You Call This Fun?

By The Twits

The men of A-shift assembled for roll call on a bright, sunny, early summer morning. Captain Hank Stanley read the morning announcements from headquarters and then assigned the day’s chores.

With roll call over, the men headed for the kitchen. A fresh pot of coffee was ready and waiting. Marco Lopez poured each of them a cup and they sat down to enjoy it. Several minutes of silence passed before Mike Stoker spoke up.

"So, does anyone have any plans for our long break?"

"No," answered Marco.

"Not really," replied Johnny Gage.

"Whatsa matter, Gage? Couldn't get a date...again?" Chet Kelly said with a smirk.

"Shut up, Chet."

"Chet, what plans do YOU have?" asked Stoker.

"I - uhhh - don't have any yet."

"He couldn't get a date, either," snickered Marco.

"Jo and the kids will be out of town at her mother's, so I have no plans. Why?" asked Roy DeSoto.

"I heard about a new amusement park the other day,” Mike explained. “It sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe we could all go together and check it out."

"Where is it?" asked Roy.

"About a half hour east of Carson, near the mountains."

The guys quickly agreed with one exception.

“Johnny?" Roy asked. "Not interested?"

"He's chicken," teased Chet rubbing his hands together and embellishing his mischievous grin.

"I am NOT," Johnny defended himself. “It sounds like a lot of fun. Hey, Mike, is it a big park?"

"I'm not really sure. It's supposed to have a lot of rides, even a couple of coasters."

“Sounds far out. Sure, I’ll go,” Johnny said, making sure to give Chet a smug grin.

Kelly just shook his head.

~*~

Ten minutes later, Cap entered the dayroom. "You guys finished with chores already? That's amazing!" he said clapping his hands together.

"Uhhh, sorry, Cap. We'll get right on them. We were just about done here," said Marco.

"Oh. What were you talking about?" he asked somewhat suspiciously after noting their guilty looks.

"That new amusement park that just opened."

"Pacific Park? I've heard about it. Sounds like a great place."

"We're thinking of checking it out over the break, Cap. Wanna come with us?" asked Johnny.

"Sounds great. I'm game, as long as we don't have to ride in Chet's van."

Everyone laughed, which irritated the stocky fireman. "What's wrong with my van?" he whined.

"Nothing, Chet, nothing. Let's get to work, shall we? The day's not getting any younger," Hank said and motioned towards the dayroom door.

The firefighters headed for the sink with their coffee cups, rinsing them before preparing to get busy. Chet was still mumbling and wondering why everyone picked on his old VW van. The rest of the crew continued to snicker as they filed out of the room.

~*~

Several uneventful calls later, the men were sitting at the table enjoying lunch. They chatted about the morning runs while they ate their sandwiches.

"Hey, Gage, it's about time you made something other than hotdogs and hamburgers. These sandwiches aren't half bad," teased Kelly.

Johnny ignored him. Gage wasn't in the mood to argue. Chet was about to add more bait to the trap when the klaxons sounded.

"Squad 51. Woman in labor. 1533 Maxwell Drive. 1-5-3-3 Maxwell Drive, cross street Arlington. Time out 1410."

"Squad 51. KMG 365," responded Captain Stanley, and handed the call slip to Roy.

~*~

DeSoto eased the squad out into the early afternoon traffic and they sped to the call. They arrived at a house to find a 22-year-old woman in advanced labor.

It wasn't long before another new life was introduced into the world by John Gage. The paramedics then transported mother and infant to Rampart General.

"Congratulations, guys. Another job well done," smiled Nurse Dixie McCall.

"Thanks, Dix, but Momma did all the hard work," replied Johnny, who was still smiling broadly.

~*~

Before the paramedics could return to the station they were toned out on several calls. When they finally arrived back at the station it was suppertime.

Not long after dinner, the station, and several others, were toned out to a structure fire at a large old warehouse. They arrived to find the structure fully involved. An all clear was given when it was determined that all of the staff had been accounted for. The medics were then assigned to help fight the fire. The blaze wasn't under control for several hours.

The mop-up was a long process due to the size of the structure involved and the heavy damage that was sustained. After finally being able to return to the station for showers and fresh warm cups of coffee, the crew of 51’s A-shift fell into their bunks exhausted, and praying for a peaceful night.

~*~

The men had been toned out two more times during the night. When morning arrived, the replacement crew was more than a welcome sight. A-shift assembled in the parking lot and made plans for their day at the amusement park.

“How about we go tomorrow?” Chet suggested.

"Sounds good to me,” Roy agreed.

The consensus from the others was that it would be fine. The weather was supposed to be ideal and everyone would be rested up by then. It was decided they would ride in two cars. Chet pouted when his VW Bus was voted out. Mike and Johnny agreed to do the driving.

~*~

The following day found the guys on the road to relaxation. Just a day of taking it easy and enjoying some fun rides.

The firemen arrived at the park and found two parking spots together. Unfortunately, they had to walk quite a ways to get to the admission area since the lot was about full by the time they got there.

"Geez, there sure are a lot of people here today," Chet exclaimed as they started walking towards the front gate.

"That IS the purpose of an amusement park, Chet. Lots of people, rides, and food," Johnny chimed in.

As the men approached the window of the admission booth, Chet immediately checked out the cost.

"Ten dollars a person? What are they storing in there, GOLD?" Chet complained loudly. "Geez, we're firemen. Don't we get a break or something?" he continued. One look from Captain Stanley and Chet's words died on his lips.

"Chet, we're not on duty today, remember?" Marco reminded him. "We're here to have fun".

"Yeah, Chet, do you want me to walk you back to the car so you can sit there and wait for us to leave tonight? Just to save you ten dollars?” Johnny was enjoying egging Chet on. “You do know that's just the admission. Food and drinks are gonna cost ya!"

