as they turn. A boat swings its stern out in one direction as much as the bow turns in the other direction. Being able to visualize this helped Johnny maneuver the vessel without incident.

Heather left him alone to enjoy, while she went below deck. A little while later, she emerged with a tray of sandwiches and drinks. Johnny was pleasantly surprised at her thoughtfulness, and they sat wordlessly together eating, enjoying the sounds of the wind flapping through the sails, while seagulls followed them, chirping, begging for a handout.

When it was time to return, they turned around and headed back to the dock. As they neared, Johnny became nervous once again, knowing that his actions would be on display to everyone, and he not only didn’t want to make a fool of himself, he didn’t want to damage the boat. Heather was perceptive enough to pick up on it, and gently guided him through the steps, letting him know that mastering the art of docking at your own marina takes time, and he shouldn’t expect to handle dockings at unfamiliar marinas effortlessly until he had a little more experience under his belt.

With her instructions, he carefully maneuvered the sailboat back into the slip, avoiding hitting anything, to his relief.

When the craft was finally secured, Heather asked Johnny if he had made a decision. Johnny raved about the boat, and she could tell it had gotten under his skin. That wasn’t the only thing.

“I think….I want this boat,” he told her. “But,” he hesitated, “if you don’t mind, I’d kinda like a day to think about it.” He looked up at her in earnest, and she felt herself melting into his deep brown eyes.

“Fair enough,” she said, after all, at the moment, she’d not had any other bites on it.

Then Gage smiled his most charming smile at her and said, “I’m sure I can make a decision about it by tomorrow. And….ah….I was just wondering…” he looked down a little self-consciously.

For some reason, her heart started to flutter, and feeling as excited as a silly schoolgirl, she thought, He’s going to ask me out!

Johnny continued, suddenly seeming to stammer just a bit. “Would you…like to…ah…join me for dinner tomorrow night? Maybe we could finalize things then?”

She almost laughed at his sudden apparent shyness, surprised at how such a handsome man, and one who looked to be in his late twenties, would be so shy about asking a girl out. Surely, he’d had his share of dates, and women, for that matter. But it struck her how different his approach was than most guys she knew, who seemed to have an almost annoying confident swagger about them when they asked her for a date.

She smiled back just as charmingly and answered, “I’d love to.”

Johnny felt like doing a cartwheel, but managed to hold himself back – barely. After that, they discussed the time and the place, and Johnny got her address. He regretted having to leave, but had promised Roy he would be by around four o’clock, so he bade her good-bye and trotted off to his car.

Part 2