Captain Hank Stanley of the Los Angeles County Fire Department stared into his now cold cup of coffee. He would have stared at the phone but he was conscious of the fact that a watched phone would not ring. He should be in bed at this very minute as lights out was well over two hours ago, and he was tired, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep without knowing the condition of one of his men.
His men. Yes, indeed, he thought to himself, they were his men and his responsibility. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders every day for the choices that he had to make that ultimately put these men in harm’s way. They took all the necessary precautions each time they responded to a call and they were well trained, but still they, as a group, faced dangerous conditions on a daily basis. Conditions that were often volatile and ever-changing. He made decisions on when to send men into burning buildings and when to bring them out. There had been many close calls, but his guys were good at their jobs and he had the utmost confidence in their abilities. In fact, not that he’d admit it to anyone, but he knew he had the best crew in the whole department.
Mike Stoker, his Engineer, well, they just didn’t come any better than him. Mike was well liked by the department brass and Hank knew that he would go far within the department. He was quiet and reserved, but he knew more about firefighting than just about anyone, Hank excluded of course. He had no qualms about Mike’s ability to lead men.
Roy DeSoto, one of his two paramedics, was instrumental in getting the paramedic program off the ground. He, like Mike, normally quiet and reserved and was well known within the department and highly thought of by those in HQ. Roy was good at his job, but what’s more, he absolutely loved being a paramedic. In fact, he had even turned down a promotion to Engineer to continue serving as a paramedic. Like Hank, Roy was a family man. He had a wife and two kids and was as devoted to them as he was to the job.
Roy’s partner on the other hand was quite the bachelor. A ladies man or so he liked to think, but just as devoted to the job as Roy was. The two of them were like night and day and yet their differences complemented each other very well. Hank often was amazed watching them work. They instinctively knew what the other needed or were thinking without any words being spoken. There was a bond there like no other he had seen. John Gage could be quirky, and he had his share of on the job mishaps, but there was no better rescue team in the entire county than he and Roy.
Chet Kelly and Marco Lopez were his firefighters and he didn’t think of one without the other just as he did Johnny and Roy. Chet was a mischievous sort often referring to himself as “The Phantom” and playing practical jokes on his crewmates. Mostly John Gage was the intended target and Chet had dubbed Johnny his “Pigeon”, and while Johnny could get quite infuriated at Chet there was a strange sort of bond between the two that Hank just couldn’t explain. Marco was the only one who could rein Chet in when he got too carried away. Marco was the calming influence on Chet and Roy was for Johnny. Marco was a superb fireman who didn’t always get the credit he deserved as he was perfectly content with remaining in the shadows of his crewmates. Hank knew he could count on Marco in any situation and he had many times.
Pulling himself out of his reverie, Hank glanced down at the phone willing it to ring and was surprised when it actually did. He snatched it up before the first ring had finished.
“LA County Fire Department, Captain Hank Stanley speaking,” he said out of habit.
“Cap,” came the voice from the other line, “he’s going to be fine. He’ll probably need a week or two medical leave, but it wasn’t as serious as we first thought. We’re keeping him for observation. He should be released in a day or two”
Hank Stanley breathed a sigh of relief as the doctor continued talking.
“I know it’s late, but I thought you’d want to know right away.”
“Yes, I was waiting for your call. Thanks, Dr. Brackett. I appreciate you taking the time to call me personally.”
Hank hung up the phone and looked up into three expectant faces. “Dr. Brackett says he’s going to be just fine, a couple of days in the hospital and a week or two of recuperation, and he’ll be good as new.”
The group let out a collective sigh of relief.
“I told you he’d be okay,” Chet announced as he and Marco left the office.
“Come one now, Chet, you know as well as I do that you were worried,” Marco retorted.
“Me, worried, not on your life.”
“Yeah, you, it was your...” The voices trailed off.
Roy hung around in the office. “So, he’s really going to be all right, Cap?” The concern was evident on the blond paramedic’s face. “I mean that was a really hard hit.”
Hank nodded knowing full well that Roy was right. “Well, the jaw is not broken, thank God, but he does have a concussion. Doc said Johnny was on his way back with the squad. I’m sure he’ll be able to tell us more when he gets here. I’m just glad to know that Mike’s going to be okay.” Hank paused remembering the incident. He shook his head. “Chet Kelly and his dumb ideas, well, I can tell you who’ll have latrine duty for the next few months. I’m still trying to figure out how to write up the incident report.”
Roy smiled. “Well, it wasn’t all Chet’s fault, but I’m sure the Phantom will be in retirement for quite some time.”
Hank nodded and smiled as well. “I’m just worried about how Mike is going to retaliate. You know it’s always the quiet ones you have to worry about. And you know he will, Mike won’t let Chet off the hook on this one.” So many things Hank had to worry about on a daily basis and a practical joke gone awry sends his Engineer to the hospital. He loved his men, but they could be a bunch of twits!
Both men turned at the sound of the bay doors opening and walked out to greet John Gage as he backed the squad in the station.
*Click above to send Terri feedback
Sleepless Challenge Page Stories by Terribv