"No, let's just pay and get going,” Chet said, giving in. “The day's not getting any younger. Geez, ten dollars. This better be worth it." Chet still complained as each of them paid their admission and got their hand stamped.

~*~

As the men entered the park, the smell of food was wafting its way to Johnny. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything yet. Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, Gage eyed the stands that were on both sides. He looked for a food stand that struck his fancy as they walked along.

"Anyone else hungry?" Johnny questioned.

"We didn't come here just to eat, Gage." Chet could already see the money flying out of his pocket on what they were going to have to spend for the day just to have fun.

"Chet, may I remind you that you aren't the only one here?" Cap threw Chet an annoyed look. "As a matter of fact, I would like to get something to eat, too."

"Me, too," Mike and Marco said at the same time.

"Okay, what's everybody up for? Hamburgers, hot dogs, steak sandwiches, one of each?" Johnny chuckled at his own joke as he began naming all the food stands that were lined up, calling out to his stomach.

"I could go for a steak sandwich, myself," Roy stated. "With cheese and onions."

"Sounds good to me," Cap said. "Let's eat first and then have some fun. Is that all right with you, Chet?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, eat first, have fun later," Chet mumbled as they headed for the stand that was serving cheese steaks.

No sooner had they finished, when they heard a cry for help.

All six men turned at once to see a crowd already beginning to form within the snack bar. Johnny and Roy glanced at each other and were first to their feet and on the move. The others were close behind.

“Hey, we don’t even know what’s up,” Chet hollered, bringing up the rear.

~*~

The two paramedics squeezed their way between the people surrounding the source of the screams. As they emerged through, they saw a man sitting at a table, struggling to breathe. A woman was behind him, hitting him on the back while she screamed for help.

“Ma’am, let me get behind him,” Johnny said as he quickly stepped over. “Is he choking on food?”

The woman nodded nervously as Roy came around the other side of her and assisted as she moved away from the man.

“Are you his wife?”

“Yes. . .yes, I am. Oh, please help him!”

Roy assured the woman her husband was in good hands as the rest of the guys from the station made it through the crowd just in time to see Johnny perform the Heimlich Maneuver on the choking man.

A semi-chewed up piece of cheesesteak came out of the man’s mouth and plopped on a plate in front of him.

“Oh, this is wonderful to see after eating,” Chet mumbled.

Marco nudged him in the ribs. “Chet, would you shut up? The guy could have died if we weren’t here,” he whispered.

Captain Stanley and Roy helped Johnny check the man out, while Mike comforted his wife.

“I think you’re okay now,” Johnny said to the man. “But you may want to get to your own doctor soon, just to be sure.”

“Thank you,” the man replied in a raspy voice. “I sure will. . .in fact I think we’ll leave for there now. Almost dying kind of takes a lot out of a guy, ya know?”

Johnny nodded. “Yeah, I know.” ‘Boy, do I know.’

The men watched the couple leave as the crowd dispersed.

“Well, I guess it was a good thing we were here today,” Cap said, smiling. “You did a good job, John.”

“Yeah, it was,” Johnny agreed. "Thanks, Cap."

Chet motioned towards the rides in the park. “So, now that 'Superman' saved his quota for the day, shall we get on with things? I’m ready for some fun!”

Everyone agreed as they made their way towards the main area with assorted rides.

~*~

Pausing under an archway that led to the rides, Chet bounced in place. "Hey guys, how about we head over to the roller coaster?"

Cap stepped forward. A roller coaster ride directly after eating wasn't the brightest idea. "How about the fun house? Who’s up for a scary ride in the dark?"

Cap raised his hand, then four additional hands followed. Chet glared at them all. "I swear you guys are all a bunch of cream puffs. What's wrong with starting the day off on the coolest ride in the park?"

Roy gave him a wry smile. "A lap full of vomit would make it wrong."

"Oh come on! Who here except for Gage--"

"Hey! I won't get sick on some stupid roller coaster!"

Marco was getting antsy. He didn't pay ten dollars to stand and listen to arguments all day. He wanted to ride the rides. "I'll get sick, okay, Chet? Now let's go to the fun house. I want to start having fun!"

Making their way toward the fun house, each man became lost in thought. Being at the amusement park brought back some fond memories for them all. Cotton candy, ice cream cones, childhood friends, family members long gone...the park meant so much more than just rides.

~*~

Standing in the long line for the fun house, Gage stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Man, this is ridiculous. I don't ever remember the fun house line being this long."

Chet rolled his eyes. "I told you we should have gone on the roller coaster first."

Mike poked a finger in Chet's back.

"Hey! Why'd ya' do that?"

Without saying a word, Mike pointed to another section of the park. A long winding line could be seen leading up to the roller coaster.

"Oh."

~*~

The fun house line moved relatively fast. Soon the men found themselves about to board the ride.

Cap clapped his hands together. "Okay...Chet, you go with Marco. Roy, go with John, and Mike'll go with me."

Marco leaned toward Mike and whispered. "Are you okay with Cap?"

Mike looked at him like he was nuts. He whispered back to Marco. "Once an engineer, always an engineer. We stick together."

The next set of carts emptied. As the guys were about to enter the fun house, a man came running out of the exit, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Help me, my son's trapped! Someone's got to help me! Stop the ride, I need help!"

Gage and DeSoto immediately jumped out of their cart. Chet flopped back in his. They were never going to get on a ride at the rate they were going.

~*~

The two men approached the frantic father.

"Sir, it's going to be okay. We'll help your son," said Johnny.

"Cap! Can you see if you can get them to shut this ride down?" asked Roy.

"Sure thing, Roy. C'mon guys they may need some help on this."

"Awwww, Cap. It's not fair! We're off duty and we're here to have fun," whined Chet.

"Chet, you're right. We came here to have fun but we're also public servants. If it were YOUR son who was trapped, how would YOU feel?" The lanky captain stated emphatically.

