The shift was finally over for the A-Shift crew of Station 51. Roy DeSoto rushed out the back door in hopes of catching up with his paramedic partner, John Gage, before he got in his Rover to leave.

John was getting ready to shut the door when he heard his best friend yell at him.

"Johnny!"

Shutting the door and rolling down the window of his car, Johnny waited for Roy to approach him before answering.

"Yeah, Roy?!?"

With a slight smile on his face, Roy asked, "Want to come over today and help out with my honey do list? I know Joann and the kids would love to see you, and I wouldn’t mind having you around either."

"Well, I have an errand I need to take care of."

"Is it something you can put off until tomorrow? Joann is going to make pork chops for dinner," Roy tempted.

Shifting a little in his seat, Johnny was debating whether or not to tell Roy what had been weighing so heavily on his mind since their shift had begun.

"I’d really like to take care of it today," Johnny answered a little too anxiously.

Now Roy was worried that something was wrong. He’d noticed that Johnny had seemed a little out of sorts the whole shift, but just thought he was tired. Now there was a nervousness to his actions. The clincher, however, was when he turned down one of Jo’s home cooked meals.

Wanting to help his friend with whatever the problem may be, Roy tried again.

"Is it something I could help you with? That way you still could come over and spend the day."

"Uh, Roy, I don’t think so, but thanks anyway. It’s nothing really. Just something I think will help with a problem that I’ve been having," Johnny said trying not to go into details.

What he didn’t realize was that Roy’s imagination was running wild with the possibilities of what types of ‘problems’ his partner could be having.

"Johnny, you know I’d never pry, but I’m concerned about you. If you’re in trouble or ….."

Roy was cut off by Johnny before he could finish his sentence.

"Really, Roy, it’s nothing like that. It’s…. man, this is so embarrassing. I’ve made a mountain out of a molehill, again."

"Johnny, if it has you this bothered, I want to help. So can we go somewhere and talk?"

Sighing long and hard, Johnny knew his partner wouldn’t let up until he knew the whole story. So he agreed to go to the diner just a few blocks away and discuss what now seemed so unimportant when compared to ‘real problems’ in the scheme of life.

 = = = = =

Sitting at a booth, John and Roy both ordered coffee. After the waitress delivered their order, Roy looked at his friend. Sensing he was going to have to prompt Johnny to speak, he said, "Ok, Junior, what’s going on?"

"Like I told you, it’s really nothing."

"Come on, Johnny, I want to help. Please tell me what’s got you so bugged."

"Well, first you have to promise not to laugh or roll your eyes. I’ve noticed you roll your eyes at me a lot."

"I don’t!" Roy replied a bit forceful.

"Yes, you do! Now, are you gonna promise or not?"

After a deep breath, Roy agreed not to laugh, or what seemed worse to Johnny, roll his eyes.

Johnny took a drink of his coffee. He looked Roy in the eyes and started his explanation.

"The errand I need to do today is to go shopping for white socks."

Not really believing he heard his partner right, Roy asked him to repeat what he’d just said.

"I said I need to buy white socks."

"Why is it so important you buy white socks?" Roy just had to know.

"Roy, I haven’t been sleeping well these past few nights. I’ve had this… I don’t know what to call it, obsession, maybe, about where my missing socks go."

Now totally not understanding where the conversation had turned, Roy stopped John from continuing.

"Johnny, start at the beginning and tell me what this is all about. You’re not sleeping because of your socks?" Roy asked.

"It’s not because of my socks. It’s because I have been trying to figure out where my missing socks go when they don’t come out of the laundry. I know I put in six pairs of socks, but only eleven socks come out of the dryer." Johnny said while running an agitated hand through his long dark hair.

When he looked up at Roy to see his reaction, he expected to see his best friend rolling his eyes at him. The look he had on his face though, was the look of concentration. Like he’d given him something to ponder.

A few minutes passed before Roy said anything.

