“Screwdriver,” demanded Johnny, reaching a hand out behind him from under the Squad’s hood.
Roy, busy checking out the drug box, frowned over at his partner. His attitude had been grating on him since they had come on shift. Uncharacteristically, he was finding himself losing patience with the younger man.
“Come on, come on!” Johnny snapped his fingers expectantly.
Sighing, Roy got up, grabbed the screwdriver and slapped it in Johnny’s hand.
“’Bout time,” the dark-haired paramedic griped as he continued tinkering with the engine.
Roy looked at Johnny in disbelief. Sometimes, his partner was just too much. Worse than a kid. Most times he could laugh it off, but sometimes, well sometimes, it just down right bugged him. And today was one of those days.
“You could say thanks once in a while, you know.”
“Huh?” Johnny looked out from under the hood.
“You remember what thank you means, don’t you?” asked Roy, sarcastically.
Johnny snorted, “What’s bugging you?”
“You.” Roy wasn’t smiling, “You’re bugging me.”
“What? ‘Cause I didn’t say thank-you and please?” Johnny gave a dismissive laugh as he rapped the screwdriver against the engine. “And you call me childish!” He didn’t see the look that crossed Roy’s face.
“Guys, guys, guys,” smirked Chet, as he strolled into the Engine Bay, munching an apple. “The way you baby that Squad, I’m surprised you let anyone else ride it.”
Johnny answered him from under the hood, “The condition the guys on the other shifts leave it in, they shouldn’t be allowed to get behind the wheel! Right, Roy?”
“Well, I don’t know about that,” Roy answered in a deliberate voice. “I’m not the one, Johnny, who’s under the hood looking for a noise that only exists in your head.”
“Huh?!” muttered Johnny.
Chet’s ears perked suddenly as he looked at the two men. Usually, DeSotto was quick to defend his partner. This looked like a perfect opportunity to bug Gage without having to get by Roy. Knowing that Johnny couldn’t see his face, Chet kept his voice serious, “Yeah, Gage, I hear the other shifts are complaining about the stuff you’re always doing to the Squad. They say you’re a menace, that they’re worried your tinkering’s going to get them in a crash!”
“What?” Johnny sputtered, pulling up too quickly and banging his forehead on the edge of the hood. “OWW!!!” He put a hand to his head, grimacing as he danced away from the Squad.
Roy went into immediate paramedic mode. “Stay still. Let me see.”
“Damn!” Johnny held his head gingerly. He checked his hand to see if there was blood on it. Nothing. He put his hand to his forehead again, sure that there must be a gash somewhere.
“Come on,” Roy forced his partner to stand still so he could have a look. Johnny winced, trying to pull away. Roy followed his movement while he looked him over. There didn’t seem to be any major damage.
Chet, seeing that it wasn’t too serious, asked Roy with a smirk, “Want the drug box? And I don’t mind getting the saw in case you need to amputate, you know, like right about here…” he brought a hand across his neck.
Roy started laughing, which didn’t make Johnny feel any better. “Gee, thanks, Roy!”
Roy shrugged as he finished checking Johnny’s scalp. “You’re fine. There’s not even a scratch.”
Johnny brought his hand back up to his head. “You sure? It really hurts.”
“You’ll live, Johnny,” deadpanned Roy as he closed up the drug box and put it away. He had been partnered with Johnny long enough to know that his friend was one of the most fearless people he knew, willing to risk everything for another but come to things like paper cuts and bumps and bruises… He was worst than Roy’s own son Chris, who was only 7. He suddenly smiled. Well, if his friend was going to act like a kid….
“Oh thanks,” said Johnny sarcastically. He rubbed his head. “Man, it still hurts.”
“So ignore it,” said Roy calmly as he shut the Squad’s compartment door.
“Gage, don’t be such a baby,” chimed in Chet. “You’re a disgrace to the uniform.”
“Oh, shut up, Chet!” Johnny flashed him a look and another one at Roy, for not stepping in to defend him. “Thanks a lot for the sympathy, guys.” With a last withering look at the two fire fighters, he headed for the locker room, grumbling about loyalty and lack of compassion.
