Part 5

Several days later, Johnny received a shock when Connie Anderson of Anderson Realty walked through his door with a briefcase in her hand. His first thought upon her arrival was one of confusion, and he wondered, huh, what’s she doing here? Her presence soon prompted an eruption of memories to spew out of his foggy mind that had been buried underneath his past week of delirium.

At first her face showed shock, as she took in all the bandages and bruises, but she quickly masked it by pasting on a fake smile. She walked over to him. She barely withdrew the impulse to stick out her hand to shake his in time, so she didn’t make a fool of herself, and made her greeting verbal instead.

“My, my, you really did a number on yourself, Mr. Gage. How are you feeling?”

“Uh, okay,” he lied, looking at her warily. “How…how did you know I waz ‘ere?”

“Oh! Well, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you, but you never answered your telephone. So I called you at work and one of the men told me what happened. Such a shame,” she said shaking her head. She laid her briefcase down on his tray table and opened it up. “Well, I guess you probably know why I’m here.”

Still not thinking very clearly, he just stared at her.

“You do remember the closing on your house is less than two weeks away?”

His eyes opened wide as the meaning of her presence finally dawned on him. The significance of her statement hit him like a ton of bricks. My house…my house!  I’m selling my house! I’m selling it because…because I’m moving; I’m moving to Boulder. Boulder! The job! Oh, God, the job! I forgot about it! I never called Captain Kirk back!

The realtor droned on, her words barely registering among the other thoughts whirling around in his brain. “…Obviously, we’re going to have to figure out how we’re going to make that happen. Now, how much longer do you think you’ll be here, Mr. Gage?”

He didn’t answer her.

“Uh, John?”

“Huh?”

“John, how long do you think you’ll be in the hospital?”

“Um, I, I don’ know….I tink maybe anuder munt…more or less.”

“Oh,” she said, “that’ll never do,” she tapped her pen against the side of her cheek, her arms folded. She stood several moments more, thinking to herself.

Meanwhile, Johnny had closed his eyes, trying to sort out everything in his head, her visit already taking its toll on him. With all the pain he was experiencing and medications he was on, he found it hard to focus.  He almost began to feel sick when he realized the implications behind his lack of response to the job offer he’d had. He wondered how long it had been; how many days had he been in the hospital?

He caught the words, ‘that’ll never do’, wondering what she meant by that. He jumped slightly when she spoke again.

“Well! Now I’m going to have to do a little creative thinking to get this resolved. But don’t worry, I’ll figure something out so that we can close on time.”

“Close?”

“Yes. You remember, the closing we set up on the 19^th?”

“I…I can’t close. I’m in the hozpidal –,”

“Now, don’t you worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

“But,….but I’m not ready. I got no way to move my stuff out…”

She patted him on the leg. “You just leave everything to me,” she cut him off.

“Wait…I…I don’t tink I wanna do dis right now…”

She was shaking her head. “John, you signed the contract.”

“I, I know, but, can’t you undo it?”

She chuckled but it wasn’t in humor. “I’m afraid not. These people have already sold their home. They’re planning on moving to coincide with your closing. Besides,” she added, “he’s an attorney. I don’t think you want to get in a legal battle with him.”

“Ohhh,” Johnny groaned miserably. He looked at her pleadingly. “Maybe…maybe…could we push da closing back?”

Connie hesitated. “Perhaps. We’ll see. I’m going to let you get some rest. I’ll find a solution to this problem and get back to you by tomorrow,” she said as she snapped her briefcase shut and pulled it off the table. She looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go. Bye-bye.” She waved and left as quickly as she had arrived.

His “But – ” was lost on her as she breezed out of the room.

“Where’m I gonna…..live….?” he said silently to himself.

Johnny spent the rest of that day and evening fretting over this latest turn of unfortunate events. How could I have forgotten? He scolded himself. Captain Kirk probably thinks I blew him off. He probably thinks I’m a real jerk for not even having the decency to call him back. And even if I can explain things to him, he’s probably already found someone else for the job. I was supposed to be there in about two weeks. I probably won’t even be out of HERE for another month!

Frustrated, he unsuccessfully tried to readjust himself, barely able to move because of all the restraints of the casts and traction. He couldn’t even operate the remote control for the bed to change its position. No, every move he made, every need he had required help from a nurse or another person.

 It wasn’t bad enough that the pain in his whole upper body was nearly unbearable, but he was still having headaches too. The whole back side of his body hurt from where debris from the building had bombarded him. Several of the bricks had hit him hard enough to require stitches from the gashes they had made in his body. Laying on those day after day were killing him.

I wish I could make a call to Boulder, but someone would have to hold the phone for me. I wouldn’t be able to talk to the Cap privately. Then everyone would know. Roy’s the only one who knows about the job offer, and I can’t ask him to help me. He already feels like it’s his fault that I’m leaving. How can I ask him to participate in this? Besides, what would I tell Captain Kirk? ‘Sorry, Cap, but my stupid impulsiveness caused me to land myself in the hospital again. I’ll be here for another month, then I’ll probably have physical therapy for several more. I’ll let you know if maybe I’ll be able to work again.’

He sighed, thinking of his predicament. His mind wandered to the days he spent in Boulder, meeting Captain Kirk and his crew, the dinner up in the mountains, the skiing…..”

The ski trip! Julie! The beautiful blond woman who had taught him to ski popped into his brain. Ohhh, he groaned inwardly again, I never called her. She’ll think I dumped her, that I didn’t want to see her again. She’ll think I’m a total ass. I’ve got to let her know what happened, but how? I don’t even know where her phone number is. I had it in my pocket the day of the accident. I’m sure they cut my clothes off; who knows where it is now.

What am I gonna do? In less than two weeks I’ll be homeless; I’ve got no where to live when I leave here. And how am I gonna get all my stuff out of my house? I was planning on leaving, and now I can’t. There’s no way that job is still gonna be available. I’ll have to stick around here and hope I’ll be able to go back to work some day. No, I’m not gonna hope, I WILL go back to work. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be some kind of an invalid the rest of my life. I’m gonna get better even if it kills me!

The question is, where will I work? I don’t think I want to stay here in LA. It’s bad enough just bein’ in this hospital under the scrutiny of all these nurses who loathe me. Man, I bet they all hate takin’ care of me; having to feed me, bathe me, God, I can’t even take a piss by myself. It’s so embarrassing. Thank God I’m half out of it most of the time.

I’m gonna have to find some place to go when I leave here. Man, where will I live while I’m doin’ my physical therapy? I guess I could just go to the rehab center Dr. E was talkin’ about. Maybe it’s good my house is sold. I’m gonna need the money.

The weight of his worries that day caused a profound increase in his discomfort, until he finally got relief that evening. At his request, he received a potent dose of pain-killers, which had the effect he wanted, to temporarily ease his throbbing body once more, and drown out the sorrows that threatened to overwhelm him.

True to her word, Connie returned the next day. She did indeed have it ‘all worked out’. Being the motivated buyers that they were, the people who wanted John’s house not only offered more money for the house, but they agreed to pay for a professional mover to pack up his things, and put them in storage, which they would pay for the first month. They thought they were being more than accommodating to this poor fireman who was injured so badly. The crafty realtor had also arranged it so that Johnny could sign all the paperwork right from his hospital room. Connie Anderson had been thrilled at this solution, and couldn’t wait to tell her seller about it. Seeing the dollar signs floating in front of her eyes, she hopped into her Mercedes as soon as all the plans were firmed up and headed for Rampart Hospital.

Johnny listened to her plan with somber detachment, accepting his fate. He did point out one problem to her when she mentioned that he could sign everything from his hospital bed. He asked her exactly how she expected him to sign anything when both his hands were immobile and covered with plaster. Embarrassed that she had overlooked this complication, she smoothed it over by saying that she could arrange for someone else to sign for Johnny. When she found out that he had a designated power of attorney, she told him it was simply a matter of drawing up some additional paperwork. He would need to talk to Roy, his power of attorney, and make sure he could attend the closing.

Just as she was wrapping up her explanation of how everything would work out, the person they were discussing walked through the door.

Not expecting another visitor to be present, Roy DeSoto limped into Johnny’s room aided by his crutches. He had been released from the hospital only two days before. Joanne had dropped him off for a visit with Johnny while she went to run some errands. Roy eyed the woman suspiciously for a moment, taking in her businesslike manner and the open briefcase on the table. At first, he thought she might be some sort of lawyer or perhaps even a social worker or someone from the police department who came to discuss the events of the bombing with Johnny.

When Connie’s eyes grew wide with disbelief at the site of her seller’s friend who was also in a cast and on crutches, Johnny explained, “We were bote in da same acc’dent.”

“Well,” she said to Roy, regaining her composure, “it looks like you fared a bit better than your friend.” She stuck out her hand. “How do you do? I’m Connie Anderson, Mr. Gage’s realtor.”

Balancing on one crutch for a moment, Roy tentatively shook her hand. He sat quietly while the realtor explained everything that was going on, noting Johnny’s solemn expression. Johnny was clearly unhappy, and the more the realtor explained things to him, the more Roy realized that Johnny was not going to be able to get out of this.

Reluctantly, Roy agreed to attend the closing and sign the papers, but the moment she left, he tried to convince Johnny to talk to an attorney. Johnny just shook his head.

“I don’t care, Roy. If dey want da house dat bad, den dey can have it. I don’t have da money or dee ambition to hire a lawyer and fight da guy.”

“I don’t see why you didn’t try to talk her into delaying the closing.”

“Roy, I can’t delay id for dat long; I won’ be outta here for anuder mont, den I got physical derapy. Dese people won’ wanna wait dat long; dey’ve already sold dere house. It’s not dat big a deal. Let ‘em have da damn house. It doesn’t madder.” Tired, he closed his eyes. Talking this much put a strain on his aching face and jaw.

Roy could see that Johnny had had it for the day. Joanne wasn’t there to pick him up yet, so he was unable to leave. Roy remained silent for the moment, sitting in the chair by the bed with his leg propped up on another chair, his shoulders hunched, looking down at the floor. He glanced at his watch. Joanne should be there any minute to pick him up, and he was ready to go. He ankle was beginning to throb, and was due for his own pain medication.

He looked over at Johnny, who looked like he had fallen asleep. The bruises on his face were fading some, and the swelling was down. He looked a little better. A moment later, Joanne entered the room. Roy signaled her with a finger to his lips to be quiet, then silently Joanne helped him up out of the chair and they both departed.

The next day Roy was visiting with John and decided to bring up something that had been troubling him. Johnny had not mentioned anything more about the new job awaiting him in Boulder since the accident.  Roy surmised that since Johnny had no use of his hands, that he had been unable to call his new employer. He wondered if the job would even still be available to Johnny since he obviously wouldn’t be able to move to Boulder for some time. Secretly he hoped it was too late; he still wanted the chance to try to convince Johnny to stay in LA with him at 51’s. He was not sure that he wanted to know the truth, but he couldn’t stand not knowing any longer.

He tried to broach the subject delicately when he said, “Hey, Johnny, um, I was just thinking, is there anyone that I should call to let them know you’re in the hospital?”

Roy knew he’d hit a nerve when he saw Johnny avert his eyes. He looked uncomfortable and didn’t say anything.

“Maybe your aunt?”
Johnny looked back at Roy. “Uh, no. You don’ need to call her.”

“Wouldn’t she want to know what happened?”
Johnny shook his head. “No, she wouldn’t…..I mean, I don’ wannna worry her.” He offered

no further explanation, not wanting to get into a conversation about his only remaining family member, who didn’t even remember him anyway. She was in a nursing home with Altzheimers.

            “Well, if you’re sure.”

            “Yeah, I’m sure.”

            “Anyone else?”

            “Um, no.”

            “Johnny, what about, um,” feeling awkward, Roy stumbled a bit on his words, “well, what about calling the station in Boulder where you were taking that job. Do, do they know what happened?”

            Johnny sighed, and shook his head. “No. I was supposed to call da guy da day after dee accident. Since I never did, I assume dey probably found someone else. He probably tinks I blew ‘im off.”

            “Would you like me to call him for you?”

            Johnny hesitated a second, but then said, “No. No, you don’ have ta do dat, Roy.”

            “Look, if it’ll make you feel better, I don’t mind. I could dial the number for you and hold the phone up to your ear so you could talk.”

            “Hmm,” Johnny took in the sincerity of Roy’s tone and expression, “well, okay. I guess dat wouldn’t be a bad idea. Bud, I don’ have da number.”

            “I can check information for you. What’s the station number and street it’s on?”

            Johnny looked up to the ceiling, trying to remember the street. “Um, I tink it was on Main Street, station 15.”

            Roy didn’t say anything, but thought it was ironic that the number of the station was the opposite of 51. “Okay,” he picked up the phone, “I think I can get the number for you.”