Chet had no answer to that as he climbed reluctantly out of the cart.

"Sir? Can you tell us what happened? How is he trapped?" asked Roy.

"Oh please! You gotta help him," The father said, wringing his hands.

"What happened? How old is he?" asked Johnny.

"Uhhhh.... he's eight. Billy's trapped. Please help him!"

"Okay sir. Calm down. We're going to do just that. Can you take us to him?"

"You mean I... have to go back...in there?"

"Yes. We need to find Billy and we can do that faster with your help."

"Okay. I'm sorry. It's just so hard..."

"We understand sir," replied Roy. He had two kids himself and knew just what the man was going through.

"Sir?" Asked Johnny who noticed a distracted stare on the man's face.

"Johnson. Henry Johnson."

"Okay, Mr. Johnson. Let's go find Billy."

~*~

The three men cautiously entered the dark structure. "Wish we had a flashlight," mumbled Johnny. They could hear the ride was still in motion further down the line. "We need to be careful, Roy. Part of this ride is still moving."

"So I hear. Which way, Mr. Johnson?"

"It's so dark and I followed the exit signs to get out. I'm not really sure. Billy? Can you hear me son?"

They rounded the corner and ran right into a gigantic mass of spider webs. Johnny jumped and a frightened yell escaped his mouth.

"Johnny! It's a fake for crying out loud!" said Roy.

"Sorry, it took me by surprise!" he retorted shaking his head as a shiver went down his spine.

At that precise moment the giant spider dropped down and landed on Roy's head. He also jumped and let out a frightened cry.

"Roy?"

"Yeah, I know. It's fake." Both men chuckled quietly and they continued on. In the distance they could hear a small boy crying.

"Billy?"

"I want my Daddy. Daddy where are you?" he cried.

"I'm here, Billy. It's going to be okay. These men are going to help you. Just hang in there, son."

When they got to the cart they saw that it was tipped forward and on it's side. The boy was underneath.

"How did this happen?"

"Well, Billy has problems sitting still and he well... It's kinda hard to explain. He was trying to reach for one of the ghouls and the cart hit a curve and jerked around and his weight threw it off track and it flipped. It happened so fast. Somehow I ended up on the outside but Billy was trapped underneath. I tried to move it but it wouldn't budge. The cart behind us jammed into it."

"Did you get hurt, too?"

"No, I'm fine. Just scared. Is Billy going to be all right?"

The two paramedics were busy assessing the trapped boy. Johnny managed to get a pulse and respiration. "Roy? I think his leg is broken. Better make sure someone responded an ambulance."

The young boy's sniffling and crying could still be heard. Johnny tried to calm him down but nothing helped. "Billy doesn't appear to be hurt too badly other than his leg. I think he's more scared than anything. We're going to need some help lifting this off of him to get him out. Did someone call for an ambulance?"

The ride operator appeared with some flashlights. "Yeah, I called. Do you guys know what you're doing?"

"Hey thanks, man. Yeah, we're off-duty LA County paramedics."

"Hey man, whatever you guys need, just let me know. Name's Ron."

"Thanks, Ron. We appreciate your help."

Cap and the rest of 51's A-shift arrived.

"Roy, what's the situation?"

DeSoto repeated all the info to Hank. The captain shook his head in disbelief.

"We should be able to lift it enough to get him out,” Roy explained. “If not, we may have to have them cut it."

Ron spoke up, "I hope not. These babies are expensive. This should never have happened," he said shaking his head. They could see he was angry and upset over the situation.

"Take it easy, man,” Johnny said. “It's just an option we hope we don't have to use. Hey guys, think we can lift this?"

The men struggled to move the cart off the boy. The arm that attached it to the track was making it difficult but they finally managed to free Billy.

They gently carried him outside where the light was better. The paramedics did their best to make Billy as comfortable as possible while they waited for the ambulance. He was still sniffling although he WAS making an effort to be brave. They managed a makeshift splint with some old magazines the ride operator found and a roll of duct tape.

~*~

The ambulance arrived and took Billy and his father to the local hospital.

"Thanks a bunch, you guys," said Ron. "Nothing like this has ever happened. I really appreciate your help."

"Just doing our job. That's all," Johnny offered.

"Yeah. On our day OFF," stressed a still grumpy Chet.

"Well, when we get this ride back up I'll not only give you your ride, but an extra one to boot." Ron looked pointedly at Chet. "Will that help?"

"Yeah," he replied sullenly, "till the dynamic duo find someone else to rescue."

Marco slapped Chet on the arm and gave him a disapproving look.

"Ouch! What'd you do that for?"

"You have no heart," Lopez replied.

"What? We came here to have fun. So far it feels like another day at the station." Chet huffed off and sat on a nearby bench. He looked around the park and his eyes settled longingly on the Octopus which was right next to the roller coaster. 'Man I hope we make it to that end of the park. We've been here over an hour and haven't had one ride yet! This stinks!'

The guys left him brooding while the repair crew worked on the ride.

A short time later, the fun house ride operator approached Hank. "It's all set."

"That was fast!"

"It looked worse than it was."

"Thanks, Ron. C'mon guys lets go. Chet! Hey Chet! Get yourself over here!"

The ride was cool and refreshing now that the sun was higher in the sky and the day was warming rapidly. Chet got out of his funk when Ron let them ride through twice more. On the last pass he even managed to scare Marco. Chet then suggested they head towards the other side of the park where the more grown-up rides were.

~*~

As the guys walked through the park, they could see the coaster ahead as it climbed to the top of a hill on the track.

“Would you look at that?” Chet said, pointing. “Man, this is gonna be great!”

“I hope I don’t get a loud screamer behind me,” Hank remarked.

“Don’t worry, Cap, we’ll have Chet ride in front of us.”

Chet shot Johnny a glare. “Very funny, Gage.”