"Johnny, you mean to tell me, you have gotten yourself all worked up over wondering where your missing socks go?"

"It’s been bothering me ever since Thursday. I was doing my laundry, washing my clothes, towels and sheets. I put in six pairs of socks and when I took my clothes out of the dryer to fold, I only had five pairs and a sock. A single blue sock." Johnny looked up at Roy with a look that said don’t you get it.

"So you’re telling me all of this distress is over a blue sock?!?" Roy couldn’t believe what his partner would rant over.

"Roy, the point is, I put in twelve socks and only eleven came out. What has been bothering me is where did that missing blue sock go. I have a few theories but that’s all they are. I need closure. I want to know where that sock is." Now that he voiced what was on his mind, Johnny felt somewhat better.

Roy on the other hand, didn’t know what to say. Here he was, worried sick over what kind of problem his obviously ‘crazy’ partner had, only to find out that there was no problem at all. But when Johnny got something on his mind, he could make his friends stir crazy until he was satisfied that a solution has been reached.

Something John said made Roy wonder just what theories his partner had come up with. Knowing he would probably regret it, he asked, "What kind of theories have you come up with? You know about where the socks go?"

"They’re silly!" Johnny replied.

"Come on, apparently you’ve been giving this a lot of thought, what have you come up with?" Roy implored.

"Well, I had a few ideas but quickly came to the conclusion that they were pretty ridiculous. Like maybe aliens took it or the government had something to do with it. You know sort of conspiracy. I even thought that this hot chick in my apartment building might have a crush on me and wanted something of mine. But if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the dryer ate it."

Not believing the cockamamie ideas his partner had come up with, Roy’s only comment was, "I see."

The waitress refilled their coffee cups, which gave Roy the time to digest the cause of his partner's worries. Socks, how on earth could anybody fret over a misplaced sock. But this wasn’t anybody, this was John Gage. One hell of a paramedic/firefighter, best friend, great person all the way around, but also a nut. Roy had called him a nut once before and decided against voicing that opinion ever again. Instead, he thought he’d start back at the beginning of what started this whole discussion.

"Johnny, are you going to keep fretting over this missing sock and trying to come up with theories to it whereabouts?"

"Of course not, I was going to take care of that with the errand I had planned on doing."

"Buying white socks?" Roy asked.

"Yep!"

Ok, now Roy knew he was asking for it but just had to know.

"What does buying white socks have to do with your missing blue one?"

"Nothing really. I’m going to buy all white socks. I think ten pairs should do it."

"Do what, Johnny?" Roy was now getting frustrated with the younger man.

"If I buy only white socks, when one goes missing I’ll still have one lonely sock. But the way I figure it, I’ll come out in the end."

"How do you get that? You’re going to be down one sock?" Roy was trying to understand Johnny’s logic.

"It’s this way, I figure eventually I’ll lose another one and that will leave me with nine pairs of socks. See, if I only buy white socks, I’ll still have an extra sock if one goes missing. Whereas, if I buy different colored socks, I may lose a blue or black and not have a replacement for it. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?"

"I’m a little scared because I do understand," Roy said while rubbing his chin with his right hand.

"Man, I’m glad you see my reasoning. I’ve been working this method out for a few days."

"Why don’t we go buy the socks and then head back to my house?"

"You don’t have to come with me. I promise I’ll come over as soon as I’m done."

"I was thinking that I may pick up a few pairs for myself. You know, just in case."

"In case one goes missing?" Johnny asked with his trademark Gage grin on his face.

"Yeah, something like that." Roy was also smiling.

Both friends left the diner and headed to the nearest department store to purchase white socks. The missing sock in question is just that, missing. As to the theory of a government conspiracy or aliens, well one never knows. The cute chick in Johnny's apartment building has been noted to hang around the laundry room.

The End

Thanks Jean for the beta.

*Click on the purple sock to send Purry feedback.

**Sock drawing by Chelsea

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