Roy looked at Chet as he shut the Squad’s hood. He couldn’t help it. He started to laugh. Chet joined in. Behind them, Johnny slammed the locker room door.
###
As Roy brought the Squad to a stop, he glanced over at his silent partner. It seemed that aside from nursing a sore head, he was nursing a grudge and wasn’t talking unless it had to do with business. Roy smiled to himself as he hurried out of the truck and headed around to the side compartments.
“What do we have, Vince?” he asked, as he and Johnny pulled their equipment from the Squad.
The policeman pointed over to where a woman was lying in the middle of a crosswalk, a young girl sitting beside her, crying. “A hit and run. Typical scenario. The driver ran a red, and hit the lady just as she was starting to cross. She’s pretty banged up. Luckily the daughter was a few steps behind her. She’s okay.”
Roy looked at Vince, “No sign of the driver, huh?”
“Nah, but from the looks of it, he’s got a lot of damage to his car,” said Vince. He hated weasels like this. “We’ll find him.”
They had reached the woman at this point and Johnny quickly knelt down beside her. “Hi,” he smiled, reaching for her wrist. “How ya doing?”
The woman, in obvious pain, tried to smile but her attention was on her daughter, “Please, Holly. Mommy’s going to be okay. Don’t cry.”
“Ma’am?” Johnny tried to get the woman’s attention. She was in obvious distress. “Ma’am? What’s your name?”
“Melissa. Melissa Anderson,” she said, distractedly as she tried to reach out to her daughter. “Holly, it’s okay. Oooh!” The movement only served to aggravate her injuries.
Roy and Johnny exchanged a look. Roy moved over to Holly while Johnny stayed with the mother. Roy was counting on his partner’s well-known bedside manner to calm the woman. He put a hand on Holly’s arm, “Hi honey. I’m Roy and this is my partner, Johnny. We’re going to take good care of your mommy, okay?”
The little girl sobbed, nodding. Roy waved Vince over. “Holly, have you ever seen the inside of a police car before?” The little girl shook her head, her crying easing a bit. “Well, if you go with Officer Vince here, he’ll even let you try the siren, won’t he?” suggested Roy, as he looked up at the police officer.
Vince could see what the paramedic was trying to do. The mother was too worried about her daughter for them to work on her effectively. “Sure thing, Holly and you even get a free ride over,” he added, scooping up the little girl in his arms. He looked back at the paramedics, “Ambulance is on its way.”
Melissa frowned up at them, “But…”
“We’ll be right over there, ma’am,” assured Vince, pointing to his squad car. He swung Holly up on his shoulders as he walked away.
Johnny gave the woman a reassuring smile as he took her blood pressure. “Holly’s going to be fine, Melissa. We’ll take care of her. So just try and relax, okay?”
The woman settled back down on the pavement, her breathing coming in quick, ragged gasps..
Johnny looked up at Roy, concerned. “Pulse is 150, B.P. 185/100 and reps are 26 and rapid.” The woman groaned in pain as he began checking her legs.
Roy finished jotting the vitals down and picked up the bio-phone, “Rampart, this is Squad 51. How do you read?”
“Go ahead, 51.” Doctor Brackett’s voice came over the phone. “We read you loud and clear.”
“Rampart, we have a woman, approximately 32 years old. She’s the victim of a hit and run. Her pulse is 150, B.P. 185/100 and reps are 26 and rapid. Hold for injuries.” He looked over at Johnny.
“She’s got a compound fracture of the right leg, pain in the lower back, possible dislocated shoulder.” Using his penlight, Johnny finished checking Melissa’s eyes. The young woman, moaning softly, shut them. “Pupils are equal and reactive.”
“Rampart, the victim has a compound fracture of the right leg, pain in the lower back area, and possible dislocated shoulder. Pupils are equal and reactive.”
“Ten-four, 51. Start IV, lactated ringers. Immobilize the leg, use a c-collar and backboard. Transport as soon as possible.”
“Ten-four, Rampart.”
Johnny, reaching for the IV bag, looked over at Roy. “Man, she’s in a lot of pain.”