Unfortunately Chet’s look and comment were lost on Johnny as he was staring over at a woman who was standing by a park employee, sobbing.

“I wonder what’s wrong with her?” Johnny said out loud.

“Well, whatever it is, it looks like it’s being taken care of,” Kelly quickly pointed out. He looked ahead at the coaster again. “C’mon, we’re almost there.”

Johnny stopped walking suddenly, causing Mike to run into him from behind. Mike swore quietly, while Johnny barely seemed to notice. Still watching the woman, he shook his head.

“I don’t think they’re handling it, you guys. She looks even more upset.”

“Let’s see if we can do anything,” Roy suggested.

Chet winced when he heard the words. ‘No, no! This can’t be. . .we were almost to the roller coaster!’ He begrudgingly followed behind the others.

“Is there anything we could do for you here?” Captain Stanley asked, taking on the natural role of leader with the men.

The park employee looked over and smiled at the sight of the six men.

“Yes, you can! This poor lady lost her twins in the park and we don’t have enough manpower to search a large amount of ground at once. Could you help look for them?”

“Sure!” Hank answered.

“How old are they?” Johnny asked.

“The . . .they’re . . .fo . . .four years . . .o . . .old,” the woman said between sobs. “Mm. . .my girls.”

“She said they have brown hair, and it’s up in piggytails,” the park employee explained. “Oh, and they’re wearing HR Pufnstuf t-shirts.”

“How does someone lose twins? I mean, two kids at once are kind of hard to lose, huh?” Chet asked.

The park employee pointed at six kids sitting on a bench nearby. “Not when you have an army.”

“Those are hers?” Cap asked, surprised.

The woman and employee both nodded. Looking over at the brood, the guys could see the assorted girls and boys ranged in age from about one years old to early teens. Two of the children were obviously identical twins.

“I hope the lost twins are Siamese,” Chet thought out loud. “Sure would make it easier to find them.”

A sudden slap to the back of the head had him realize he’d said it. He turned to see the other five staring at him in disbelief.

“Okay, okay. But it’s true.”

Captain Stanley just shook his head, wondering sometimes what Kelly was thinking. Or if he was thinking.

“What areas do you want us to cover?” Hank asked.

“We’ve got employees searching this area, and around the kiddie rides. So if you guys could kind of split up and fan out from here towards the main gates would be good.”

Chet looked behind them. He didn’t dare say it, but they had just come from that direction and now they were going to have to start all over again. Once they found the missing kids, that is. He sighed, hoping he wasn’t the only one not thrilled about the new adventure. He wanted the little girls found as much as anyone else. But why couldn’t they have waited ‘til he got a ride on the roller coaster before getting lost?

“Okay, then,” Cap began. “John and Roy start out to the left corner, Marco and Chet go right, and Mike and I will head up the center.”

“How do we meet up again?” Roy asked.

“In twenty-five minutes meet us by the snack stands near the front of the park. We’ll see if the girls have been found by any of us then.”

The men all agreed and headed out, hoping they would find the girls unharmed.

~*~

Johnny and Roy were the first to reach the snack stand. They waited patiently for the others to show up.

“Man, those girls must really be lost if no one has found them yet,” Johnny said, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the counter.

“Yeah, I know,” Roy agreed. “I feel bad for their mom.”

“But with eight kids, she can afford to lose a couple,” Johnny snorted. A glare from his partner had him wish he’d kept his mouth shut. “Sorry . . .just trying to lighten things.”

The two men waved as they saw the other four heading towards them. There was no sign of the girls with them. A brief meeting and the six friends started out on another search, this time keeping together. When they reached a first aid stand, Hank decided to go in and see if there had been any word yet. He came out with a frown on his face.

“Bad news, Cap?” Mike asked.

Hank shook his head. “Good news. They found them. About 30 minutes ago.”

“THIRTY MINUTES? Why didn’t they tell us?” Johnny wondered.

“Um. ..we don’t have a radio,” Cap answered sheepishly. “They didn’t have a way of contacting us.”

“Well, Cap, you’re our leader. How come you didn’t think of that?”

Stanley looked at Chet’s questioning eyes. “Because I got caught up in the moment, the same as you guys. I’m human, too, you know.”

“So we spent over 30 minutes looking for two girls that weren’t lost anymore,” Marco said. “Well, Cap, it’s okay. At least someone found them.”

“Yeah.” The others all agreed.

“Where were they?” Roy wondered. “Did anyone say?”

Hank cleared his throat. “They were. . . um. . .riding on the merry-go-round near where we saw the mom at. They must’ve snuck on the ride.”

“The end,” Chet said quickly. “Now can we please make our way back to the roller coaster?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Stanley said.

“And this time, if anyone sees a crying woman,” Chet offered, “let the people who get paid for it handle it.”

The others silently agreed, wondering if any of them, including Chet, could say no to anyone who yelled for help.

~*~

Chet rubbed his hands together, his anticipation obvious as he glanced over towards the roller coaster.

“Finally! I was beginning to think we’d never make it to the big rides.”

Mike and Marco glanced at each other as Johnny broke out in a huge grin.

“Ahhh, Chet, did you think you’d have to go home without having any fun?”

There was no answer to Johnny’s question, and even Hank and Roy joined in the laughter as the men began their trek back to the coveted ride. Chet seemed to be the only member of the group who couldn’t see the humor in the situation. He continued to grumble as they moved through the crowd.

“Man, I sure hope the line isn’t too long. Seems like we’ve been waiting forever already. And it’s getting hot out here. We’ll probably spend the rest of the day waiting in lines while we get heat stroke.”

“Oh, quit complaining, Chet. There’s plenty of time to enjoy the park.”

Chet glared at his crewmate as he shook his head.

“Gage, you’re unbelievable! We were supposed to be here for a day of fun and relaxation, and so far all we’ve done is work. You can’t tell me it doesn’t bother you.”