            A few minutes later, Roy had the number of the fire station and dialed it. He heard it ringing, then held the phone up to Johnny’s face.

            The phone was answered, and nervously, Johnny spoke, “Ah, may I speak to Capdain Jim Kirk please?” Roy’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline, and his mouth dropped open upon hearing the name of the captain. Johnny tried to shrug and smile when he saw Roy’s reaction.

            “Speaking,” said the voice.

            “Oh. Uh, Captain Kirk, dis is John Gage. Ah, from LA.”

            The captain sounded pleased to hear his voice. “Ah, yes, John. How are you?”
            “Well, I’m in da hospidal.”

            “Yes, yes, I know.”

            “You do?”

            “Yes, I heard about your accident. Actually, I read about it in The Firefighter Journal.”

            “Wow, news travels fast.”

            “Yes, well, I just got my copy two days ago. I had been getting ready to call you, then I saw what happened. I must say that was quite an act of bravery on your part, John. Are you doing all right?”

            “Tank you, sir. Um, yes, I’m doing all righd. I’m sorry I mighd be a liddle hard to understand; my jaw is wired shud.”

            “I can understand you fine.”

“Good. Well, I jus’ wanded to led you know dat id’s gonna be a while before I can work again. As a madder of fac’, I’m nod compledely sure I’m gonna be able to continue bein’ a firefighter.”

            Roy swallowed. This was news to him. He was under the impression that with physical therapy, Johnny would recover, although it would take a while.

            “Oh. I’m terribly sorry to hear that. Are you sure?”

            “Well, I won’ know for awhile, ‘till afder I ged oudda the hospidal and ged some physical terapy.”

            “When do you think you’ll know something, John?”

            Johnny sighed quietly. “I’m nod sure. Probably a couple monds.”

            “Okay. That’s fine, John.”

            “Id…id is?”

            “Yes. Why don’t you call me again in a month or so and let me know your progress. If you find you’ll be able to return to work, then let me know. I’d still like to have you in my crew, John, even if I have to wait.”

            “You would?”

            “I certainly would. I was very impressed with your credentials, John. I think you would be a real asset to our team here. Now, you take care of yourself and get well, and let me know how you’re doing. All right?”

            Johnny was flabbergasted. “Tank-you, sir. I, I will. Tank-you. Good-bye.” He looked up at Roy and nodded to him that it was okay to hang up the phone. Johnny was staring down at his blanket with a stunned expression on his face.

            “W-what did he say?” Roy asked.

            Johnny looked up at him, astonishment on his features. “He knew already. He said he read aboud whad happened in da Firefighder’s Journal. He said whenever I’m ready, to call ‘im, and he’d have a job for me. He still wants me.”

            Roy was stunned, but tried to look happy. “Oh, well…that’s great, Johnny. Is, is that what you want?”

            Johnny’s thoughts were spinning in his head. “Yeah, I…id is. I tink it is.”

            The thought suddenly occurred to Roy that this must have been what Johnny felt like when he told him he’d decided to leave the paramedic program and take the engineer’s position not so long ago. He remembered how gracious Johnny had been about it; how he’d tried to be happy for him, even though he knew he wasn’t at the time. He realized now what a crummy feeling is was to have the shoe on the other foot.

A week later, Roy, John, Connie Anderson, and an attorney gathered in Johnny’s hospital room. They had just finished signing all the paperwork that stated that the house no longer belonged to John Gage. Connie laid the envelope with his check in it on his tray table with a smile, then snapped her briefcase shut. She informed John that the moving company would be there tomorrow to pack up his things, and gave him the address of the storage facility where his belongings would be kept.

Johnny lay silently in bed staring forlornly out the window. It was raining, adding to the blue mood he was in.  He had just made a nice chunk of cash on the sale, but somehow he didn’t feel very happy about it. It was his first home, and he felt like he had just been pushed out of it. He had done so much work on it, and never really got the chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor. It seemed silly, but he wished he had been able to visit the house one last time and walk through it to say good-bye.

Roy could only guess how his partner was feeling, but he knew how he would feel in his friend’s place.  Johnny looked exhausted and Roy knew he was trying not to show it, but he looked depressed too.

Johnny turned his head away from the window and sighed. “Well, I guess dat’s dat. Tank you, Roy, for helpin’ me out.”

“I’m not sure how much I really ‘helped you out’, but, you’re welcome.”

“Can you do me one more favor?”

“Sure, anything, Johnny.”

“Can you deposit dat check for me at my bank?”

“Sure, Johnny.” He looked at his watch. It was 5:00. “I’ll have Joanne drive me over first thing in the morning.”

“Tanks.”

“You’re welcome. Uh, Johnny? Um, Joanne and I thought, ah, we thought we would hang out at your house tomorrow and make sure everything got packed up all right. You know, make sure the movers don’t break anything or steal anything – if it’s okay with you, of course.”

Johnny’s face softened a bit, and he seemed surprised at Roy’s gesture. He nodded after a moment and said, “Dat’d be great; tanks, Roy. Dat’s really nice of you to do dat. But you don’t have to.”

“No, I’d like to, Johnny. It’s…it’s the least I can do after…well, after everything that’s happened.”

“Well, jus’ so you don’ feel obligaded; I mean, you have helped me a lod already.”

Roy turned away, his expression serious. Looking down, he muttered, “Yeah, I helped you all right; helped you into the hospital and out of your home.”
            Johnny’s brow crinkled in puzzlement. “What? What’re you talkin’ aboud?”

Roy sighed, and turned to face his friend. “Johnny, just like the last two times you were in here, you wouldn’t be here now if I hadn’t of screwed up.”

Now John sighed, a grimace playing at his lips. “Roy, dis isn’t your fauld.”

Roy looked into Johnny’s tired eyes with tired eyes of his own. “Johnny, you know when we were at that hotel where the kid set the bomb off?”

Johnny nodded.

“I haven’t told you this; after you left with the drunk, the patient, I tried to pick up the trauma box before I latched it, and I spilled everything out of it.”

John didn’t understand the significance of Roy’s apparent clumsiness. “So?”

Roy shook his head. “So, it took me time to clean up the mess. If I hadn’t dumped the box, I would have been out of the building, and neither one of us would have been hurt.”

“Oh, Roy.”

Roy turned and looked skyward out the window.

“C’mon, man. Dis isn’t your fauld. I told you dat. Da reason I’m here is because I’m da one who decided to run up after ya. Da trauma box god nothin’ to do wid it. Besides, you didn’t know there was a bomb in dere.”

Roy took a deep breath, then let it out. He sat thinking, staring out ahead of himself. Slowly shaking his head he said, “But you did. You knew. You knew you could be killed by coming up to get me. Yet you did it anyway. I guess…I don’t understand why, Johnny. Why’d you do it, after everything I’ve done to you?”

Johnny looked at Roy a long time with soulful brown eyes. Slowly he responded. “Why? Because you’re my pardner…and my friend.  Dat’s what partners do. It never occurred to me not to come afder you. It was a no-brainer, Roy. I knew you’d be dead if you stayed in dere. Dere was no question in my mind that I had to take da chance.”

Roy nodded silently. “And you would have done it no matter who was up there.”

Johnny paused, contemplating what Roy said. Looking down, he responded, “I’d like to tink I would have.”

“You would have.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know you. You’ve always acted on your instincts. That’s what makes you the best…one of the best firefighters I’ve ever known.”

Johnny was moved by Roy’s comment, but was embarrassed to make eye contact with him. He didn’t feel worthy of such a compliment, and looked away. After a moment he said softly, “I’d lay down my life for any of you guys….but….especially you, Roy.”

Roy felt a lump building in his throat. “Why me?”, he nearly whispered.

A slight hint of a crooked smile formed at the corner of Johnny’s mouth when he said, “Well, for one ting, you’ve god a woman who loves you more than anyting else in da world, and two children who worship you.” The fleeting smile faded as quickly as it had begun and he continued, “Knowing how devastated dey would be if someting happened to you, well, dat’s not someting I would really care to live to see. Watching Pam go trew it after Drew died was enough. I tink it would be ten times worse wid you.”

Roy shook his head slightly in wonderment at his friend’s words. Looking back at the bandaged man lying in the bed he stated, “Now I know why my wife loves you so much.”

Johnny looked uncomfortable and a little confused. He raised his brows slightly when he said, “loves?”

“Yeah. She loves you, Johnny.”

Johnny averted his gaze, contemplating what Roy had said. “Well, I….I love her too. Bud…bud nod thad way, I mean. Well, you know whad I mean.”

Roy smiled. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m just glad you think enough of her to want to save my butt.”

Johnny’s face grew serious, and he softly said, “I didn’t do it for Joanne, Roy, at least, not entirely.”

“You…you didn’t?”

Johnny sighed, frustrated. “NO, damn it, Roy! The trute is…I did it because….because I just didn’t wanna lose,” his deep brown eyes locked on to Roy’s, “…my best friend.”

Roy was too choked up to say anything more after that.

Roy kept his word and he and Joanne spent the next day at John’s house while the movers boxed and packed everything up, then wheeled it into their moving van. Though it wasn’t his house, Roy still felt sad. So much had changed. So much of it he was responsible for. Joanne sensed his dark mood, and suggested a nice quiet dinner out somewhere, just the two of them. She could get Emily to watch the kids for a little while. Having a quiet dinner with his wife helped take his mind off everything, but it couldn’t erase the guilty feelings that had welled up in him once again.

It was coming up on Johnny’s fourth week in the hospital, and he was still in acute pain. He didn’t think about the house much, or the job much, or Julie either. He found he couldn’t think seriously about those other things when he was in so much pain all the time. It was a struggle just to get through each day. Nights were worse. For some reason when the quiet veil of darkness came, the pain seemed to bore down on him, and he found it difficult to sleep. He knew he was becoming dependent on the pain medication, but kept thinking, it’ll get better soon; then I can cut back.

It was agonizing to be stuck in the same position for weeks, unmoving. Despite the fact that a physical therapist started visiting him each day to work on keeping up the strength in his legs and abdomen, his body still ached deeply, and he was beginning to get bed sores. It was humiliating to not be able to do anything for himself, but without the use of his arms or hands, he was a total invalid. He felt weak and tired, and knew he had lost weight. This was only natural, he rationalized, and tried hard to convince himself that it certainly wasn’t a permanent situation. It was difficult not to become depressed, but he didn’t seem to have any control over it. He spent much of the day sleeping, except for when it was time for physical therapy sessions, and when they awoke him for his liquid meals.

He never complained to Roy about his discomfort, for fear of exacerbating Roy’s guilt. It sometimes was a burden to carry all the weight of his illness himself; many times he wished he could bend the ear of a consoling friend to lift his spirits. The problem was that Roy was John’s most frequent visitor, and if he complained he knew it would only make Roy feel worse. Sometimes he felt as if he had to work so hard to lift Roy’s spirits, to be cheerful and optimistic, that he would feel drained and relieved when his friend left.

Roy always offered to help John in any way he could when he visited, sometimes helping him with his eating, or rather drinking, helping to arrange the bed more comfortably for him, or just adjusting the TV. Most days he brought the paper and read the headlines to Johnny, since he was unable to hold anything to read by himself. Roy was still in his cast, and usually came by in the evening, after Joanne got off work and they had dinner. She would bring him by many nights, but not all. Some days one of the guys from work would pick Roy up on their day off and they would visit Johnny together.

The days drifted by. Roy had his cast removed and he was now wearing a soft boot on his foot. He would wear that for a week, but was ready for physical therapy. His first session brought a surprise when he met his physical therapist. Upon their introduction, he politely shook Mary Lynne Smith’s hand, each saying that they had already met. They both felt a little awkward at the situation, but she remained pleasant and professional, and they got through their sessions successfully.

After a short time passed, Roy began to feel more comfortable with her, and understood why Johnny had liked her. She was not only pretty, but she turned out to be a warm and witty person. One day, Roy casually mentioned something about Johnny to her.

“Johnny told me he’d be getting his physical therapy over at the rehab center, when he leaves here.”

She merely said, “Oh. Well, they’re very good over there.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard. Uh, I guess he’ll be there for a week or two after he leaves the hospital.”

“Uh huh. That’s pretty standard.”

“Have you, ah, seen him…since he’s been here?”

Mary Lynne’s eyebrows raised and her answer had a slight edge to it. “No, I haven’t. I’m sure you knew we weren’t seeing each other any more.”

“Yeah; well, Johnny mentioned that you’d broken things off, but he…ah, didn’t say why.”

“Well, if he didn’t tell you, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to figure it out.”

Roy didn’t understand what she was getting at. “I’m sorry?”

“Roy, I would think you of all people would know why I didn’t want to be involved with John Gage any more.”

“I should?”

“Frankly, I’m a little surprised that someone with your reputation would try to cover up what your partner did. But then I guess I can’t blame you for not wanting anyone to know. I certainly don’t blame you for what you did, under the circumstances, Johnny deserved it.”