“Rampart,” Roy tucked the phone under his chin as he reached into the drug box. “Victim is in extreme pain.”
“51, administer 10 milligrams, MSIV.”
“Ten-four, Rampart.”
Roy dropped the bio-phone and began setting up the painkiller as Johnny worked on the IV.
Melissa opened her eyes suddenly, staring at the syringe in Roy’s hand. “I don’t want any of that.”
Johnny quirked an eyebrow at her, “Ma’am?”
Melissa, her breath coming in quick gasps, shook her head. “I don’t want anything. I don’t believe in that stuff. It’s not good for the body.”
Roy hesitated, the syringe in his hand, “Well, Melissa, the doctor at Rampart asked us to give it to you so it’s fine. You need something. The pain is putting a lot of stress on your body and that can create complications.”
Melissa again shook her head. “No. I don’t….”
Johnny jumped in before she could finish, “I really think you do. Your leg has to be hurting pretty bad.”
Melissa nodded, held up a hand. “Just give me a second. I was so worried about Holly that I haven’t had a chance to concentrate.” She rested her head back on the pavement, took a couple of deep breaths, closing her eyes.
Roy looked over at Johnny, puzzled. The dark-haired paramedic shrugged. He didn’t understand it either. The woman’s breathing suddenly slowed, became deep and even. Johnny quickly checked her B.P. again. He frowned, checked it again. He looked up at his partner.
“Her B.P. is dropping.” Johnny checked her pulse, “And her pulse in now 110.” He was clearly confused by the sudden change in vitals.
Melissa opened her eyes, and smiled at Johnny. She no longer seemed to be in pain. “Everything reading okay now?” she asked, and even her voice seemed stronger.
“Yeah, but how….?”
Melissa gave a quiet laugh, “It’s about controlling your body and not letting the pain control you.” She kept her breathing slow, deep as she spoke. “You can condition the mind to believe anything, you know. It’s all about mind over matter.”
Johnny paused, the IV bag in his hand. He looked from it to her. She shook her head, giving him a small smile. “I won’t be needing that either.”
Johnny didn’t know what to do. He returned the IV bag to the drug box as Roy put a c-collar on the woman, talking quietly to her. Johnny got up and went to the Squad for the backboard just as the ambulance arrived. He hesitated for a moment, lost in thought as looked back at Roy and the woman as they talked.
###
Johnny stepped out of Treatment Room 4 and found his partner chatting with Nurse Dixie McCall at the Nurse’s Station. Dixie gave him a welcoming smile.
“Hi Johnny. Everything okay with the hit and run victim?”
“Yeah. She’s going to be fine,” he said. “Brackett’s getting her ready for surgery for her leg. She was lucky. Could have been a lot worse.”
Dixie flipped shut the chart she was working on, “I hear she’s a pretty amazing lady, controlling her pulse and blood pressure at will.”
“Uh, yeah” Johnny said vaguely as he helped himself to a coffee.
Roy was definitely more enthused on the subject. “It was amazing, Dix. One minute she’s sky rocketing and the next, she takes a few breaths and she’s reading normal.”
“I’ve heard of people who could do that, but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who could,” Dixie looked thoughtful.
“I think it’s fascinating, don’t you, Junior?” Roy asked but Johnny didn’t say anything, for once not jumping in with an opinion. Roy grinned at him. His partner was definitely in sulk mode and though he couldn’t explain it to himself, this time he wasn’t going to play along with him. He turned to Dixie.
“You know,” Roy continued easily, “she said she even uses that technique when she goes to the dentist. Doesn’t need to have freezing done because she hypnotizes herself not to feel the pain.”
That got Johnny’s attention. “That’s crazy. Like I’d let a dentist touch me without a needle.”
“I understand that you could have used a little of that technique this morning,” Dixie said with a small smile as she pointed to his head.
Johnny gave Roy a dirty look as he set his coffee cup down. “Oh, great. You gonna tell the whole world?!”
Dixie laughed. “Come on, I’ll have a look at that hard head of yours to make sure everything’s okay.”
Johnny made a face. “Don’t bother, Dix. I’ve been assured that I’ll live.” He moved out from behind the desk area, skirting around Roy. “I’ll be in the Squad, if anyone cares.”