Roy only half listened to the stocky Irishman’s complaining. He was used to tuning out his partner’s ranting, and this tirade was no different. As he walked along, he looked about the park and realized it would be the perfect place to take Chris and Jennifer on the next DeSoto family outing. His wandering thoughts were interrupted by a shrill scream.

Turning around, Roy searched the crowd for the source of the disturbance. It was only a moment before he was aware that Johnny was standing next to him.

“See anything, Roy?”

No answer was necessary as the two men broke into a run at the sound of another scream. A crowd was gathering next to a short fence overlooking a ride, and the two paramedics burst through the group, the other members of the crew right behind them. The men exchanged looks of surprise as they gazed down at the sight before them.

A wide channel of water wound its way around a grassy knoll and into a dark tunnel. Just before the entrance to the tunnel, a boat resembling a pirate ship was moving slowly towards the opening. Standing unsteadily in the middle of the boat, a young woman struggled against her fellow passengers, and the firemen realized instantly that she was trying to jump into the water. Her shrill cries shook the most stalwart observers.

“My daughter! Where’s my daughter?”

Without warning, Johnny suddenly vaulted the short fence and slid down the bank in his hurry to reach the victim. Captain Stanley watched as the young man hit the water, followed seconds later by his partner. He followed their progress briefly, then turned and made his way back through the crowd.

The people watched in amazement as the two men searched the dark waters. The little boat had disappeared into the tunnel, but the woman’s cries could still be heard. Within minutes, the dark haired paramedic disappeared beneath the surface of the water. His searching was rewarded and he reappeared with a small, limp form in his embrace.

Reaching out to help his partner, Roy took the child in his arms and made his way towards the water’s edge as Johnny followed closely. Handing the little girl into Marco’s waiting arms, the two paramedics crawled onto the bank with the help of Mike and Chet. They immediately knelt by the child and began their attempts to revive her.

“She’s not breathing, Johnny.”

Tipping the little girl’s head back and clearing the airway, Roy watched as his partner puffed the first breath of air into the child. The two men worked together as the experienced team they were. The crowd grew quiet as everyone watched and prayed for the young girl.

A soft cough was heard and suddenly the activity around the girl changed. Johnny gently turned her head as the child coughed again, and then began to cry. She shivered slightly as the crowd shouted their approval. Hank slapped Chet on the back as he returned to his men.

“Looks like 51’s has everything under control, doesn’t it, pal?”

Chet only nodded in response, but a look of pride shone in his eyes.

“Where have you been, Cap? You missed some of the action.”

“I found us some help.”

Chet nodded again as he realized that a representative of the park was standing next to them. The young man was already busy on his radio as he called for an ambulance to be dispatched to the scene. Minutes later, the cries of the young mother could be heard once again as she rushed toward her child. The attendants had stopped the ride as quickly as possible, and had escorted her back to find her child awake and crying for her mother.

Roy moved aside as the young woman dropped down next to the little girl.

“She’s going to be okay, ma’am. She swallowed a little water, and should be checked out by a doctor, but she’ll be fine.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you!”

The woman knelt next to her daughter and gathered the child into her arms as the two cried together in relief. Roy and Johnny stood watching for a moment, turning to help the ambulance attendants as they arrived. Lifting the girl easily into his arms, Roy made his way up the slippery bank, and gently placed the child on the waiting stretcher. Moments later, the child was being driven through the dispersing crowd as the members of Station 51 stood quietly together.

“Hey, Chet, how’d you get all wet?”

“Oh, ha ha, Gage. If you think I’m wet, you should take a look at yourself.”

The group broke into laughter as they realized that everyone except Cap had shared in the water experience.

“Well, Chet, at least you won’t have to worry about heat stroke for a little while.”

“Funny, Gage, real funny. But what are we gonna do? We can’t go on the rides looking like this, and I’m not leaving here ‘til we have some fun.”

“I think I can help with that.”

The men glanced up as they realized the park representative had joined the group.

“Let me show you to the employee’s lockers. There’s a small laundry area there. It might take a little bit, but at least you can get dried off.”

Captain Stanley shook hands with the young man then motioned to his men to follow as they headed off across the park. He did his best to ignore the grumbling behind him, but shook his head in frustration as the whining voice gained momentum.

“Can you believe this? Another rescue, another problem. Now we’ll have to wait while everyone gets cleaned up, and you know it’ll take Gage forever. He’s soaked! We’ll never get back to that roller coaster. . .”

No one answered Chet or attempted to halt his continued grumbling. Roy glanced at Johnny as they squished along behind their friends. The partners shared a smile as each silently acknowledged that they were only doing what they had to do. Helping people wasn’t just their job, it was who they were.

~*~

The guys entered the employees’ locker room with the park representative.

"Here's some towels, and help yourselves to the dryers." He opened one of the dryers coin slots and grabbed a handful of quarters.

"Here you go, on the house," he stated as he handed Captain Stanley the quarters.

After he left, the guys stripped down to what wasn’t wet and threw their clothes in the dryer. Johnny had to peel open his wallet, take his money and license out and laid them on top of the dryer to get some of the heat off the top to dry them. He and Roy also put their sneakers in the dryer for a while to at least get them dry enough to wear.

"Man, this is going to take at least 20 minutes," Chet complained as he heard the shouts and squeals from the roller coaster riders.

"I'll tell you what, Chet, as soon as the clothes are dry, we'll hit the roller coaster and maybe the tilt-a-whirl or something and then grab something to eat," Captain Stanley tried to pacify Chet yet again. "How's that sound to you guys?" he asked.

"Fine by me, Cap," Johnny said as he rubbed his hair dry and finger combed it into some sort of order.

"Us too," Marco, Mike and Roy agreed.