Roy had a slight inkling of what she was talking about, but wouldn’t allow himself to believe that she could possibly know anything about what happened between him and Johnny on his birthday.

“Uh, I’m sorry, but would you mind explaining what you meant by that?”

She looked a little uncomfortable. Mary Lynne wasn’t normally one to spread gossip. She lowered her voice when she said, “Roy, it’s no secret around here that Johnny and your wife were having an affair. When I heard about it, I wanted nothing more to do with him.  I understand why the two of you had to continue working together under the guise of friendship, and I certainly don’t blame you for what you did to John when you found out. No one here at Rampart does. I do feel badly for you, and I hope that you’ve been able to work things out – ”

Roy’s blue eyes nearly popped out of his head. “What!” Roy exclaimed. He could almost feel his blood pressure rising as he turned red-faced to her and shouted, “What are you talking about?!”

A few heads turned in their direction, and Roy mentally shook himself to try to calm down, so as not to make a scene. His reaction befuddled Mary Lynne and she looked closely at him, sensing something was terribly wrong.

“Look, I don’t think this is the time or the place to talk about this.”

With a barely controlled calm, Roy stated, “It may not be, but I’ve got news for you, we’re going to talk about it right now. If you want to do it here, then that’s fine. Otherwise, I’ll be happy to go somewhere more private.”

Mary Lynne looked around; a few people were still staring at them. “All right, then. Let’s go out on the patio.”

“Fine.” Roy grabbed his cane, and together they walked out the doorway and around the building to a quiet patio area that had been built for patients to get some fresh air. Only a few people were out there, and none were in earshot of their conversation. They both took a seat in some chairs under a tree.

Roy looked at her, his blue eyes piercing as they bore into hers. “What gave you the idea that Johnny was having an affair with my wife?”

She licked her lips and swallowed. She paused, seeing the incredulous look on his face. Something about his demeanor made her start to question her information. Her large blue eyes looked into his, “Wasn’t he?” she asked tentatively.

Roy’s fist came down on the arm of his chair. Through gritted teeth he growled, “NO. HE WASN”T.”

A look of alarm came over her face. “But…I don’t understand,” she wasn’t sure how to proceed. In her defense, she said, “That’s not what I heard.”

Roy was barely able to control his anger. “Mary Lynne, I don’t care what you heard, it was wrong. John Gage was not and never did have an affair with my wife, or anyone else’s wife for that matter. Now I want to know where you heard this.”

She turned her head away, not sure what to make of it all. Her gut instinct told her however, that this man was telling her the truth. Looking back to meet his eyes, she responded, “I heard it from one of the nurses. She tends to gossip quite a lot. In fact, she’s always talking about Johnny for some reason. I don’t know why, she seems to have something against him. I’ve heard her say some awful things about him.

She did say, though, that she overheard you tell Dixie McCall one day that you had caught John in a hotel room with your wife. She also said…that…you were the one who beat John up that day. She overheard the whole thing, and she told everybody.”

Roy took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and rubbed his forehead. Looking back at Mary Lynne he remembered what he thought was private conversation with Dixie McCall that day in the doctor’s lounge, and said, “She didn’t hear the whole thing. She couldn’t have; because if she had, then she would have heard me say that I had made a terrible mistake when I accused Johnny of having an affair with my wife. Yes, he was in a hotel room with Joanne, because they were planning a surprise birthday party for me.” He sighed, then decided he would have to tell her the whole messy story.

When he finished, Mary Lynne sat quietly looking out into space, seemingly in disbelief. She finally looked at Roy, and knew he was telling her the truth. “What a fool I was, to believe some stupid gossip,” she shook her head.

 “Yeah, that makes two of us.”

Mary Lynne put her hand to her mouth and looked up into the sky. “Oh, what I said to him.”

“Wh-what did you say?”
            She looked down. “He called me one night, when he got home from the hospital. He wondered why I hadn’t been to see him. I told him I didn’t want to see him any more. He…he asked me why; if it was something he had done, and I said….I said, ‘no, you were just being yourself’, and hung up on him. Oh, God, I feel so terrible.”

“Believe me, I know how you feel.”

She turned to him. “But the two of you have remained friends.”

Roy nodded. “Yeah. I’m lucky. Johnny’s got a big heart; and I did a lot of apologizing. Still, I don’t think things will ever be quite the same between us. I think our friendship has a permanent stain on it. I’m hoping with time it will fade.”

Mary Lynne nodded. “Maybe it will,” she offered.

Roy looked down at the ground, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands dangling. “The problem is, I may never have the chance to find out. Johnny’s found another job in another city, and after he recovers, he’ll be leaving.”

Her eyes opened wide. “Leaving! Why? Just because of this?”

“No. But that’s what started it.  Johnny happened to overhear one of those conversations your nurse had about him. Apparently she led him to believe that no one at Rampart or at the department has any respect for him any more. To quote him, he said something like, ‘They think I’m some sort of sleezy gigolo.  They think I’m incompetent – that I can’t be trusted, that I’m accident-prone and a danger to everyone I work with,’ something along those lines. He said he couldn’t live with that…and I can’t blame him, because if someone said that about me, I’d feel the same way.”

Mary Lynne looked somber and sat silently thinking. She turned to him. “I’m sorry for the things I said; I’m sorry for everything.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Roy, I’m going to speak to Miss McCall about this, and try to put a stop to this woman’s gossiping, before she destroys someone else’s life. And don’t worry, I’m going to straighten this mess out with the other nurses, and make sure they understand what they heard about Johnny was wrong.”

Roy smiled softly at her. “Thank you. I think that’s a good idea. But do me a favor and please don’t mention all the details of what happened between Johnny and myself on my birthday. Johnny didn’t want anyone to know about it, and Joanne and I promised to honor that request. Believe it or not, he was trying to protect me and my family.”

“I won’t reveal anything, Roy. Do you think…he’d accept my apology?”

“I can’t answer that, Mary Lynne, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

It was 7:00, and Mary Lynne had just finished her final session of the day. There was one last thing she had to do before she left today, and she purposely made her way toward a certain patient’s room.

She knocked softly on the door, and when there was no answer, she pushed the door open slowly. This was the first time she had seen him since he’d been admitted, and his eyes were closed, asleep. Silently she walked to the bed, and she stared down at this man that she had misjudged so badly. This man whom she had been intimate with, before she’d even gotten to know him well. Regret washed over her as she took in all the white plaster, the traction, and the bruises that had mostly faded to a dull yellow. He had lost weight, she could tell; he looked frail, and her heart ached for him.

She thought he was waking up when she saw his feet move slightly under the covers, and leaning toward him, called his name softly.

His body suddenly jerked, and a soft cry escaped from his throat, then his eyes opened. He looked up at her, confused, blinking a few times. Clearing his throat, he tried to speak, and she picked up the cup of water and held the straw to his mouth.

After a few swallows he said, “Whad’re you doin’ here?”

Her face wore a shamed expression, and with sad eyes she said, “I came because…I owe you an apology.”

He just stared at her a moment, then said, “For whad?”

She sighed, looking down. “Where do I start? I’m sorry for the way I broke things off with you, without even giving you a reason or letting you defend yourself. I’m sorry for listening to gossip and assuming it was true, while never bothering to ask you if it was true or not. I misjudged you – twice, never giving you the benefit of the doubt. I never even took the time to get to know you before I made assumptions about you. I relied on other people’s judgment instead of my own.” Her big blue doe-eyes raised and met his, and she continued,  “I’m sorry I’ve lost out on a relationship with a wonderful man because of my stupidity. Most of all, I’m sorry that I contributed to the damage to your reputation that has hurt you so deeply. I promise you I’m going to try to rectify that situation.”

Johnny was so taken aback that he didn’t know what to say except, “Thank you.”

She nodded.

He looked into her eyes, wondering, “How did you find out you were wrong?”

“I talked to Roy.”

He didn’t say anything, but took a deep breath and blew it out. He seemed to be lost in thought as he stared out into the room.

“Johnny?”

He looked back at her. “Yeah?”

“I hope…we can still be friends?”

It took him a long time to answer. There was a sadness to his eyes as he responded, “Mary Lynne, in order for me to be friends wid someone, I’ve god to be able to trus’ them, and dey’ve god to trus’ me. Widout dat, whad’s the poin’?”

She looked down. “I understand. But you and Roy have made amends.”

“Roy and I…we’ve god a long history togeder. Before any of dis happened, dere wasn’t anyone I trusted more dan Roy. He’s tryin’ hard to make up for whad he did, and I’ve accepted his apologies. I’m nod gonna let one discrepancy destroy our five year friendship. Id’s…id’s too impordant.”

“Maybe, maybe someday you can forgive me.”

“I do forgive you, Mary Lynne. I’m jus’ nod sure aboud the friendship righd now.”

Mary Lynn felt tears building up in her eyes, and decided it was time to leave. “Johnny?”

“Yeah?”

“I am sorry.”

The corner of his mouth turned up ever so slightly and he nodded. “I know. Thank you…for telling me.”

With one last look back, she slipped out the door.

The next day was the one Johnny had been looking forward to for six weeks. He awoke early that morning, with nervous anticipation about the surgery he was to have that day. This was the day that they would be removing the screws and wires from his jaw, and at the same time, they were going to cut off all the casts. When he awoke, he would be free of the traction and all the plaster, and for the first time in his life, he was actually looking forward to the trip to the operating room.

At 7:00 a.m, a nurse arrived and explained that she was going to give him something to relax him before the surgery. A new IV was established, and she delivered the calming medication through the IV. Almost immediately, he became drowsy and his eyes slid shut.

The sound of the door opening caused his eyes to flutter open, and he was surprised to see Roy enter his room. Roy was smiling at him and said, “Well, today’s the big day, eh?” He pulled up a chair and sat down.

Johnny grinned at his friend. “Man, I wish dey’d hurry up and come ged me. I can’d wait to ged oudda dis straighd jacked.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say you were anxious for surgery,” Roy laughed.

Johnny snorted, “Id’s old had by now. I’ve been in dee operading room so ofden dey’re gonna stard leddin’ me do da surgeries.”

Roy laughed. “Well, I have to admit I admire how you’ve kept your sanity through all this. Even the nurses have remarked what a model patient you’ve been.”

“Roy, you’re full ‘a shid. Dese nurses can’d waid to ged rid ‘o me. Takin’ care ‘a me’s been like takin’ care of a hundred an sixdy pound baby.  And I’m gonna answer deir prayers in jus’ a few more days when dey led me oudda here.”

Roy wasn’t sure how to answer that comment, except to chuckle, and figure that Johnny’s demeanor was a bit drunken-like at the moment, since he’d been given a relaxing drug.

            A moment later, the door popped open and two orderlies pushed a gurney into the room. Two nurses who helped disconnect Johnny from the traction accompanied them. Johnny hissed as they moved his arm out of the traction, then groaned as he was lifted out of bed and onto the gurney, the sudden changes in position being very uncomfortable. They inserted pillows under his arms to prop them up, resting them on his belly.

            Roy walked up near the gurney as they prepared to wheel him from the room. “I’ll stop by and see you later when you’re awake.”

            “Okay,” Johnny said, floating, “have a good day.”

            Roy chuckled softly. “You too. I’ve got a feeling my day’s gonna be better than yours.” He watched as they wheeled Johnny out of the room and down the hall toward the elevator.

            Now able to drive, Roy returned to Rampart four hours later. He was disappointed that Johnny hadn’t returned to his room yet, but was not surprised. He knew they never started surgical procedures on time, and figured they probably got a late start.

            After visiting with different members of Rampart’s staff for the next hour and a half, he began to get impatient to know how John was doing. He headed down to the one person whom he knew would find the answers for him, Dixie McCall.  She was more than happy to oblige Roy by checking on Johnny’s status.

            Roy listened in to her conversation as she spoke with the doctors. Her “uh, huh’s, okays”, and “all right, thanks a lot” comments told Roy nothing, and he looked at her anxiously as she hung up the phone.

            Roy visibly relaxed at Dixie’s, “He’s fine, Roy,” and then asked when he could see him. Dixie’s reply was a bit disheartening, but again, not surprising.

            She sighed. “He’s in recovery, Roy. He’s sick. Been vomiting since he woke up. They think they’ve just about got it under control now. He should be back up in his room in about a half hour.”

            “Is it the anesthesia again?”

            “Yep. Poor Johnny just doesn’t react to it too well. Probably not doing his jaw any good.”

            Roy sighed. “No, I imagine not. Dix, I’m gonna head on up. I’ll see you later, okay?” He waved and started down the hall.

            She waved back. “See you Roy.”

            Roy was sitting in the chair in Johnny’s room when they wheeled him back in. It was now 2:30 in the afternoon. Johnny’s eyes were closed and he looked like he’d been through a lot. He groaned again when they moved him onto the bed, arranged the pillows around his now bare arms, and raised the bed up slightly. They maneuvered the IV pole around the tray table, and then left.

