“Wow, I can’t believe my vacation is already over,” Roy Desoto thought to himself as he pulled up to the fire station where he worked.  “I bet Johnny was miserable with his temporary partner.  I know I sure can’t wait to catch up on things with him.”

As he strolled into the locker room, Marco who was just about dressed greeted him.  “Hey, Roy.  Welcome back!  We’ve missed you around here. How was your vacation?”

“Oh, it was great!  Thanks!  I just put the film in to be developed yesterday.  The Florida Keys were beautiful.”
 

“I’ll bet.  Someday I’d love to go there.”

“Anything new happen while I was gone?”

Mike walked into the locker room and overheard Roy’s question.  “Oh, I guess you could say that.”

Marco laughed. “Yeah, you won’t believe the newest venture Johnny and Chet have started.”

“They’re doing something together?” asked Roy.

“Oh yeah,” replied Mike. “At first the Captain thought it was a good idea since it kept them from fighting all the time.  Now, well, he’s just a bit annoyed with them.”

“Annoyed is an understatement,” the Captain yelled from just outside of the locker room.  “Come on you three, it’s time for roll call.”

After roll call, the men were given light duty around the station since the previous shift had already taken care of most of the assignments. Everyone hurried to get the work completed and gathered in the dayroom.

“It’s great to have you back!” said Johnny with a grin.  “It sure hasn’t been the same around here without you.”

“So I hear,” replied Roy.  “What’s this new venture that you and Chet have started?”

“Oh, that?  I almost forgot.  I’ll tell you all about it later.  Right now Chet and I have some things to work on.”

DeSoto was nearly speechless as his partner headed over to the corner of the table and started whispering with Chet and reading over some papers.

“Look at them,” said Mike.  “It’s been this way since you left.”

“Yeah, but at first they’d talk to us,” replied Marco. “Now were not allowed in their conversations.”

“That’s because they weren’t happy about how you kept butting in.”

Marco laughed, “Yeah, but you know I was right about that fire.  Cap said I was right.  They just didn’t want to listen.”

“Okay, you lost me,” said Roy.  “What exactly are they doing?”

Mike sighed. “They’ve decided to write a book together. They’re calling it “Tales from Station 51.”

Marco laughed.  “More like tall tales if you ask me.”

“I heard that, Marco!” yelled Chet.  “You won’t let it go will ya?  You’ll see. This book will be a best seller.”

“Are ya calling it fiction or non-fiction?”

“Marco, I told you that you were wrong about. . .”

Chet’s comment was cut off as the station received a call to assist two other stations at an apartment fire.

As the crew from Station 51 drove down the block towards the apartment buildings they could clearly see the smoke and flames coming from four of the three story buildings that made up one small section of the complex.

“Man, I hope they’ve gotten everyone out of there,” said Johnny.

Roy and Johnny jumped out of the squad and quickly received their orders.

“Station 12 has one of their men trapped on the second floor of building three,” said the captain.  “Meet Captain Smith on the back side of the building and he’ll give you further instruction.”

“Okay, Cap.” Roy replied.



As the two ran towards the back of the building, Roy tripped and fell flat on his face.  Johnny grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.  “Are you okay?”

Roy hesitated for a moment, “Yeah, let’s go.”

The partners met the captain at the bottom of the back stairway.  He explained that his men were working on digging out one of his paramedics who had gotten stuck in a stairwell while trying to rescue an elderly man.  The man eventually made it out of one of the windows but they still needed to remove debris in order to reach the paramedic. He was afraid his man would need medical attention once they reached him.

As Johnny and Roy reached the top of the stairs the other firefighters had managed to get to their man.  They carefully moved him out of harms way of the fire.  Johnny grabbed the man and assisted in carrying him back down the stairs.

Once outside, Gage quickly began to assess his injuries.  It was several moments before Johnny realized that Roy hadn’t followed him out.