"Chet? Is that all right with you?" Cap eyed Chet with a stern look.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, roller coaster, tilt-a-whirl, lunch. By that time it'll be 6:00,” Chet whined.

"Chet, it's only 2:15,” Johnny pointed out. “We have plenty of time.”

"Not if the minute you two hear a scream, you're off and running. This was supposed to be a fun day. All we've done is work. Heck, we get enough of that every day on the job," Chet continued pouting.

"You know we ARE civil servants, even on our days off, Chet," Captain Stanley stated. "We're here to help if we're needed. We can't help it if today turned out to be one of those days. And look, you hardly noticed the time slip by. The dryers stopped. So let's get dressed and get the show on the road."

"It's about time," Chet muttered as he put on his clothes. "Move it Gage. The roller coaster is calling my name".

"Keep your pants on," Johnny started to chuckle. “In your case though, Chet, put your pants ON".

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny," Chet sneered.

~*~

After getting dressed in their newly dried clothes, the men finally were able to ride on two roller coasters, the Octopus, the Tilt-A-Whirl, and the Scrambler. They were even able to squeeze in another snack.

"Okay," Chet started walking towards the Wild Mouse. "This is more like it. Anyone up for the Wild Mouse?"

No sooner had he spoken, the men heard a cry for help. Johnny and Roy took off for the stand that had a sign above it, ‘Try Your Strength’.

"What happened?" Johnny asked the operator of the stand, as he and Roy knelt next to a young man who was knocked out cold.

"He tried to lift the hammer over his head and I guess it was a little too heavy for him to handle. It hit him in the head when he tried to swing it," the man explained, as he looked up when the bell rung to indicate another winner.

"Pulse is 120 and strong, respirations 16," Roy announced as he checked the young man for any swelling on his head.

Johnny checked the victim’s pupils and ears. "Did someone call for an ambulance?"

"It should be on its way now." the Park Administrator had found his way over to the stand. "Gentlemen, we meet again. Are you sure this is your day off? Pretty soon, we'll have to start paying you to be here," he joked.

Chet stood off to the side, a disgruntled look on his face. “We oughta get paid a little for all we’ve done today,” he mumbled.

"Is there a problem, Chet?" Captain Stanley threw Kelly a look that if he didn't know better, Chet would have sworn that he saw daggers in them.

"No, no problem, Cap," Chet sulked.

The ambulance attendants arrived and Johnny and Roy helped load the young man on the gurney, giving them the vitals they had taken.

After the ambulance left, Chet looked around and exclaimed loudly, "OK, NOW is everyone done getting into trouble around here? Can we get on with what we came here today to do? Which is have fun?"

He walked off toward his destination of the Wild Mouse, leaving five men staring at him with mouths hung open.

"Are you all coming, or are you going to stand there for the rest of the day catching flies?" Chet's annoyance made him say things he would probably regret later.

~*~

Chet muttered and grumbled as he continued to put distance between himself and his shiftmates.

Johnny looked at Roy and said, "What is WITH him? Can you believe him? I don't understand what's got Chet so bent out of shape."

Roy rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for Chet's whining, nor was he in the mood for his partner's ranting. Before he could answer Johnny spoke again.

"I saw that Roy, and I know what you're thinking. But does he honestly think we could just ignore somebody in need of help?"

"No. I don't think that's his problem. Not entirely. We DID come here to relax and have some fun and so far we haven't had much of that. He's just hot and tired. I know it makes my kids grouchy and he sounds just like them. Maybe we could find a water ride to cool off on and he'll settle down."

"A water ride?" asked Marco. "We just got dried off!"

"Yeah but for Chet's sake, and ours, I'd be willing to make the sacrifice," Stoker commented.

"As long as it stops his grumpfest I'm all for it," remarked Cap.

They were having a hard time catching up to Chet. He was already in line at the Wild Mouse when they finally did.

The shrieks from the ride's current occupants and the rapidly moving line soon had Kelly smiling again. He was practically dancing with glee by the time they reached the front.

"Chet? You got ants in your pants?"

"Nope, Marco. I love this ride! It's always been my favorite."

Mike whispered to Lopez, "As if we'd never guess that one."

Marco snickered and replied, "Mad Mouse - mad fireman." He emphasized his statement by circling his finger by his forehead.

John and Roy giggled when they heard the last comment. Chet, who had been waiting at the gate, turned to see what was holding the rest of the men up. "C'mon, you guys. Hurry up!"

Once the ride was over, Roy suggested they get something to drink. While they enjoyed the ice cold lemonade he consulted a map of the park.

"Hey, guys! There's a water ride just past the Carousel. Wanna try it? According to this it's supposed to be 'the wave of the future'. Besides it's hot and I think it would be fun."

"A water ride?” Chet asked, surprised. “Roy, man are you nuts? We've been wet already today."

"This time it'll be on purpose. You know - in fun!"

"No way. Not me!"

"That’s okay, Chet. Then you can sit and watch. We're going to try it," said Johnny.

The guys tossed their empty cups in the trashcan and strode off towards the new ride. Chet followed with his hands in his pockets. "Okay, I’ll watch you guys," he replied dejectedly, "but I get to pick the next ride after this."

~*~

The line for the Log Jam was long, but appeared to be moving quickly. Cap and Mike commented on how the ride looked like a roller coaster on water. The guys were looking forward to it. Chet sat on a nearby bench and stared at the men.

"Hey, Chet. You sure you don't want to join us?" asked Hank Stanley.

"Positive!" Kelly huffed.

"Looks like fun. C'mon, Chet," pleaded Marco.

"No way!"

"Suit yourself," said Lopez.

The guys climbed into what looked like a hollowed out log. It left the boarding platform and was slowly pulled up a hill like a regular coaster. At the top it was released and gave the same thrills except when it banked the curves, some water would come up inside.

The final hill loomed ahead and was the most exciting part. The water splashed in all directions as the log car reached bottom. The men inside were laughing hysterically and were very wet.