            Roy had been so used to seeing Johnny with all the plaster wrapped around his arms that he looked small without it. His hair was matted and tangled and he was breathing deeply through his mouth. He licked his lips for the first time in six weeks, and swallowed. Roy got up and stood by the bed.

            “Hey, Johnny,” he said softly.

            Johnny opened his eyes half-way and moved them lazily to focus on Roy’s face.

            “How’re you feelin’?”

            He licked his lips again and answered, “Lighter.” His eyes slid closed.

            Johnny slept on and off the rest of that day and through the night, his stomach finally having settled by evening. The sun shone brightly into his room the next morning, awakening him, and for the first time in weeks, he was actually able to move around in bed enough to get comfortable. Though his stomach was still a bit queasy, it was also empty, and he looked forward to being able to eat a real breakfast, instead of drinking it.

            Experimentally, he opened and closed his mouth, making sure his jaw worked properly. He concluded that the doctor had done a good job putting him back together again, and sighed in anticipation of his first real meal in six weeks, the aroma of which he could now smell wafting into his room.

            Finally, someone brought his breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, milk and coffee. Anxiously he reached for the bed control, elated that he would now be able to control the incline of his mattress by himself. He was a little dismayed to find that his wrist, arm and fingers twinged with pain the moment he tried to use them, and he found it difficult to grasp hold of the bed control. It was even more difficult for him to manipulate the control; his fingers just didn’t seem to want to do what his brain was telling them.

            Having raised the bed enough to eat, he picked up his fork to sample his first bite of eggs. The utensil slipped from his grasp a second after he picked it up and clattered to the floor.

            “Aw, shit,” he cursed. He didn’t feel like climbing out of bed now that he had everything arranged, so he used his spoon. Slowly and painstakingly, he managed to scoop the slippery yellow mass into his mouth, savoring every bite. Chewing was painful, even with the soft eggs, so he had to go slow. His next effort was met with disaster when he attempted to pick up his coffee cup, and finding that he couldn’t hold onto it, dropped it onto the tray, spilling it. This caused another expletive to erupt from his mouth, and he tried to mop up what he could with the miniscule napkin they had supplied him. After a while, he finally became so frustrated with trying to consume his breakfast, that he gave up on it, and pushed the tray out of the way. Just that little bit of activity was exhausting, and he relaxed back against his pillow and lowered his bed back down.

            A little while later, the call of nature beckoned him, and he decided he would get up and head for the bathroom by himself. He was so glad the nurses didn’t have to help him with that task anymore, and raised his bed back up.

            He pushed the covers back, and shakily raised himself up into a sitting position while swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He couldn’t believe how much effort it took just to push himself into a vertical position. That action caused little white spots to dance in front of his eyes, and he felt himself falling sideways. Instinct caused him to flail his arms out to steady himself, and the feeling passed after a moment and a deep breath. Easy, he told himself. I can do this. He remained motionless until he decided that the dizziness had passed, then, taking another deep breath, eased his feet to the floor.

            The moment he felt the weight of his body upon his weak legs, the room started spinning and his vision was lost among a sea of white and grey dots. He realized with panic that he was passing out, then felt his knees buckle. He never felt the cold hard floor when he hit it.

            The next thing he knew, he heard voices and was aware of a cold wet cloth on his forehead, and a BP cuff around his arm. The room still felt like it was spinning.

            “He’s coming around,” odd, it sounded like Roy’s voice.

            “What’s his blood pressure now?” The voices sounded like they were in a tunnel.

            “90 over 60; coming up a bit.”

            “Let’s get his legs elevated.”

            Johnny felt someone lifting his legs, then felt a pillow being pushed under them. He could tell he was in bed. He opened his eyes to two faces hovering over him, Roy, and the day nurse.

            “Welcome back,” Roy said.

            Johnny put his hand to his forehead. He looked from one to the other, then knew what had happened. “Oh, man,” he rolled his eyes, “tell me I didn’t pass out.”

            “You passed out,” Roy stated.

            Totally embarrassed, he muttered, “I don’t believe this.” He laid his arm over his forehead.

            “John, can you tell me what happened? A doctor’s on his way,” the nurse said.

            “I just got up to go to the bathroom. As soon as my feet hit the floor, the lights went out.”

            Moments later, one of the resident doctors entered the room, and the nurse updated him on everything that happened. He examined Johnny’s head, and John winced when he palpitated a lump on the side of his head.

            “Got a little bump there; doesn’t look too serious,” the young doctor said. “We’ll do an x-ray just to be safe, and I’ll be doing some other neurological tests.”

            “Oh, man,” Johnny moaned. “Is all that really necessary, doc? I feel fine, now. I just got a little light-headed is all.”

            “That’ll teach you to get out of bed by yourself after six weeks in traction. Didn’t they tell you to call for a nurse if you needed to get up?”

            “Yeah, but I just thought…I just wanted to get up and go to the bathroom for once by myself.”

            “Not happenin’, John. Not yet, at least. You’ve got to remember, you haven’t stood up for six weeks. You’ve barely moved any part of your body for six weeks. Even though you’ve had some physical therapy on the lower part of your body, your legs just aren’t strong enough to hold you up yet. Now, it won’t be long before that happens, but you’re going to need some help initially. For now, either call a nurse, or use this,” he reached for a urinal sitting on the table beside the bed and laid it in Johnny’s lap.

            Johnny grumbled something inaudibly and muttered, “Okay.”

            The doctor took out his pen-light and began examining Johnny’s pupil reactions. He then completed the standard list of neurological tests and told Johnny that everything checked out fine. “Someone will be up this morning to take you to x-ray. The good news is, that if everything looks good on the x-ray, you’ll be able to get out of here in a day or two.”

            Johnny brightened and he smiled. “Really? Wow, that’s great! Man, I can’t wait to leave this place!”

            The nurse in the room tried to restrain her smile.

            “Dr. Early tells me you’ll be going to our rehab center for a week or two, depending on how you do.”

            Johnny’s smile faded. “Oh, yeah. The rehab center.”

            “They’ll have you up and walking by then, all right?”

            “Okay, doc.”

            The young doctor left the room with the nurse.

            Johnny sighed. The mention of the rehab center reminded Johnny that he had no place to go when he left the hospital. Oh, well, he’d have to make some phone calls when he got there; he thought maybe he could contact his old landlady and see if she had one of her apartments open. He hoped she’d have something available and knew she’d probably allow him to rent month by month until he figured out what he was going to do, and where he would go. Still, the thought of no real home to go home to was depressing.

            Roy observed Johnny; his color was improving. “So, how’re you feeling now?”
            Johnny rubbed the tender spot on his head. “Okay, I’m fine. What’re you doing here so early, anyway?”

            “I dropped Joanne off at work this morning. The station wagon was dead; I think it needs a new battery. I just thought I’d stop by for a quick visit on my way in to the auto parts store. I was a little surprised to find you out cold on the floor when I came in.”

            Johnny shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m this weak. When I tried to stand up, man, it was like my legs were rubber.”

            Roy patted his shoulder. “It’ll get better. Listen, I’ll pack a bag up with your clothes and stuff that you can take to the rehab center if you want.”

            “Okay,” he said gloomily, “thanks, Roy.”

            “No problem. Well, I gotta get going.” Roy moved toward the door. “You be careful, now.”

            “I will. See ya.”

            Roy left with a small wave.

            Two days later Johnny got dressed and signed out of the hospital. Roy pushed him in the wheelchair until they got to the glass doors that would take him outside. When they reached the doors, Roy helped Johnny up out of the chair and they walked outside together.

            It was a beautiful sunny day and Johnny closed his eyes for a moment, lifting his face up to the sun, relishing in its warmth and breathing in the cool morning air. Free. He finally felt free.

            The rehab center was just across the street from Rampart, so they walked. Johnny was still rather unsteady on his feet and therefore walked very slowly. A couple of times Roy reached for his elbow to steady him. By the time they made it inside, Johnny was out of breath, and collapsed into one of the chairs in the lobby. Roy got him checked in, then carried his suitcase to his room.

            The private room was small, but comfortable. It was a very nice facility with plush furniture in the TV room and reading room. In addition, there was a small library, cafeteria, weight and exercise room, and beautifully landscaped patio and grounds.

            Two weeks went by quickly, and Johnny worked hard at his therapy. The sessions were always painful, and he found himself easily exhausted. He spent most every afternoon napping for at least a few hours. Each day brought added strength, but he soon realized that he had a long way to go. Even after two weeks, he found he still was having trouble with the fine motor coordination of his hands, and was unable to obtain a full mobilization of his right arm. It was frustrating to say the least, and at times he felt depressed. The thought of not being able to work again was scary, but he wouldn’t allow those thoughts to remain in his mind. He was determined to get better.

            Roy visited him often, and Johnny also received calls from friends and co-workers. A couple of days before he was to leave, Captain Stanley paid him a visit.

            They chatted outside at one of the patio tables for quite a while over a cup of coffee. Now that John could eat normal food, Hank noticed he had gained a little weight back. Still, the toll from his ordeal was evident by the lines of fatigue visible in his face.

Johnny was glad to have the Cap to talk to; at last he could unload some of his frustrations on someone who was willing to lend an ear. Not that Roy wouldn’t have been willing. It’s just that he’d always felt that he had to keep up a cheerful front for Roy, to keep Roy from sinking back down into full guilt mode.

Until now, Hank was unaware of the possibility that Johnny might not be able to return to work. He could see the anxiety in John’s eyes as he relayed his uncertainties about his recovery. Johnny explained his concerns about the lack of mobility in his hands and arm, and even revealed a little of his closely guarded fear that he may not be able to continue in this career. John chose not to mention the fact that if he did recover fully, that he had plans to leave LA and start over elsewhere. The fact that his rehabilitation was going to take anywhere from one to many months, convinced him to hold off. Maybe he was being unfair, but he just couldn’t bring himself to cut off one of his options when his future was so uncertain. Captain Kirk had said that he would have a job waiting for him, but he felt more comfortable waiting to see if the man would keep his word later when Johnny called.

Hank tried to be as comforting and upbeat as possible, trying to be more of a friend today than a boss. His father-like warmth had a positive and calming effect on the paramedic, and Johnny felt pangs of regret when he thought of leaving this captain and this crew. Hank convinced Johnny that he had no doubt that he would fully recover, but even if he couldn’t go on being a firefighter or paramedic, he was certain that John would go on to greater things.

Shortly before the end of their visit, Captain Stanley mentioned an upcoming special event that he wanted Johnny to attend. Every year the department had an awards dinner to honor a small group of firefighters for outstanding acts of bravery. Each would receive the Silver Star medal in a special ceremony, followed by an elaborate dinner. Hank made it clear that he wanted Johnny there, and that he was to wear his dress uniform. John could tell by his captain’s demeanor that it wasn’t something he should argue about, though he had no desire to attend. When Johnny inquired as to why it was so important for him to be present, Hank gave a small smile and informed him that there may be some close friends of Johnny’s receiving the award, and that he shouldn’t miss it. With that information, Johnny smiled a knowing smile, suspecting that maybe someone from his shift would be receiving an award. He figured it was probably Roy, and that’s why the Cap felt it was so important for him to be there. Well, if that was the case, then John didn’t want to miss seeing his best friend receive this honor. If anyone deserved it, it was Roy.

After he left the rehab center, Roy convinced Johnny to stay at his home with him until his recovery was complete. While Johnny voiced some opposition, he didn’t argue too much, knowing it was either the DeSoto home or a hotel. His former landlady regretfully said her building was full, and Johnny wasn’t able to drive around and find anything else at the moment.

It felt good to be in a family environment, and Roy’s kids were ecstatic that their Uncle Johnny would be staying with them. Both ran to greet him upon his arrival to their home; Chris wrapping his arms around the man’s waist in a hug, and Jenny ran full speed to jump into his arms. Roy cringed as Johnny reached for the little girl so that he could lift her into his arms and swing her around, only as soon as his arms bore the weight of her, his face contorted in a grimace and she slipped from his grasp and almost fell. Embarrassed that he was so weak that he could barely hold onto a fifty-pound child, he quickly steadied Jenny to keep her from falling, and apologized.

Roy scolded the girl for jumping into her Uncle’s arms right after he’d been released from the hospital, and told her that Johnny wasn’t allowed to be picking up such heavy things until his arms were all healed. She felt so badly it brought tears to her eyes, but Johnny promised her that he’d be twirling her around even faster and higher than ever before, before she knew it.

Despite the fact that she was still working, Joanne still managed to cook a nice dinner every night, and fixed all of Johnny’s favorites. By the end of the week, he had gained some weight and was starting to look like his old self. He still spent a lot of time sleeping, and was still taking pain medication, but at least he was becoming less and less dependent on it.