“Hey,” yelled one of the men from station 12.  “Your partner didn’t come back down.”

Two men from station 12 ran back into the complex as Johnny continued to work on the injured paramedic.  It seemed like an eternity before they emerged from the building, assisting his partner on each arm.

They sat Roy down beside Johnny, who was already waiting on an ambulance for his patient.

“Are you okay?  What happened?  Why didn’t you follow me out?”

Roy was slow to answer.  “I’m okay.  I just got the wind knocked out of me when I fell earlier and I started feeling a little dizzy in there.  I was just sitting down a minute.”

“Hell of a place to sit down, don’t ya think?”

“Spare the lecture, Junior. I’m fine.”

Johnny handed Roy oxygen.  “Here.  Put this on.  You’re riding with us in the ambulance.  I’ll have to check you out on the way to Rampart.”

Roy decided to follow his partner’s instruction and continue the discussion later.


Johnny was quiet in the ambulance as he checked Roy’s vitals and relayed them militarily to Rampart.  When they reached the hospital, he assisted in placing Roy into a wheel chair and allowed the orderlies to take him into the treatment room.  He decided to wait at the nurse’s station and was greeted by Dixie.

“Hey there.  I see Roy is back from vacation.  What happened?”

“I don’t know.  He tripped and fell before we went up to assist in a rescue. The fall knocked the wind out of him. He’ll be fine.”

“So, why do you look so glum?”

“Oh, I guess it’s this book Chet and I are working on.”

“That’s right.  How’s that coming along?”

“We’re doing pretty good. Chet and I seem to be able to collaborate most of the events we’re writing about but the other guys keep trying to butt in and change things.”

“Oh yeah?  Roy too?”

“Nah, Roy and I haven’t really discussed the book.  There hasn’t been time. It’s just that Chet and I have been recalling some things I had forgotten about. Roy’s always getting on me about being careful and then he goes and does something stupid today.  He should have stayed out of that building.”

Dixie walked over and squeezed Johnnie’s arm.  “Have you forgotten your partner is human?  Do you think you’re the only one who can make a mistake?”

“You’re right, he is human.  But in our line of work, we can’t afford to make those kind of mistakes.”

“Well, here he comes now.  Why don’t you tell him how you feel?”

Roy walked over and joined the pair.  “Brackett says I’m fine.  We can go.”

“Okay,” replied Johnny. “Chet should be out there with the squad by now.”

“Remember what I said!” yelled Dixie as the paramedics head out of the hospital.


 

The trio remained rather quiet while riding back to the station.  Once at their destination, Johnny and Chet headed back to the dayroom to work on their manuscripts. Roy grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at the opposite end of the table.

“You doing okay, Roy?” asked the captain.

Roy watched his partner. Johnny acted as if he wasn’t paying attention to any other conversation in the room. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me, that’s all.”

“That’s good to hear,” replied the captain.  “Oh, Chet, we read some of your stuff while you guys were gone.  I really think there are a few facts you two need to get sorted out.”

“Cap, no offense but we really weren’t ready for anyone to read it just yet,” claimed Chet.  “You guys can help fill in some details once we get our ideas in place.”

“Yeah, but if you are going to represent our station, I would really like the stories to have some factual basis,” replied the captain.

Marco nearly spit out the coffee he had sipped in response to the captain’s remarks.  “See, I told you that you both were a little off on some of your details.”

Mike chimed in, “A little off?  I’d say they’re a lot off.  Some of that stuff never really happened.”

Johnny was getting irritated.  “It all happened and just the way we wrote it.  Why is it that we remember it the same way but you all don’t?  How can we both be wrong?”

“Yeah!” replied Chet.  “How can we both be wrong?”

“You really want an answer to that?” asked the captain.

“Come on, Chet,” instructed Johnny.  “Let’s go work on this somewhere quiet.”



Johnny and Chet spread out their papers on the benches in the locker room.