Chet was waiting just outside the fencing of the ride near the bottom of the last hill. As the log car carrying his friends reached bottom, the water splashed out beyond the fence and soaked the stocky fireman. Chet stood in the same spot, still dripping, when the others met up with him.

Johnny handed Chet a napkin he had found on a nearby bench. “Here, dry off.”

“Ha ha.”

Chet went into a steady diatribe on the futility of the whole day, while the rest of the men laughed.


"It's NOT funny," Kelly reiterated. "Not at all!"

Stifled snickers continued.

"Where to, Chet?" asked the captain.

"Huh?"

"You wanted to pick the next ride. So where to?" he repeated.

Chet fidgeted and Johnny giggled again. "C'mon, Chet. Where to next?"

"Shut up, Gage."

"What? What did I do?"

"Shut - "

"Chet!" The captain sounded peeved. "Your decision?"

"How about the bumper cars? Yeah, the bumper cars!"

The other men looked at each other and shrugged.

"Fine!" Cap said a little more vehemently than he intended. Chet's confused look turned to one of hurt. "Sorry, Chet. The...BUMPER CARS...will be fine."

They followed Kelly to his destination of choice. Cap grumbled under his breath. "Bumper cars? I HATE bumper cars. He knows that."

John and Roy exchanged amused glances, backed by giggles from Stoker and Lopez. A glare from Hank silenced the group.

Chet rubbed his hands together with glee. Obviously this was another one of his favorites.

~*~

Cap moved along in the bumper car while trying to stay clear of all the others. Chet, however, attacked with a vengeance. He scored hits on all his shiftmates, including Hank.

Stoker and Lopez tried to draw Chet's 'fire' while Gage and DeSoto moved in to block Hank from further assault. Chet laughed at their efforts. He changed tactics and went after Stoker and Lopez.

Hank continued to grumble but soon found himself laughing at the frenzied driving of his men. 'Glad Stoker handles the engine better than that bumper car!' he thought to himself. He even ventured out into the open and made a hit on Chet. By the time they were finished they were all laughing.

"Anyone else hungry?" asked Johnny.

A round of laughter followed before he got a reply.

"Yeah. It's been a while since we ate,” Hank answered. “Let's go get something before we go on any more rides."

"Sounds good to me," Johnny commented.

~*~

You know,” Chet began between bites of his hot dog, “this turned out to be fun after all. Once we decided to quit working in our spare time, that is.”

Johnny shoved a piece of hot dog that was in his mouth to the inside of his cheek. “Chet, you know darn well we had to help those people. Admit it. You couldn’t have ignored them either.”

Chet glanced around at the others, then slowly nodded.

“Okay, okay. I admit it. But it’s still better now that we can just do our own thing.”

“Well, you guys ready to move on?” Captain Stanley asked. He gathered the assorted used napkins and food wraps on their table together and balled them up.

The men nodded. It was already late afternoon and their time to play was running out.

~*~

As the six men headed back towards some rides, Johnny looked over to his left. He nudged Roy in the ribs, getting his attention.

“You know, I’ve been on one of those things to rescue people, but it’s been a long time since I’ve ridden one.”

The group stopped at Gage’s remark and all gazed to where he was pointing. The Giant Ferris Wheel.

“I don’t know,” Roy said hesitantly. “After we got that call on the Ferris Wheel that got stuck, I haven’t had any desire to ride on one.”

“Oh c’mon.” Johnny looked around at the others for support. No one looked sure of anything. “C’mon guys! It won’t get stuck!” Still not seeing any indication of support, Johnny added, “What are the odds we’ll get trapped on it?”

“Today?” Chet grumbled. “Pretty high.”

Captain Stanley shrugged. “What the heck. John’s right. That ride’s been going all day and nothing’s gone wrong with it yet.”

Their captain being the voice of reason, the men found themselves heading for the Giant Ferris Wheel.

~*~

Forty minutes after they boarded the Giant Ferris Wheel, the crew of A-shift were glad to have their feet back on the ground.

“I told you the odds were high!” Chet griped. “And we had to get stuck at the very top, too!”

“You jinxed us,” Johnny argued. “Cap was right. It hadn’t had a problem all day ‘til you said something.”

“At least it only took them forty minutes to get it going again,” Mike pointed out. “Much longer and we probably would’ve had the fire department rescuing us. You saw how that one woman a few seats below us was starting to panic.”

Roy shook his head. “I know I’ve had my last Ferris Wheel ride for a long time. I gave it a chance and it blew it.”

Johnny snorted at Roy’s comment.

“Let’s go on something that stays on the ground,” suggested Marco.

“I know! Let’s go on that!”

Everyone looked to where Chet was pointing. It was the Zugspritz. A ride that was designed like a roller coaster car, but went around in one big circle, starting slow and getting faster and faster. First, it went forward, then it stopped and repeated the same motion backwards. Rock music played in the background.

“Far out!” Johnny said, grinning. “Now, this looks like fun!”

“I think I’ll sit this one out,” Roy said, still thinking about the forty minutes he spent stuck on a Ferris Wheel, high above the ground, with his partner.

“Me, too,” Mike put in.

“You guys sure?” Cap looked at his watch. “This is probably our last ride.”

Roy and Mike nodded, both trying to hide their enthusiasm at the thought of leaving.

“Well, Chet, you ready?”

Kelly saw the captain and Marco getting on the ride that was now stopped. It was just he and Gage now. And it was his idea, after all.

Chet shrugged. “What the heck, let’s go.”

With the patrons secured on the ride, it began to move slowly forward in a circle.

~*~

Roy and Mike watched with amusement as their four shiftmates struggled with gravity, trying to avoid being forced into the outer corner of the seats on the ride. Chet especially appeared to be enjoying the Zugspritz, although much of his concentration was spent on keeping Johnny at least a hand’s distance away.