The night came for the awards ceremony, and John and Roy were bedecked in their dress uniforms and ready to go. Both men looked quite dashing in their dark blues and white hats; Johnny even got his hair cut that week so that he would look more presentable. It had grown quite long and shaggy during his hospital stay. Joanne looked lovely in the royal blue dress she wore, a simple strand of pearls hung at her neck. Together they drove to the ceremony, which was being held at a local hotel.

Captain Stanley awaited them as they walked into the hotel, and escorted them into the meeting room where the awards ceremony would take place. The room was full of people sitting in rows of chairs waiting for it to start. Johnny saw many people he knew, mostly other firefighters and their wives, but also Dr. Brackett, Dr. Early, Dixie McCall, and quite a few others from Rampart’s staff. He was also surprised to see several of Rampart’s nurses, and even a couple of whom he’d dated. Dixie waved as he and Roy passed by. Johnny looked around for enough seats that would be together for them all to sit together, and was surprised when the Cap led them to one of the front rows where the entire crew from station 51 were already seated.  Four empty seats remained for them.

Johnny suspected he knew why they were sitting up front, and smiled to himself as he thought about Roy receiving his award. He was sure it was why Joanne looked so beautiful tonight, to be there to bask in her husband’s limelight. He sat lost in thought trying to think about which rescue it might be that Roy was receiving the award for. He could think of many times that Roy exhibited bravery, but no single episode stood out in his mind. He thought of the time they rescued a little girl in a wheelchair from a fire, and thought that might be it, only he himself had helped with the rescue. Oh well, he thought, we’ve been on so many runs, I’m sure I’ve just forgotten which one it was. Maybe it was sometime when I was in the hospital or out on sick leave. Heck, I’ve practically spent the last third of the whole year out on the disabled list. No wonder everyone thinks I’m careless; no one else has had this much time out for injuries, except me.

The lights in the room dimmed slightly, and the volume from the many conversations in the room quieted. Bright lights illuminated Battalion Chief Andrew Wilson as he walked across the wide stage that held a podium and microphone. The audience clapped as he took his place behind the podium and shuffled his notes.

Smiling, he cleared his throat and when the applause toned down, he began speaking.

 “We’re here tonight to pay tribute to ten men, firefighters who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in order to save the lives of other human beings. Each of these extraordinary men has displayed outstanding courage and bravery, without regard for their own personal safety in order to carry out their jobs. Each and every one of us here knows that firefighting is a hard and dangerous job, but – not a thankless one. Tonight, it is my privilege and honor to present the Silver Star Award to ten exceptional men who have given selflessly of themselves in the line of duty. So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I will read their names.”

“Our first recipient is a firefighter who has been with the department for nine years…..” The chief continued by describing an incident that happened several months before regarding a water rescue where a particular firefighter put his life on the line to save someone from drowning. After telling the story, he announced the name of the recipient, who then stepped out of the audience to claim his medal, followed by roaring applause. The chief pinned the medal to the man’s chest, shook his hand, then gestured to another man who had come out onto the stage. This was the man the firefighter had rescued. With great surprise at seeing his victim there to congratulate him, he also shook the man’s hand, then stepped down and returned to his seat in the audience to more applause.

Five more recipients took the stage in much the same manner, after having their stories told, and received their awards. There were only four left. Johnny sneaked a glance over at Roy, who seemed a bit nervous. Roy caught his look and returned his glance, a small smile playing at his lips. Johnny couldn’t help but smile. Man! Look at Roy! He’s as nervous as a turkey at Thanksgiving! I wonder if he knows? He stole a glance at Joanne, who was already looking at him, smiling. She looked just like the cat that ate the canary. She knows! Man, I knew it! I wonder if Roy’ll be next? Damn! I wish I had my camera!

Two more names were read, leaving two left. Johnny was getting anxious. They hadn’t read Roy’s name yet. Could he have been wrong? He was sure the Cap meant that someone from their station was receiving the award. Why else would he have wanted him there so badly? Maybe it isn’t Roy. Could it be Chet? Or Marco? What about Mike? Nah, it wouldn’t be Mike, he doesn’t do rescues. No, it has to be Roy. Maybe they’re saving the best for last. He turned his attention back to the Chief, waiting with baited breath for the last two names. The applause once again died down, and the Chief began making his second to last announcement.

“Our ninth recipient is another firefighter paramedic.”

Johnny sat up straighter, getting excited. This was it. It had to be Roy.

“He’s been with the department for nine years, and a paramedic for five; he is one of LA’s finest original paramedics, starting his training even before the law was passed allowing paramedics to practice.”

This is it. This is it. Johnny stole another glance at Roy. Roy was looking at him expectantly, an odd smile upon his face. They both looked back up to the stage.

“Up until now every one of our recipients earned their award for outstanding rescues done while on duty. This man, however, extended his help during a time when he was off duty, in fact, he was recuperating from an injury in the hospital at the time.”

Huh? Now Johnny was confused, his brow furrowed. In the hospital? When was Roy in the hospital doing a rescue? He thought a moment, discounting the nagging suspicion in his mind. Nah, can’t be. Must be someone else. Roy must be last. Darn.

The Chief continued. “I’m sure all of you remember a few months back when there was a serious fire on the fourth floor of Rampart General Hospital. This firefighter/paramedic happened to BE on that fourth floor at the time of the fire. He was in his hospital room, recovering from surgery. In the room across the hall from that man, a radiator caught fire and began to spread.”

Suddenly Johnny’s mouth fell open and he stared at the Chief. This story was sounding very familiar. It couldn’t be, he told himself. He listened on, his mouth going dry.

“Two women were bedridden in that room, and had it not been for our next recipient, they surely would have perished. This brave man disconnected himself from his own IV and managed to carry both women out of the room before it was engulfed in flames. After getting them to safety, he alerted Rampart’s staff of the fire, initiating a swift plan of evacuation. The story doesn’t end there. No, instead of leaving the building to ensure his own survival, our man retreated back toward the fire, having heard another patient’s cry for help. With the eventual assistance of a doctor, this paramedic pushed the patient’s bed through the door to safety. Ladies and gentlemen, this act of bravery caused serious injury to this firefighter, nearly causing his death. However, I am very glad to say that he did indeed survive, and is sitting amongst us tonight.” The Chief looked directly at Johnny.

Johnny sat frozen in his seat, gripping the armrests. His brows were slightly furrowed, his brown eyes wide, and his mouth hung partially open. He knew who the next recipient was now, and he was stunned.

The Chief continued, smiling. “I think all of you know who our next recipient is now, so would John Roderick Gage please step out of the audience to receive your award?”

The audience exploded in applause. Johnny sat in his seat looking like a deer caught in headlights. He felt someone pounding on his back and he slowly turned. Roy had a huge grin on his face, and the rest of his crew was clapping wildly. Roy had to prod him to get out of his seat, and when he finally stood up, the applause grew louder.

Johnny slowly walked to the stage and climbed the steps in a daze. This was unbelievable! To think that he, Johnny Gage, was receiving the Silver Star award was unthinkable. He looked out at the audience. They were clapping, all for him. At that moment, his heart swelled with pride and happiness as he made his way to the stage to be congratulated by the Chief.

The Chief grasped his hand in a solid handshake, and said, “Congratulations, Gage,” while pinning the award to the chest of his dress uniform.

Johnny’s voice caught in his throat as he answered, “Thank you.”

The Chief gestured to three people behind him and said, “Mr. Gage, there are three people here tonight that are safe and sound because of your actions that would like to thank you.”

Johnny turned and there were Millie Teal, Barbara King, and Tom Williams, smiling at him. All three approached him; the two women offered hugs, while the man extended his hand in a warm shake. All three thanked him profusely; Johnny was nearly speechless. All he could utter was, “You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re all okay.”

He then turned to exit the stage, feeling like he was floating down the steps as he made his way to his seat. All his comrades leaned toward him, shaking his hand, patting his back, congratulating him. Roy offered his own hand saying, “I’m proud of you, partner. Congratulations.”

Johnny grinned a crooked smile at his partner, a look of disbelief still on his face. He nodded back at Roy. “Thanks, partner.”

The applause died down again, and everyone turned their attention back to the Chief, not wanting to diminish the importance of the award for the last recipient. The Chief looked down at Roy in the front row, and gestured to him. Roy stood up, and made his way to the stage. Johnny was surprised to see his partner go up on stage, and watched, a confused expression on his face. He looked over at Joanne, who merely smiled at him, as if she knew exactly what was happening. What’s going on? Roy’s got to be the last recipient. Why didn’t the Chief announce his name? The audience began to clap again as Roy took the stage.

The Chief vacated his place behind the podium and was replaced by Roy. Roy licked his lips, waiting for the clapping to end. Looking out into the audience, he began.

“I asked the Chief if I could be the one to present the last award. You see, the recipient is a very close friend of mine.”

Johnny watched, engrossed in what Roy was saying. He wondered what close friend Roy was talking about.

Roy went on. “I’ve known this man for a little over five years now, and I can tell you, I’ve never met anyone with a stronger character, or greater sense of decency. He’s saved the lives of many people, including mine, and I feel very lucky to be standing here tonight. Because if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be.”

Johnny started to get the picture now. It’s not Roy – it’s the Cap! Cap’s going to get the last award. Oh, this is great! Johnny glanced over at Hank Stanley, who was intent on what Roy was saying, and looked relaxed.

Roy began his story, speaking slowly. “A couple of months ago, we were called out to a routine rescue of a man in an old abandoned hotel. The call became not so routine when a bomb exploded in the building.” He paused, looking out over the audience. “I happened to be inside when it went off. The debris from the explosion blocked any exit I might have had, and I was trapped inside. The rest of the crew were all outside. My Captain called me on my handi-talkie and informed me…that another bomb was due to go off in that building in a matter of minutes. I knew at that time…” Roy’s voice broke slightly with emotion, “that I was gonna be history. All I could think about was my wife and kids, and the fact that I was never gonna see them again. I knew there was no time for a rescue.”

The audience was quiet as a tomb, caught up in the emotion of Roy’s words as he paused for a moment, then continued.

 “I was wrong. About two minutes later, someone with an ax chopped through the debris to get me out. I’ve never been happier to see anyone in my life, than I was when I saw my partner’s smiling face on the other side of that opening he made.” Roy was looking directly at Johnny’s astonished face now, and his eyes locked onto Johnny’s as he spoke his next words. “My partner, John Gage, pulled me out of there that day, and saved my life. He knew when he decided to climb those stairs to come after me that he would likely be killed. He took the risk anyway; the thought of leaving me in there to take my chances never occurred to him. But that’s the kind of man Johnny is – unselfish, loyal, and trustworthy, to name a few things. He got me out, but the second bomb detonated while we were trying to get away from the building. He was nearly killed. We both ended up in the hospital, but he remained critical for several days, having fallen nearly twenty feet to the ground. I can only thank God he recovered, but mostly I’d like to thank Johnny, for being my partner, for watching my back, and for putting up with me over the last five years.”

This drew some chuckles from most in the audience, except from Johnny, who sat in shock with his eyes glued to the man at the podium, eyes that were glistening with moisture.

“I’d like to present the tenth and last Silver Star Award to my best friend, and partner, Johnny Gage.”

The audience exploded in a thunderous applause, and again, Johnny felt hands on him, grabbing his arms, urging him to stand, patting his back. He couldn’t believe what was happening to him, he thought it had to be a dream that he would wake up from any second. He stood, then felt his body on its own accord obeying their commands to come up to the stage, and accept his award. His second award. Roy was waiting for him, smiling. He finally made it up onto the stage. The applause was deafening. He walked up to Roy, who was still smiling, and stopped in front of him. He couldn’t speak. Johnny was overwhelmed with emotion, and it showed on his face, a mixture of utter disbelief and gratitude, along with happiness and pride. Roy saw the tears Johnny was trying to hold back, and found it hard to hold his own in check. He had the medal in his hand. Without a word, he reached out and pinned the Silver Star on Johnny’s chest, right next to the first one. He looked Gage in the eye and said, “Congratulations, partner,” and held out his hand.

Johnny swallowed past the huge lump in his throat and took his partner’s hand to shake it. He finally smiled back at Roy and said, “Thanks, Pally, for everything.” They shook hands, then Roy pulled Johnny into a brief bear hug, then let him go. The crowd once again roared in applause, not only for Johnny, but for all the fine men who had received awards that night.

Roy and Johnny stepped off the stage and returned to their seats. Friends and co-workers reached out to him to shake his hand and pat his arm as he passed by. Most everyone who knew these partners had tears in their eyes, especially those few who knew what they had been through in the last several months. Joanne had tears running down her face and was dabbing them dry with her tissue.

The Chief made a final announcement that food and drinks would be served afterward in the next room, and gave a final thanks to everyone for coming. He then stepped off the podium and began making his way through the crowd to congratulate everyone.