“Man, I can’t believe they’re giving us such a hard time about this,” said Johnny.

“Oh, don’t listen to them.  They’re just jealous cuz they didn’t think of this first.”

“Ya think?”

“Of course.  We both know we’re right and these stories are great. Why else would they act that way?”



Chet and Johnny were able to work on their book for nearly two hours before the next run.  They were called out to a possible house fire about six blocks from the station.  The neighborhood was thick with trees and high brick and concrete walls surrounded all of the homes in the area.  There was no one to greet them at the house so the captain split up the crew.  He and Roy went to the front door while Chet and Johnny headed around to the back of the house.



The captain knocked on the door. “Is anyone in there?  Did someone call the fire department?”

There was no answer.

“This is odd,” stated the captain.  “Mike, call and double check the address.  This is the address we got but there doesn’t appear to be a problem here.”

“Okay, Cap.”

Before Mike could make it to the engine, the three heard several gunshots from the back of the house.

“I’ll call in for support,” yelled Mike as Roy and Captain Stanley made their way towards the back of the house.

“Let’s go slow,” said the captain.

The right side of the house was thick with trees and there was a small opening in the side- wall that led into the backyard.  Just as they walked in front of the opening, shots were fired at them.  The captain grabbed Roy and pulled him back behind the cement wall.

“What the hell?” yelled Stanley.

Roy took a moment to catch his breath.  “I saw Chet and Johnny back underneath the awning.

“Where did you go!” came a voice from on top of the house.  “You’re gonna make me wait for you aren’t you?  I’m tired of waiting you know.”

“Who are you?” asked the captain. “What do you want with us?”

“It’s payback time!” the man on the house screamed out.  “I’ve already hit two of you.  As soon as you come for them, you’re next.”

“Johnny! Chet! Can you hear me?” yelled Roy.

Chet’s voice was faint.  “Yeah, I can hear ya.  Johnny’s out.”

Roy concern was growing.  “Where’re you hurt?”

“He got me in the leg,” replied Chet. “Looks like he got Johnny in the shoulder.  He’s bleeding on both sides so I think the bullet went through.”

“How long has Johnny been out?”

“Uh, I guess as soon as he was hit.  Looks like one bullet grazed his head too.”

Irritated, the man on the roof began to shout out again.  “It’s too late for your friends.  There is nothing you can do to help them.  I won’t let you near them.”

Ignoring the comment, Roy called out again.  “Okay, Chet.  You need to stop the bleeding of your leg.  Can you manage to get your belt off?”

“I…I…don’t know.”

“Come on. Hang in there, Chet. You can do it.”

Chet slowly undid the buckles of his belt and pulled as hard as he could to get it out of the loops.  “Okay, I got it.”

“Great, now just slip it over your leg just above the wound.” Roy instructed.



Chet continued to follow Roy’s instructions to help slow the bleeding of his and Johnny’s wounds.  Help was coming much slower than Roy could stand.  He wasn’t sure how much longer his friends could hold up without real medical assistance.



Roy contacted Rampart to advise them of the situation and have them standing by for when they reached the patients.

The captain could sense Roy’s impatience.  “I’ll go and check on the status of our reinforcements.  Wait right here and be careful.”

“Don’t worry about me, Cap. It’s those two I’m concerned about.” Roy replied.



Roy sat back against the cement wall and closed his eyes.  He felt helpless. He needed to get to his friends. He wanted so badly to help them. There was nothing he could do but talk to them.

“I’ve got to keep Chet talking,” he thought. “How ya feeling?  How’s your leg?”

“Uh….I…I can’t feel too much right now.  You gotta get us out of here.”

“You aren’t going no where!” yelled the man on the roof.  “You’ll die right down there if I can help it!”

Roy’s irritation was growing. “What do you want with us?  What did we do to you?”