Dixie surprised, watched him walk away. She turned to Roy. “He seems a little out of sorts today, doesn’t he?”
“I think that bump on the head knocked his sense of humor out of kilter.” Roy reached for the box of supplies on the counter. “And I guess I’ve been riding him a little about it,” he admitted.
“Oh,” Dixie raised an eyebrow at him. She was used to the little skirmishes the two indulged in occasionally, almost like an old married couple, but Roy was usually not the instigator. This was something a little different.
Roy gave her a sheepish look. “Well, you know, I just thought I’d give him a taste of his own medicine.”
“Uh huh,” Dixie smiled. “Well, don’t be too hard on him, Roy.”
“Sure,” grinned Roy. “I’m just gonna enjoy the silent treatment while it lasts!”
###
Roy, Chet, Marco and Mike were sitting at the station’s kitchen table as Johnny strolled in for the beginning of their shift.
“Morning, guys!” he called cheerfully. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and pulled open the fridge, reaching for the milk.
Roy looked up from the book he was reading, checking to see if Johnny had gotten over his snit during their time off. “Morning,” he said, testing the waters.
Johnny, pouring himself a glass of milk, nodded as his partner. “Hi ya.”
Roy heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like things were back to normal. He had been a little worried during their days off that maybe he had ridden Johnny a little hard last shift but he should have known that his partner would shrug it off, as usual. That was one area where they were definitely different. He tended to keep things inside, agonizing over them, while his partner blew steam, then forgot about it.
“Hey, Johnny,” Marco looked at him curiously. He and the other guys had noticed how moody the paramedic had been on their last shift. “You’re in a good mood this morning.”
Johnny put the milk carton back in the fridge. “Sure. It’s a beautiful day out there. What’s not to be in a good mood about?”
“Right,” Mike turned to him. “So, what’s her name?”
Johnny shook his head, “You guys think you know me so well.”
Chet jumped in, “What’re you being so mysterious about, Johnny?”
“I’m not being mysterious,” Johnny smirked. “You’re the ones making a big deal out of this.” He made his way over to the chair next to Roy’s.
“Okay,” Chet was clearly intrigued. “You know I’m gonna find out eventually. So you might as well save us all the trouble and tell us what’s going on.”
“Detective Kelly, on the case,” jeered Johnny. He shook his head. “Grow up.”
“Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black, huh?” observed Marco. He did get a good one in now and again. Roy and Mike started laughing.
“Oh, that’s nice,” Chet glared at his colleagues.
Johnny frowned briefly at Roy. He leaned over to check out the title of the book Roy was reading.
“Mind Power?” Johnny looked up from the book to Roy. “Uh, something you wanna tell me, Partner?”
Roy paused a moment, closing the book. “I was telling Joanne about Melissa Anderson, you know, that hit and run victim? Joanne found the whole thing kind of interesting and we just thought we’d read up on it.” He pointed to the book. “Do you know that we don’t even use a tenth of our brain’s abilities….”
“Well, just look at Johnny here…” began Chet.
Johnny shot him a look, holding up a hand. “Don’t,” he warned.
Roy continued, “This book is all about how we can maximize our brain’s potential.”
Captain Stanley, who had made his way into the kitchen while Roy was talking, looked at his men, and grinned, “Sounds like something some of you should be reading up on.” He gestured to Roy, “So what kind of things are they talking about?”
“Okay,” Roy flipped open the book, searching for something. “Here. It says that you can learn to do what Melissa did, control your body’s reaction to pain and stress. It also says you can increase your memory so that you can recall anything you want, almost like having a photographic memory.”
“Some things I’d rather forget,” muttered Johnny, giving Chet a look.
“You know,” Mike jumped in. “I saw this program on television the other day. It was all about how some people can move things with their minds, and read other people’s thoughts. It ‘s called, aah, …”
“ESP!” Johnny snorted.
“That’s it!” Mike turned to the other guys, “It was really cool. They set up this experiment where they had some people in one place reading the thoughts of these other people that were on the other side of the country….”