Chaos then began. The room exploded in chatter and Johnny was surrounded by dozens of people wanting to praise him. Everyone had to see and touch the two medals he had received. Close friends and co-workers and even some that he didn’t know were grabbing his hand and pumping it in congratulations. All he could say to everyone was that he couldn’t believe it.  Over and over again, he voiced his disbelief.

He heard a familiar voice next to him say, “I’m not the least bit surprised. I always knew you were a hero, Johnny.”

He turned toward the voice and saw Dixie, beaming up at him. He looked down at her, a huge crooked grin filling his face, and took her in his arms and kissed her – on the cheek. “Thanks, Dix,” he whispered in her ear, and let her go after she hugged him back.

Dr. Brackett was next to Dixie and warmly shook Johnny’s hand as well. He studied the medals, touching them. “Very impressive, Johnny. We’re all very proud of you. But just remember,” he added with a twitch of a smile, “you were trained by the best.”

Johnny laughed and said, “You’re absolutely right, Doc. I couldn’t have done it without ya.”

Dr. Early was next. Shaking Johnny’s hand he said, “Congratulations, Johnny. Just do me a favor; someday when you’re rich and famous, remember us little people, okay?”

Johnny laughed and shook his head, “I’ll do that, Doc.”

Chet pushed his way in next to Johnny and putting his arm around his shoulder, shook his hand. With more sincerity than Johnny had ever heard from the Irishman, Chet said, “John, I never thought I’d say this, but well, you’re a hell of a rescue man. I’m proud to be working next to ya.”

Johnny was surprised and touched at Chet’s comment and smiled back at him. “Thanks, Chester. Coming from you that means a lot.”

“Yeah, well, just don’t let it go to your head, John. Otherwise, you’re just gonna make all of us miserable when you come back.” Everyone around them laughed at that comment.

Johnny was trying to think of a come-back when more people pushed their way over to him to offer congratulations. One of those people was Jeanette, the nurse he had once dated. She hugged him warmly and said, “Congratulations, Johnny. You really deserve it. I’ve always known what a good man you were, I’m just glad everyone else knows it now too. Good luck, Johnny.”

Johnny was touched by her words. He barely had a chance to verbalize his thanks when others swarmed around him. Chet spotted a pretty blond in the back of the room and left the crowd of people around Johnny to go introduce himself.

This went on for quite a while. Roy hung back, enjoying watching Johnny in his shining moment. Johnny was being very humble about the whole thing, graciously thanking everyone for their compliments. He almost seemed embarrassed, but after awhile he seemed to relax and accept everyone’s praise of him.

Finally, the crowd began to thin out. The entire crew of 51’s was still gathered around Johnny, and everyone was talking at once. Marco was laughing at the fact that when he saw Johnny’s reaction to the awards, he thought Johnny was going to faint. “Yeah, Johnny, your eyes got this kind of glazed look to them. I thought you were going to pass out right there on the spot.”     Talk turned to the rescues for which Johnny had received the awards. Johnny listened detachedly, the whole thing being quite overwhelming to him. He glanced away from the guys surrounding him for a second and happened to catch sight of a woman in the back of the room. She was sitting almost in the back row of seats, by herself except that Chet was seated next to her talking her ear off. He did a double-take, staring at her, when she turned slightly and her eyes met his. Johnny’s eyes widened in disbelief when he saw her smile at him, and as if in a trance, he said “Excuse me for a minute,” and squeezed between them all.

Slowly, he walked toward her, and when he was a few feet away, she stood up, smiling wider at him. Chet looked up at her, puzzled, wondering what was taking her away from the fascinating story he was telling her. “Uh, Julie, don’t you wanna hear what happened next?”

Chet’s words were lost on her as she came face to face with Johnny. Johnny let go of the breath he was holding and looked into her eyes. Totally bewildered, shaking his head, his mouth slowly curved into a crooked grin, his brown eyes reflecting the utter surprise and happiness that he was feeling in her presence.

Without a word, they embraced, relishing the feeling of the closeness of their bodies. When they parted a moment later, they looked into each others’ eyes, then, like magnets, their lips came together in a brief but emotional kiss.  

Chet was nonplussed as the two stood holding hands staring goo-goo eyed at each other, and irritated, he got up and walked back over to the guys. “Man, how do you like that? I was just making some headway in asking that chick for a date, and Gage just barges in and steals her!”

“Uh, Chet, it looks like they know each other already,” Marco commented. “Who is she, Roy?”

Roy was at a loss. He shook his head. “I have no idea; Johnny’s never mentioned her.” Meanwhile, he was trying to figure out how Johnny had met another woman and began dating someone else since Mary Lynne. He couldn’t fathom it; there hadn’t been any time for Johnny to meet another woman, he’d been in the hospital too much. Maybe it was someone he knew before. Roy didn’t think it was one of the nurses at Rampart; he would have recognized her.

Johnny and Julie were oblivious to the audience watching them. Johnny was just so amazed at seeing her that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She looked stunning in a simple all white scoop-neck dress and white sandals. A delicate silver chain with a locket at the end hung from her neck, and tiny dangling earrings adorned her ears. Her hair was pulled back into a French braid, wisps of her fine blond hair fell about her face.

He finally said, “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I know. I can’t quite believe it myself.”

“How did you know?”

“I saw Rocky at the slopes two days ago. He told me everything that happened. I am so sorry. I wish I could have been here for you. Are you all right?”

“I am now,” Johnny said smiling. “I tried to call you when I got out of the hospital, but your phone was disconnected.” Johnny remembered he had been so relieved to find Julie’s phone number still in his uniform’s pants pocket when he returned home, only to face the disappointment of not being able to contact her.

“Oh! That’s because I moved. My lease was up; I bought a condo! I tried to call you too when I found out, only your number was disconnected too.”

“Yeah, I sold my house.”
            “Really?” she was excited, for it likely meant that he would be coming to Boulder soon.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you all about it later. How did you know about all this?” he gestured with his hand.

“Well, when I found out about what happened to you, and I couldn’t reach you, I called the hospital here in LA to see if you were still there. They transferred me to someone, a Dixie? I believe her name was.” Johnny nodded. Good ole’ Dix!

“Anyway, after I introduced myself, she filled me in on everything, and told me what was going on tonight. She said the whole thing was going to be a surprise to you, and not to spill the beans.” Johnny shook his head. That Dixie. She knew all the time! “That was two nights ago. I decided to jump on a plane and come out to see you. I didn’t want to miss it. I….I hope you don’t mind, I mean, we’ve only spent one evening together.”

“Of course I don’t mind! I’m just so glad you’re here!” He turned and looked back at the guys, who were waiting for him before they went to the other room to eat. “C’mon, I want you to meet some friends of mine.” He took her hand and started leading her over to them, but then stopped, and turning toward her said, “None of the guys know about the job offer in Boulder. I never had a chance to tell anyone. Please don’t say anything about it yet, okay?”

She squeezed his hand. “No problem; we’ll just say we’re old friends.”

“Good deal.”

Johnny led her over to the guys and introduced her to everyone. Both were evasive when asked how and when they met. Soon, the remaining members of the crowd filtered out of the room and into the next room to eat and drink. A couple of hours later, the party died down and they all prepared to leave. When Johnny asked where Julie was staying, she told him that she didn’t actually have a place yet, but thought she would get something near the airport, since she had to leave the next day.

At that point, Roy and Joanne stepped in and insisted that she stay with them. Julie hesitated, but finally accepted the invitation with Johnny’s urging, knowing that if she stayed with the DeSoto’s, she would have a little more time to spend with Johnny.

Johnny was disappointed that she was only there for one day, but apparently that was all the time she had off at the moment. In a few weeks, she would be due more vacation time, when she reached her two-year mark at work. For the moment, they would have to be satisfied spending only a short time together.

Johnny rode in the back seat of the DeSoto’s station wagon with Julie, their fingers intertwined together the whole way. He felt like a teen-ager on a date in the back seat of his father’s car. They sneaked a kiss once when they were sure Roy and Joanne weren’t paying attention, although it wasn’t lost on either one of them.

Johnny was exhausted when they reached home. The evening had been long and exciting; Johnny hadn’t experienced this level of activity in a long time. Despite his fatigue, after Roy and Joanne went to change, he and Julie slipped away outside in the darkness of the DeSoto’s backyard to be alone for a while. Joanne and Roy busied themselves preparing a room for Julie, then got ready for bed. She would sleep in Jennifer’s room, while Johnny had been bedding down in Chris’s each night. Tonight the two DeSoto children would sleep on cots in their parents’ bedroom.

 It was a cool, but beautiful evening; stars sparkled in the sky as crickets sang. They each took a seat on the children’s swing set, side by side, and caught up on everything that had happened to each of them the past two months. Johnny unbuttoned the top few buttons on his uniform, and they both kicked their shoes off to wiggle their toes.

“You look so handsome in your uniform,” Julie murmured.

“You look beautiful in anything,” Johnny responded, placing the palm of his hand on the side of her face, and caressing her smooth skin with his thumb. He leaned forward then, and sliding his hand behind her head, pulled her mouth to his in a sensuous kiss, something he had been wanting to do all evening. They kissed in the moonlight for a long time, gently swaying together on their swings.

Pain awoke Johnny early that morning. It still plagued him most days, though it was starting to get better. At five a.m., he rose to take his medicine, hoping he would be able to return to sleep. The pain finally dulled an hour later, and he drifted off for another hour before the sunrise finally coaxed him out of bed.

Still drowsy from the painkiller, he plodded to the kitchen in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, deciding to make coffee. No one was up yet; it was Saturday morning and the DeSoto family was sleeping in.

He stepped out onto the deck with a steaming mug of coffee and parked himself in a wooden deck chair. He loved this time of day, when most of the rest of the world was still sleeping and all was silent. Even the traffic stayed quiet that morning since it was the weekend. The birds sang their songs and even the crickets were still chattering; they hadn’t gone to sleep yet. Dew glistened on the grass, and John saw some of the spring bulbs in Roy’s yard were starting to emerge.

The previous evening came to his mind. It felt like it had all been a dream, and now he had awoken and none of it had really happened. But he knew that wasn’t true. It had happened. Before he had gone to bed, he had held those medals in his hand for the longest time, touching them over and over to make sure they were real. He replayed in his mind the entire scene; receiving the first award, then the second, the Chief’s speech about him, then Roy’s. Roy’s speech. He couldn’t believe everything Roy had said about him, and he could tell that Roy’s comments had been genuine and heartfelt. Everyone had been genuine to him last night. Countless people from Rampart’s staff and from the department had lavished such praise and admiration upon him that he felt that his heart would burst.

Then, as if everything else were not enough, there had been one more surprise for him upon reaching Roy’s house. Joanne and Roy had handed Johnny a brightly colored package to open. After tearing the wrapping off and pulling back the tissue paper, he stared at what was in the box, stunned. Inside were two beautifully framed newspaper articles about him. The first was from the time he had rescued the people during his hospital stay when Rampart had caught fire. There was an older front-page fire department picture of him in his uniform smiling, and smaller pictures of the three people he had rescued below his. The headline read, ‘Courageous Firefighter Patient Risks Life to Save Hospital Patients’. A very complimentary article followed. The second one showed a newer photo of Johnny, with the headline, ‘Brave Firefighter Nearly Loses Life Saving Partner’. The article went on to tell the story about the rescue, and mentioned the fact that he was the same fireman who saved the people from the Rampart fire. Johnny was once again speechless, to say the least. He had never been aware of the articles because he had been so ill at the time they were published. Roy had saved copies of them intending to give them to his friend. The time had never seemed quite right, until now.

Johnny slowly shook his head, overwhelmed with by everything. It made him smile and feel warm inside right now thinking about it all.

He had been wrong. Totally wrong. He had been ready to leave, to throw everything away that he had built for himself here because of some stupid gossip, and because of a stupid mistake that Roy had made. Now he realized how everyone truly felt about him – Roy included. There was no disguising the emotions on their faces last night; they had been sincere. That knowledge offered him a great deal of comfort, and for the first time in months, he felt truly content.

The swish of the patio doors opening behind him drew him from his thoughts, and he turned to see who was up so early. Julie walked toward him, barefooted, dressed much the same way as he, carrying her own steaming mug of coffee. She pulled up a second chair, situated it right next to his, and sat down. He thought she looked absolutely beautiful in her t-shirt with her hair uncombed. Even with no make-up on, her face glowed. She bid him good morning, after which they exchanged several coffee-flavored kisses.

Roy walked into the kitchen to find Joanne cooking breakfast. He was still in his pajamas and he yawned as he reached for the coffee pot. He poured himself a mug, then slipped an arm around his wife and kissed her cheek. “Where is everybody?” he asked sleepily.

“The kids are watching cartoons and Johnny and Julie are outside.”