That was the invitation the man was waiting for.  “You made me wait!  Yeah, they said you were on another run.  That was the excuse they gave me. I always thought we’d be safe living so close to a fire station. We had to wait until a station farther away got here.  She died ya know.  She was two days away from her eighty-second birthday.  She should have made it.  There is no way I can live without her now.”

Before Roy could answer, the captain returned to his side.  “The swat team has the house surrounded.  It’s only a matter of time now.”

“I’m really sorry for your loss,” yelled Roy.  “But, we don’t choose our runs.  We go where we’re called.  Once we’re out, they have no choice but to call someone else.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore!” yelled the man.  “She’s gone.  It just doesn’t matter.”

A member of the swat team called out from a bullhorn.  “We’ve got you surrounded. Drop your weapon and come down from the roof.”

“Well, that’s it,” replied the man.  “You win.”

The man dropped his gun, ran, and jumped from the roof, falling just a few feet from Chet and Johnny.  Several members of the swat team surrounded him as Roy and Captain Stanley came out of hiding and ran to assist their co-workers.

“This one’s gone,” advised one of the swat team members, referring to the fallen man.

“Thanks,” replied the captain.


Roy quickly began assessing the condition of both Chet and Johnny.  Chet was slowly losing consciousness.  “Chet, can ya hear me?”

“Um. . .sssure.”

“Okay, take it easy.  We’ll have you out of here and on the way to the hospital in no time.”  Roy tried to keep his voice light as to not show his concern.  He was especially worried about Johnny who had been unconscious since he was hit.

“I’ll call in the vitals,” said the captain. “The ambulance is out front. We’ll have them out of here in a moment.”

The ride to the hospital seemed like an eternity for Roy.  Wanting to keep Chet as alert as possible until they reached Rampart, he decided to continue talking to him by asking him questions about the incident.

“Chet? Can ya hear me?”

Chet was slow to reply. “Yeah.”

 

“How did you and Johnny get underneath the awning?”

 

“Uh…I grabbed Johnny…pulled him over there.”

Roy gave a slight smile.  “So, you may have just saved Johnny’s life.  That might be a good story for your book.”

“Uh, huh,” Chet replied as he finally passed out.



Once they arrived at the hospital, Dixie and Dr. Brackett met them at the ambulance bay.  Roy assisted in bringing his friends in.  Chet was immediately taken to surgery.  DeSoto tried to follow Johnny into the treatment room but Dixie insisted that it would be best for him to wait out in the lobby with the Marco, Mike, and the Captain.  He hesitated at first
but then agreed to wait outside.



Marco found it hard to stay seated and began pacing up and down the floor of the lobby.  “Man, I hate waiting.  I wonder how long Chet will be in surgery?”

“It takes time,” replied Roy.  “Don’t worry, Chet will be fine.”

“And Johnny?” asked Mike.

“I don’t know.  He was out the whole time. I couldn’t talk to him.  He lost a lot of blood.”

Stanley was sitting in the chair next to Roy. He placed his hand on the paramedic’s shoulder.  “He’s going to be okay.  We both know he has one of the best doctors working on him.”

Roy tried to smile.  “Yeah, I know.  I just wish I could’ve talked to him.”

“Well, I’m sure that when this is all over we won’t be able to get him to shut up,” replied the captain.

Roy laughed. “Yeah, I bet you’re right.”

The conversation was cut short as Dr. Brackett walked toward the group. Roy stood up to meet him.  “Well, how’s Johnny?”

Dr. Brackett looked glum.  “He’s holding his own.  He lost a lot of blood and he’s in a coma.  Right now it’s just too early to call.  All we can really do is wait.  We just moved him to ICU.”

Marco spoke up, “What about Chet?”

“Chet is out of surgery. He’s going to be just fine. You’ll be able to see him in a couple of hours when he’s out of recovery and into a regular room.”

“Can I see Johnny?” asked Roy.

“Sure, but only for a few minutes.  Come on, follow me.”