By the time they got off, Cap and Marco swayed slightly and held onto the railing. Chet had a huge smile on his face. Johnny looked slightly queasy.

"Man, oh man, that was great!" Chet exclaimed happily as then came down the ramp to meet Roy and Mike. "You guys wanna go on again before we leave?"

"I think I've had enough of that ride for the moment, Chet,” Cap stated.

"Me too," Marco added.

"What about you, Gage? Wanna give it another go?" Chet practically pleaded.

"Chet, don't you think once was enough?" Johnny rubbed his stomach to try to settle it.

"Yeah, Chet. It's getting late and the line is long again. We have to work tomorrow," Roy reasoned with him.

"Okay, yeah, sure, I see how it is," Chet whined. “We go playing Nursemaid Susie all day, get wet, and have to take time to DRY off. And how many rides did we actually get to go on, huh? Seven, maybe eight rides? We paid all that money to have a good time and I ask to go on the Zugspritz just one more time, and now you all say it’s too late. Someone go with me one more time. I swear I won't complain anymore after that. We can leave right afterwards,” Chet promised.

Johnny was getting tired of Chet’s little tirade, plus his stomach wasn't being too cooperative at the moment.

‘Maybe I just need to let a good burp out,’ Johnny thought, ‘and I'll feel better. Must've been those three hot dogs. They sure were good. Maybe I shouldn't have had that milk with them. It was a little warm.’ His sour stomach gurgled. ‘Then again, it could just be the sauerkraut on that third hot dog.’

"Johnny. . .Johnny . . .Gage!” Chet yelled. "C'mon Gage, go with me again. Huh?”

Roy thought Johnny looked a little green but didn't say anything.

"Okay, okay, Kelly,” Johnny sighed. "I'll go with you. Just shut up, will ya?"

"Great. This’ll be cool. C’mon on, the line is moving.” Chet shot a glance at the others. “You sure any of you other guys aren’t coming?" He almost knocked the person in front of him down in his hurry to get a place in line.

"No thanks," they all answered.

"We'll wait here." Marco planted himself firmly on the bench with the others.

"This is it, Chet,” Cap shook his finger sternly at Chet.
”After this, we go home."

"Right, Cap," Chet moved along in the line pulling Johnny firmly with him. "C'mon, Gage, don't lose our place."

"Johnny looks a little pale, doesn't he?" Mike commented.

"Yeah, he does," the others agreed, each thinking the same thing and sporting evil grins.

"Ya think?" Captain Stanley questioned out loud.

"Maybe," Roy had an idea what the captain was referring to. "Maybe".

~*~

After several minutes, Chet and Johnny finally made it to the front of the line. Johnny felt slightly better, but he wasn’t sure if that was because they were just standing still. It came to their turn on the ride again. Johnny got on first, Chet after him. The ride started. Halfway through, Johnny started to feel nauseous again.

’I hope this ride is over soon. I don't think I'm gonna make it off here without vomiting,’ Johnny thought, miserably.

After another minute of spinning, the ride was finally over. The lap bar released and the door opened. Johnny tried to hurry Chet up, but Kelly was reluctant to be pushed out of his last thrill for the day.

"Hold your horses, Gage, I'm getting out," he stated as he slowly stood up.

"You better move it Kelly, or you'll be sorry," Johnny pushed him again.

"Oh, yeah? How so? This is the last ride. Let me savor the last moment.” Chet turned to give Johnny a dirty look and his eyes widened in horror as Johnny vomited on him, catching the lower part of his shirt and his pants.

"Gage! What the hell did you do that for?" Chet yelled, as Johnny vomited on him again, this time hitting his shoes and socks.

Chet practically fell out of the ride to get away from Johnny. He made it down the ramp to where the other men were standing, staring at the mess dripping down Chet. Johnny followed, looking much better than he did when he got on the ride.

"Don't just stand there staring at me, get me something to wipe this off with," Chet grumbled.

Marco ran to a hot dog stand and grabbed a bunch of napkins. He hurried back and handed them to Chet. Kelly grabbed them out of Marco's hand and started wiping himself off.

"I tried to get ya to move faster, Chet," Johnny gave into the laughter of his station mates.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Go ahead and laugh." Chet took a few steps closer to them, being sure to share the odor of the muck he was now stuck with.

Everyone took a few steps back.

"Kelly," Cap choked on his laughter. "Stop! You stink!"

They started making their way back out of the park with Chet grabbing napkins from various stands along the way.

"Next time we plan to spend the day together, how about we just go fishing?" Chet sulked as he continued to wipe himself down.

The guys continued with their laughter as they made their way out of the park.

~*~

When the group of men reached the two cars in the parking lot, all eyes fell on Chet.

“What now?” The stocky fireman asked.

“Nothin’,” Johnny said. “But you’re not getting in my Rover smelling like that.”

“Huh? But it’s your--”

Chet stopped in mid sentence when he saw Johnny shaking his head. Kelly looked to Mike.

“No way, Chet.”

“But. . .but how am I supposed to get home? We’re miles from Carson!”

One suggestion came out of five mouths at once.

~*~

Chet sat in the back of Johnny’s Land Rover, watching out a window at the sunset sky.

Johnny glanced in the rearview mirror. “You okay back there, Chester?”

“You owe me for a new shirt and pair of pants, you know. Not to mention, new socks and shoes.”

Roy and Johnny exchanged a grin.

“Chet, it was an accident.”

“Yeah, but those were my favorite jeans.” Kelly looked down at the only article of clothing he wore now . . .purple boxer shorts. It had been voted unanimously by his friends that the offensive clothing stay behind in the trash.

‘I spent $10 to get in the park. Half the day went to working for free. Food must’ve cost $10. Then there’s the $55 my clothes were worth. Man, what a day. And they call this fun?’