“Outside?”

Joanne pointed at the glass patio doors with her thumb. “Patio,” she said.

“Oh.” Roy looked outside and saw the two of them on the wooden lounge chairs, holding hands, drinking their coffee. Joanne walked over and stood next to Roy for a moment, ready to put plates on the kitchen table. Johnny leaned over and gave Julie a quick kiss, then resumed his conversation with her.

“Johnny’s in love with that girl,” Joanne said seriously.

Roy chuckled, looking at his wife. “What else is new?”

Joanne raised her eyebrows at her husband. “No, I really mean it. He is in love with her. I’ve never seen Johnny look at a woman the way he looks at her before.”

“Hm, maybe. But you know Johnny, next week he’ll be crazy about someone else.”

“I don’t think so.” She walked back into the kitchen and came out with silverware. “She’s a cute girl, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she’s cute.”

“I think they make a nice couple.”

“Yeah. You can’t wait to get him married off, can you?”  Roy said with a sly smile.

“Wellllll, we haven’t been to a good wedding for a long time. Besides, I would love to see Johnny married. I think he would be much happier.”

“Yeah, well, if that’s the case, don’t count on any weddings being here. If you’re right, and I’m not saying you are, then I would imagine the wedding would be in Boulder.” Roy stopped for a second, then a look of exasperation came over his face. “What am I talking about? Johnny’s only spent two evenings with this girl. It’s a little early to start talking about weddings!”

“Well, you just wait and see. I just have a feeling about it.”

Roy sighed, and looked back out the glass window at the two of them throroughly engrossed in one another. “I guess now I can understand why Johnny wants to move to Colorado. He probably thought he had nothing here, and everything there.”

“Oh, Roy. I don’t think Johnny feels that way. You two have made amends. I’m sure you’ll always be close friends. If Colorado is where Johnny will be happy, then that’s where he should go.”

Roy sighed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Joanne observed the somber expression on her husband’s face. She knew what he was thinking. She knew that if Johnny left that Roy would always hold himself responsible for being the cause of that move, and the break-up of their partnership. She knew how badly Roy would miss riding with Johnny. Though she didn’t voice it, she felt melancholy about Johnny leaving as well. Not only had she herself come to love the man like a brother, but she also relied on him. She had always been able to count on her husband’s best friend to watch over him at work and keep him safe. Who knows if Roy’s next partner would do the same? That worried her, for she had come to trust John Gage with her husband’s well being like no one else. It would be terribly hard to say good-bye.

Julie flew back to Colorado that afternoon. After breakfast, they had all gone to the beach for a few hours, a treat they didn’t have in Boulder. Roy and Johnny had driven Julie to the airport, and she and Johnny had said their good-byes.

Johnny was contemplative on the ride back from the airport, and they rode in silence a good part of the way. Finally Johnny spoke.

“Hey, Roy?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, sure, no problem. The airport’s not that far,” Roy waved it off.

Johnny looked over at Roy. “No, I don’t mean about the ride to the airport. I mean, about last night. I…I wanna thank you. Everything you said, well….it just…,” Johnny stopped, and turned away looking down, not being very good at putting his feelings into words at the moment, “it…it meant a lot…to me.”

Roy smiled a soft smile and nodded slightly. Looking out the windshield, he said, “Johnny, you deserved it. All of it. I meant every word I said. I wouldn’t be driving you to the airport right now if it weren’t for you.”

Johnny nodded back, was silent a moment, then said with a smile, “Well, Chet might have rushed up there and saved you, if I hadn’t.”

Roy laughed at that. “Good ‘ole Chester.” Quiet ensued for another minute, then Johnny spoke again.

 “You know, everything you said about me…could all be said about you too.”

Roy looked back at Johnny and locked eyes with him for a moment. Johnny could see the gratitude and emotion in his friend’s blue eyes. Almost in a whisper, Roy said, “Thanks.”

The conversation died and they rode on silently, enjoying the cool breeze rushing in through the open windows.

A little while later, “Hey, Roy?”

“Yeah?”
            “Since you’re goin’ back to work next week, I wondered if you were off next Friday?

Roy thought about his schedule a moment. “Yeah, I am. Why? You wanna go do something?”

“Ah, no. I was wonderin’ if you could bring me back to the airport.”

“What for?”

“I’m goin’ to Boulder next Friday.”

Roy’s head snapped around abruptly in surprise. He was unable to hide the sudden expression of dismay on his face. “Oh. Uh, so soon? I mean, don’t you have to finish your physical therapy before you go?”

Johnny caught Roy’s look of alarm and realized Roy thought he was going for good. “Oh, well, of course.  I’m only goin’ out for a couple of weeks. Julie invited me out to stay with her for awhile. She’s got weights and stuff that I can use while I’m there. Then I’ll be back to finish the physical therapy.”

“Oh,” Roy looked back at Johnny, trying to read the expression on his face, but Johnny’s expression was unreadable.  “Well, sure, I can take you. What time is the flight?”

“Same as Julie’s today. Two o’clock.”

“Okay. It shouldn’t be a problem.” Roy tried hard to keep the gloomy tone out of his voice. Well, I guess this is it, he thought to himself, Johnny’s probably going out there to finalize the job arrangements and find somewhere to live. Maybe Joanne was right.

Johnny saw Roy’s expression out of the corner of his eye and knew his friend was trying hard to cover his disappointment. Now he felt bad. He hadn’t meant to hurt Roy’s feelings by bringing up going to Colorado. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. I wish there was something I could say to make him understand how I feel. Hell, I don’t even know how I feel; how can I explain it to Roy? I’ve got so much to think about, so much to sort out, decisions to make. I still have a long way to go before I’m well. I wonder if I’ll ever be back to normal? All I know right now is that I gotta see that girl again.

The only thing Roy could think about after that was the fact that he would be starting work again the next week, and his partner wouldn’t be by his side. Not next week, not ever again. He knew he should be happy, and thankful that he was alive and able to return to work at all, but somehow, the thought of it only depressed him.

                                                * * * * * * * * * *

Two Fridays later, Roy parked the car and got Johnny’s bags out of the back. Roy started to pick up the larger suitcase, but Johnny stopped him. “I’ll get it, I need the practice,” he said, meaning he needed to start working on carrying heavier things to build up strength in his arms and gain some dexterity in his hands.  They made it to the ticket counter to check the bag, and Roy noticed that Johnny had to keep changing holding the bag from side to side. By the time they made it in line, Johnny seemed winded. Even nearly three months after the accident, Johnny still wasn’t close to being able to return to work, and Roy knew he was still having pain, by keeping track of how many pain pills disappeared from John’s prescription bottle every day, which he kept on the bathroom shelf at the DeSoto house.

Having checked his bag, Johnny turned to walk toward his gate. He looked happy.

“Have a good time,” Roy said sincerely.

“Thanks, Roy.”

“I’ll pick you up two weeks from Friday.”

“Good deal. Thanks again, Roy. I really appreciate it. See ya!” With a wave, he turned and walked toward his gate, ticket in hand.

Roy stared after him, thinking that he’d be doing this again sometime soon, only then he wouldn’t be coming back to pick Johnny up. With that depressing thought, he went the opposite direction of his friend, and headed toward the parking garage.

Johnny could scarcely believe he’d been with Julie for ten days. Soon, he would be going back to LA. They had done so much together already. Boulder was a beautiful town; the list of activities was endless. While Johnny would have loved to go skiing again, he wasn’t well enough yet to take that kind of stress on his body. There were, however, endless hiking trails and bicycle paths. Johnny and Julie took walks on the trails nearly every day, and one day when the snow melted down and the sun came out, they rented bicycles and took a ride. Boulder was a haven for sports activities.

They took several day trips. The second day Johnny was there, they drove to Estes Park and spent the day exploring and hiking around the town and discovering the beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park. Another day, they headed south and were awestruck by the Royal Gorge and bridge, the highest suspension bridge in the world. The long view down into the Arkansas River was mind-boggling. Johnny wanted to drive the car across the bridge, but Julie wasn’t game. The bridge was swaying a little too much that day for her taste, and driving a car across it made her nervous, despite the fact that others were doing it.

From there, they headed farther south to see the National Sand Dunes Monument. One of the most remarkable things Johnny had ever seen, its vastness and breathtaking beauty awed him. After packing some water bottles, the two ventured out into the mountainous dunes. The day was overcast, cool, and slightly windy, giving kind of a foreboding feeling to their hike, and the shadows that fell across the dunes cast mysterious shapes through the ripples in the sand. The size of the dunes was deceiving; from far away it appeared one could easily hike all the way to the top, yet once at the foot of them, the climb was daunting. It took an hour to walk a third of the way up, and Johnny had to stop and rest for awhile. He sat down in the soft sand at the top of a dune, Julie in front of him, reclined against him, and looked around. No one else was in sight, and he was surrounded by massive rippling hills of sand. Mountains loomed in front of them. He felt like he was on another planet. His arms closed around Julie, hugging her. He was filled with contentment.

Most evenings were spent at Julie’s condominium, usually in front of the fireplace playing games or cards. Julie loved games, and they played all sorts of them, Scrabble, Monopoly, Rummy, or Crazy Eights. One night Julie invited some friends in, and they all played Euchre ‘till midnight.

Some nights they went out to dinner, many others Julie cooked. She had taken a gourmet cooking class recently, and wanted to try out her culinary skills on Johnny, who was only too happy to sample her delicacies. They headed back up to again enjoy the five course meal the rustic Gold Hill Inn offered, enjoying the breathtaking view of the Denver city lights on the way down the mountain, and all the wildlife that ventured across their path. By the end of the first week, Johnny  had already gained eight pounds back, and was feeling much better too. He tried to do his exercises daily, and worked out with Julie’s weights while she did chores or errands. Julie had a Jacuzzi in her new condo, which Johnny found very therapeutic for his aching muscles. The damage that he had done to them was severe, and were taking a long time to heal.

Though the last several nights they had been sleeping together in Julie’s bed, they still hadn’t sealed their relationship with the ultimate act of intimacy. Not that they hadn’t been close. It was everything they could do to keep their hands off each other, but both seemed to want to wait until just the right time. Both knew instinctively that when it happened, it would be magical, and both wanted it to be special, not the meaningless ‘one night stand’ kind of sex.

The previous night had seemed to cement a bond between them. They hadn’t done anything special, just stayed at home cuddling by the fire and talking, watching the snow fall. But something had jelled, a feeling solidified between them that convinced Johnny it was time he showed her how much he cared for her, before he left.

The next day Julie had been forced to attend a meeting at work, a meeting that she couldn’t get out of. So while she was gone that afternoon, Johnny arranged a surprise for her when she returned. He took quite a bit of time getting things ready, and when she walked in the door at 6:00 that evening, the scene she witnessed caught her totally off guard.

Julie pulled her Jeep into the garage, and grabbing her purse, rushed to get inside. The snow was coming down heavily now, and she cursed the traffic, which caused her to get home much later than she had planned. The sky was a deep gray, the kind of gray that warned of heavy snow, and darkness was beginning to fall.

The house was almost dark when she entered, and she softly called Johnny’s name.

“In here,” he answered. His voice came from the living room.

 The sight she saw upon entering the room took her breath away. Johnny was standing in front of the fireplace with his arms folded loosely across his chest; a roaring fire was glowing behind him, almost creating a silhouette. He wore an old worn pair of Levis, which fitted him like a glove, and was barefooted. The long sleeves on his white oxford shirt were rolled up past his elbows, and the shirt was untucked and unbuttoned, exposing his smooth chest and naval. On the floor in front of the fireplace was a thick white comforter, taken from her room, with satin sheets pulled down like a bed, and pillows all around it. Two glasses of red wine were waiting on the hearth, and soft music was playing on her stereo. A plate of cheese, crackers, chocolates, and grapes were next to the glasses of wine. Candles were glowing all over the room.

He smiled softly at her when he saw her expression, and knew he had blown her away. She slowly walked toward him and whispered, “Oh my God, Johnny.”

“I hope that means you like the way I rearranged your living room.”

Still stunned and trying to get over this man, this most romantic man who had planned the most seductive evening she was ever about to experience, she murmured, “You should have been a decorator.” She stood before him and glided her hand down his silky chest, thinking she had never before seen a man look more utterly masculine than he did tonight. He bent to kiss her, but her hand moved to the center of his chest, stopping him.

She looked into his deep brown eyes. “Wait,” she almost whispered. “I’ll be right back.” She backed away from him with a sensuous smile, then left the room. A few minutes later she returned, and Johnny caught his breath as he took in the beautiful turquoise silk negligee she appeared in. Her hair was down and lay feathered around her smooth white shoulders, and she smelled faintly of orange blossom.