Roy followed Dr. Brackett to ICU and stayed as long as he was allowed.  He continued going in and out as time would permit. The captain, Marco and Mike all went back to the station after a quick visit with Chet.


Roy decided to give his wife a call.  “Joanne?”

“Hey, how is Johnny doing?”

“Not much change.  I see the captain was able to reach you.”

“Yes.  Do you need me to come up there with you?” she asked.

“No. Thanks.” Roy replied. “I’ll probably go ahead and stay here overnight since I was given the rest of the shift off.  I just want to be here when he wakes up.”

“Okay, honey.  I understand. You take care of yourself too.  Get some rest if you can.”

Roy laughed. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll try.”





Roy couldn’t honor Joanne’s request to get some rest.  He found himself pacing back and forth in Johnny’s room.  Gage looked so pale. He was wrapped like a mummy across his chest and shoulder and had a large square bandage on the left side of his head.  Roy grew more alarmed at how still he laid.


After pacing for over an hour, he sat in the chair beside his partner’s bed and rested his head in his hands. “You were right, ya know.  I should have never taken such a stupid chance going into that fire.”

“Wow, you’re actually admitting I was right about something?  Am I dying?”

Roy turned to face the smile and wide-open eyes of his best friend.  “No, you’re not dying and yes, you were right.  This one time though.”

Johnny laughed. “Well, I guess there’s hope for me after all, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Gage grunted as he slightly shifted his body in the bed. “What exactly happened?  I remember Chet and I being shot at but not much else. Is Chet okay?”

“An old man wanted revenge because we were sent out on another run when his wife got ill.  He jumped and didn’t make it. Chet’s fine though.  He got shot in the leg. He’s out of surgery and in his own room. From what I hear, he dragged the two of you to safety.”

“Oh yeah, huh. How about that?  Hey, that might make an interesting entry in our book.”

Roy smiled.  “Okay, Junior.  We’ll talk about the book later. You need to get some rest and I need to go and let Brackett know that you’re awake.”

“Okay.” Johnny replied. “Oh, Roy.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being here.”

“Anytime, partner. Anytime.”



The next day Chet and Johnny were placed in the same hospital room.  The two were mulling over their manuscripts when Roy and Marco came by for a visit.

“Hey guys, how’re ya feeling?” asked Marco.

“We’re doing great!” replied Chet.  “This has actually given us time to work on our book in peace and quiet.”

“Yeah, except for when the doctors come in to poke and prod.” Johnny complained.

“Well, yeah, except for that.”

“You both look pretty good,” said Roy. “I hear you’ll be out of here by the end of the week.”

“That’s what they tell us,” replied Johnny.  “Hey, Roy, do ya wanna read over what we wrote about the shooting?”

Roy looked shocked. “You actually want me to read it?”

“Well, yeah, why not?” asked Johnny.

“I thought you said. . .” Roy was interrupted by Marco who was shaking his head.

“Um, sure, let me read it.”

DeSoto was quiet as he read through the two pages that Johnny and Chet had written about the shooting incident.  Once he finished he put down the paper and stared at the two men.

 

“What’s the matter?” asked Johnny.  “Didn’t you like it?”

“Oh, I liked it okay but I thought this was about the shooting?”

“It was about the shooting,” claimed Johnny.

“Who told you this story?”

Chet spoke up.  “I did, why?”

“Chet, this never happened.  You make yourself out to be Superman. You single handedly walked six yards on your injured leg while carrying Johnny in one arm?  It was more like six feet and you dragged him there.”

“Well, how do you know?”

Marco laughed. “See what I mean? Wait until you read the rest of their book. I told you, they should rename it the “Tall” Tales from Station 51.”

Chet smiled.  “Okay, okay.  So we embellished a bit in some places.  We’ll sell more books that way.”

Roy just shook his head and laughed. “You two will never change. . .and I guess I wouldn’t want you to.”

*Click above to send Mychand feedback

Guest Dispatchers        Stories by Mychand