He picked up the two glasses of wine and handed her one. Gently, they clinked glasses and sipped their wine, their eyes locked upon each others’. Inspired by the love song playing softly on the stereo, he set their glasses down, and took her in his arms for a slow dance. They swayed gently to the music until the song was over, then he led her over to the bed he had made in front of the fireplace. He ran his hands down her arms, enjoying the feel of her soft skin, then lowered his lips to her shoulder. He whispered her name as his mouth moved up her neck and met her lips. Julie slid her fingers inside his shirt behind his shoulders, coaxing the garment off. Her hands once again moved down his chest, and he shuddered as they passed over his nipples. His hand slid to the inside of her thigh, causing her to moan, and their kisses became urgent as nearly two weeks of built up desire made itself known. Slowly they sank down onto the comforter, their passion escalating. She called out his name over and over that night, as each sensation brought her to the brink of an almost blinding ecstasy.

Later, they lay relaxed and content in each others arms, each caressing the other’s body. They slowly sipped their wine and began nibbling on the snacks from the cheese tray, sometimes one feeding the other, their fingers lingering on each other’s tongues. Just the act of eating stirred up a new wave of passion, and they set the food aside and began to make love again. They spent the night there on the floor in front of the fireplace, finally falling asleep after their third round of love-making.

Around five a.m. they moved to her bedroom and climbed under the covers. The fire had long gone out, and the floor became chilly. They finally crawled out of bed around ten o’clock. Both were delighted upon seeing the four new inches of fresh snow on the ground. It looked like a winter wonderland. The day was spent sledding and making snowmen. They even made two snow-forts, and later had a snowball fight. Johnny hadn’t had this much fun in years.

Their last night together was spent enjoying a quiet dinner that Julie had made, followed by an unforgettable and extremely sensuous game of strip poker. Johnny didn’t mind losing that game one bit, but insisted on playing more hands until she lost as well. The evening ended with a memorable candlelit soak in her Jacuzzi.

The next day, Johnny made one stop at station 15 to talk with Captain Kirk before he left. Then, Julie drove him to the Denver airport where they said their good-byes.

Johnny’s plane touched down at LAX at two-thirty the next day. He grabbed his carry-on bag and headed off the plane. The warm, balmy Los Angeles air washed over him like a breath of fresh air as soon as he stepped into the sky jack, and it felt good to be back in a more temperate climate.

Roy was waiting for him at the baggage claim, and they each smiled upon seeing one another.

“How was your trip?” Roy asked.

Johnny grinned at his friend. “Ah, Roy, it was incredible; absolutely incredible.”

“That’s great,” Roy said sincerely, and they walked over to find John’s bag.

Roy studied Johnny as he stood waiting for his bag to come off the carousel; he looked like a new man. His face and hands were sporting a slight tan, and he looked relaxed. It was obvious he had some gained weight on his trip. When his bag neared him, Johnny reached out and grabbed it without any trouble. Roy hadn’t seen him looking this good in a long time.

Soon they were out of the terminal and into Roy’s car. Roy drove them out of the parking garage and onto the main road, away from the airport.

Roy started the conversation. “Well, it looks like Colorado agreed with you. You look great.”

“Thanks, Roy. Julie agrees with me.”

“Yeah? Everything went okay?”

Johnny nodded thoughtfully. “It couldn’t have been more perfect.” He paused for a moment, then,  “Roy, I think I found the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Roy’s eyebrows shot up and he swiveled his head slowly in Johnny’s direction. He observed his friend a moment and said, “Really?” It was a weak response, but it was the first thing that came to his mind, since he was dumbstruck.  Roy knew he shouldn’t be surprised at Johnny’s comment, especially after remembering how Johnny had been with Valerie, but he was startled just the same.

“Roy, I’m gonna marry that girl.”

With that blockbuster statement, Roy nearly missed stopping at a light.

“Watch it!” Johnny warned, and Roy applied his brakes rather quickly, nearly running into the back of the car in front of him.

Roy turned to Johnny, and incredulous look on his face. “You’re getting married? After two weeks? Johnny, I thought you learned your lesson with – ”

Johnny held up a hand and interrupted him. “Now don’t go getting’ your feathers all ruffled up Roy. Yeah, I said I’m gonna marry her, but I haven’t asked her to marry me yet. I’m plannin’ on doin’ that in about a year or so. I’m not stupid, ya know. And yes, I learned my lesson with Valerie.” He took a breath and blew it out. “The way I figure it is if we’re gonna be spendin’ the rest of our lives together, then what’s one year? Just to be sure. Besides, I wanna have time to save up for a really nice ring, you know? I want to get her something big.” Johnny’s tone grew excited as he talked about it.

Roy smiled and relaxed then, glad that his partner had finally acquired some sense about relationships. He thought about what Johnny said, and after it sunk in, a bigger, toothy grin erupted on his face. He held out his hand to shake Johnny’s and said enthusiastically, “Johnny, that’s great. That’s absolutely great. I’m really happy for you. You deserve it.”

Johnny was beaming at his friend’s reaction. “Thanks, Roy.”

They continued on, and Johnny told Roy all about the things they did while he was there, well, everything except the private things. He was elaborately telling Roy about the sand dunes, when suddenly he saw a street he wanted Roy to turn on.

“Oh! Hey, Roy. Whoa, slow down and turn right here on Oxford.”

Roy instinctively hit the brakes and quickly made the turn, after which he realized was the wrong way, and he asked, “Wait a minute; why do you want to turn here? This isn’t one of your shortcuts, is it?”

Johnny smiled and said, “Nope, it’s not a short cut. Just keep goin’. There’s something I wanna show you.”

Johnny directed him down the road about a mile, then they made another right turn, then a left.

“Pull in here,” Johnny indicated a driveway that led to a business called Al’s Autos. It was a junkyard full of old cars.

“You wanna show me a junk car?”

Johnny got out of the Porsche and waved Roy out. “Just, c’mon, will ya? I got somethin’ to show ya.”

Reluctantly Roy exited his car and followed Johnny past a chain link fence and into a sprawling area of old rusted cars. A chained up dog barked at them as they entered. Johnny was looking around for something, and Roy heard him mumble to himself, “It should be right around here somewhere.” Johnny was scratching his head looking around, when he finally saw what he was looking for. “C’mon!” he grabbed Roy’s arm and coaxed him to follow.

Johnny had stopped in front of an old beat up antique fire truck. He put his hands on his hips and whistled, giving the old truck the once over. He turned to Roy, “Well, whaddya think?”

Roy looked at Johnny and then at the truck, thinking that Johnny must have some seeds loose in his gourd again. “What do I think about what?”

Johnny gave Roy a look of irritation and said, “The truck! What do you think? She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

Roy scratched his ear with his finger and shrugged. “Yeah, a beauty. So? You made me drive all the way over here just to see a junk fire truck?”

“Well, yeah.” Johnny sighed. “Look, I just thought you might be interested in it.”

“Interested in it for what?” Roy was clueless.

Johnny rolled his eyes, not believing that Roy wasn’t catching on. “Interested in buying it, Roy. Jeesh!”
            “What would I want with an old fire truck?”

“Not you, us.”

“You want us to buy an old fire engine?”

“Yeah!” Johnny smiled. “Actually, I put a deposit on it before I left.”

“Why would you do something like that?”

Now Johnny was exasperated. “Jeez, Roy, don’t be so dense! I thought we could buy it together and work on it together. You know, fix it up then sell it? Make money? Remember, Gage and DeSoto Restorations, Inc.?”

Roy looked at John like he was some sort of creature from outer space. “Don’t ya think it might be a little hard for you to work on this thing with me when you’re a thousand miles away?”

“Huh?”

“Johnny, how’re we gonna work on this together when I’m in LA and you’re in Boulder? Telepathy?”

“Oh!” Johnny suddenly realized he hadn’t shared his plans with Roy yet concerning his future. “Wellllll…I’m not moving to Boulder.”

Roy looked stunned. “You’re…you’re not?”

“No,” Johnny looked down at his feet, then up and away from Roy, his gaze settling on something far away. “I’ve…I’ve decided to stay in LA.  I…my life is here, Roy, my friends are here, my job, everything I’ve worked for….”

“Your job?” Roy asked softly, trying not to let his feelings of elation show.

John looked back at his friend. “Yeah. My job. I think….I’m gonna be okay. I’m plannin’ on comin’ back as soon as I’m completely well.” There. He’d finally told him. A sense of relief came over him as if verbalizing it aloud somehow etched his decision in stone. Johnny had done a lot of soul searching over the past couple of weeks, and had finally decided that he wasn’t ready to throw away everything he had attained and worked for. Nor was he ready to cut the ties he had formed with friends he had come to love as family members. Being a part of Roy’s family meant everything to him. He had lost his own family as a boy, and it had been a long time since he had felt wanted enough to be a part of another family. He had found that with Roy and Joanne and their kids. He had almost lost it again, and wasn’t about to throw it away now that he had regained it. Even though he was crazy about Julie, and was hopeful about maybe starting a life with her, he couldn’t bring himself to leave all that he had here to take that chance. He would have to find a way to make that happen without leaving.

Another deciding factor that until recently, Johnny hadn’t even considered, was the welfare of his aunt. He had selfishly put her on the back burner, not even considering that he was her only family left. Even though her mind was not what it used to be, she still enjoyed his visits, and he felt an obligation not to abandon her. She had been his lifesaver years ago after the death of his parents, and had lovingly taken him into her home in LA, and helped him get his life pointed in the right direction. To leave her now would not be right, and he was ashamed that he had been so thoughtless.

Not long ago, starting his life over seemed like the only antidote to the mess his life was in. It was something he was prepared to do, and had done before, but had never really been something he was looking forward to. Roy was right; he had been trying to run away from his problems, instead of facing them. When he finally did face them, the big picture became much clearer, and his myopic outlook crystallized. 

Roy didn’t know what to say. This was totally unexpected. Over the last two weeks he’d done a lot of thinking and had decided that Joanne was right. If Johnny could find happiness somewhere else, then that’s where he should go. He wasn’t worried about their friendship any more. It had taken a long time, but he’d finally accepted the fact that Johnny truly had forgiven him for the horrible misunderstanding they’d had so many months ago. He knew that if their friendship could survive that, then it could survive anything. Johnny’s leaving wasn’t going to diminish it. They’d both always known that they weren’t going to be partners forever anyway, and much as they hated to break up the perfect partnership, it was only logical that someday they would both move on to bigger and better things. Roy had never doubted that when that day came, their friendship would remain close and intact. So, after reasoning all these things out, Roy could guiltlessly allow himself to feel good about Johnny’s decision to leave. Yes, he would miss Johnny terribly, but sometimes things happened for a reason, and maybe this was for the best. Besides, he figured Colorado was a great place to have a good friend to go visit. Now, just when he had gotten comfortable with his attitude, Johnny was switching gears on him.

Roy regarded Johnny skeptically. “Now, wait a minute. You just told me not fifteen minutes ago that you wanted to marry Julie, and everything was great in Colorado. What about all that?”

“Welllll, that’s a good question, Roy. You’re right, I did say that, and I do want to marry Julie. It’s just that I have a few small details to work out, is all.”

“Small details, huh?”

“Well, yeah. Like, ah, I’ve just got to figure out a way to convince Julie to move to LA.”

“Oh, just that little detail, huh? How’re you gonna do that?”

“Oh, I’ve got some ideas,” he said wryly. “For one thing, I figure between the money I made on my house and the money we’re gonna make restoring these old trucks, I’ll have plenty to spend on plane tickets! I can go out and see her, say, twice a month. And then I’ll get her to start coming out here. You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Roy bestowed a happy grin upon his friend, his heart suddenly feeling lighter with the knowledge that Johnny wasn’t leaving. A final invisible weight had been lifted from his shoulders that he hadn’t even realized he was still carrying, and it felt good to have life feel normal again. 

“Yeah,” Roy responded thoughtfully. “You’re right, Junior. It does.”

Johnny began inspecting the old engine again, and Roy could almost see the wheels turning in his partner’s mind. “Now,” Johnny started, his mind switching gears again, “I figured we could start with the transmission.” He looked over at Roy excitedly. “We could use one of those three gears you got; I think they’ll work on this engine. Whad’ya think?”

Roy got thoughtful and walked around the fire truck, scrutinizing it. He folded his arms and began rubbing his chin with his thumb. An enthusiasm overcame him as he anticipated the fun they were going to have on this one. “Yeah, I agree. Let’s start with the transmission. After that, well, we could start almost anywhere. How about we’ll tackle the engine?”

“Good deal, Pally.”

“Now, about that name, ‘Gage and DeSoto Restorations, Inc. Let’s talk about that for a minute…..”

THE END

*Please note all medical errors are mine alone; I’m sure some of you will find some.

*The Silver Star Award mentioned is purely a fictitious creation of my own mind.

*Many thanks to my beta and friends who helped with this story. You know who you are. Please know how much you are appreciated!

*Feedback is appreciated!

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