“It’s all smoke and mirrors, Mike.” Johnny shook his head at him, “I didn’t think you were so gullible.”
“Come on, Johnny.” Marco jumped in quickly to defend his colleague. “There’s gotta be something to it. People have been talking about this for centuries.”
“According to this book,” added Roy, “everyone has the ability but few of us develop it.”
“Oh, great,” groaned Johnny, shaking his head. “Tell me you aren’t gonna be going on about this all through our shift, huh?”
Roy gave him a brief glance, his eyes unreadable. “You’ve got a problem with that?”
“Don’t start flaking out on me now, Partner.”
“Well, PARTNER,” Roy emphasized the word. Maybe he just needed a vacation but it seemed that Johnny was still rubbing him the wrong way. “I’m not the one in this partnership you should be worrying about,” he said evenly.
The other guys looked from one to the other, puzzled by the undercurrent between the duo. Stanley watched the two men closely.
“Forget about him, Roy. What about this power?” Chet could see some definite possibilities in it. “Does the book tell you how you can develop it?”
“Yeah,” Roy gave Johnny a meaningful look then started flipping through the book, searching for the relevant passage. The guys crowded in around him.
Johnny abruptly got up from the table and headed for the door. He stopped to look back at the table. “You guys are getting too weird.” Shaking his head, he left.
Stanley looked at Roy. “What’s with him?”
Roy shrugged.
“Yeah,” Marco said, clearly perplexed. “You’d think this’d be right up his alley.”
“That’s Gage for ya,” opined Marco, as he peered at the book over Roy’s shoulder. “He never does what you expect him to do.”
Chet got up and joined the guys huddled around Roy. He had that gleam in his eyes. “So anybody up for a little fun with him?”
The moment was interrupted by the tones.
“SQUAD 51. APPARENT HEART ATTACK…
###
Johnny checked the address again, then looked out the Squad’s window at the rambling countryside. “It should be down around this bend.” He spotted a sign announcing `FRAISER’S FARMS.’ “There!”
Roy drove the Squad down the gravel road towards a barn. An older woman stood in front of it, waving at them. Roy pulled up beside her.
“Hurry, please! It’s my husband.” The woman wrung her hands worriedly as she followed the two paramedics as they went to get their equipment.
“What seems to be the problem, ma’am?” asked Johnny, as he grabbed the oxygen tank.
“His heart. I told him to take it easy but he just never listens. Thinks he knows everything.” Even though she was quite upset, her love for her husband came through in her voice.
“Where is he, ma’am?” asked Roy, clutching the drug box and the bio-phone.
“Over there,” she answered, pointing to a field behind the barn. They could make out a man lying on the ground. Something caught Johnny’s eye.
“Uh, ma’am. What are those?” he pointed to rows of boxes set up around the field.
“Hives,” the woman said simply.
“Hives?” Johnny stopped. “Bee hives?”
“Of course, we’re a honey farm. Hurry, please. My husband…”
Johnny gave Roy a worried look. “How are we going to get him out of there?”
Roy had been watching the man in the field. “He’s not moving, Johnny. If it’s his heart, we’ve gotta get to him now.”
“Roy,” began Johnny uneasily, “we’re not going to do him any good if we get swarmed out there.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry. Just keep calm, no sudden movements, you’ll be okay. Bees sense fear,” said the woman earnestly. “They’re more afraid of you than you are of them.”
Johnny hoisted the oxygen tank in his hand, “I sincerely doubt that.”
Roy had already started across the field. He couldn’t resist calling over his shoulder, “Mind over matter, Johnny. Just tell yourself that they’re not going to sting you.”
“Right,” muttered Johnny, following his partner. “And who’s going to tell the bees that?”
###
Doctor Brackett stepped out of Treatment Room 2 and smiled at the two paramedics standing at the base station.
“Dix, Mr. Poston is ready to be transferred upstairs,” he said. Dixie nodded, picking up the phone.
“Is he going to be okay, Doc?” asked Roy, finishing his coffee.
“Yeah,” Brackett leaned against the counter. “You got him here in time. Good job.”
Johnny grinned, “All part of the service, Doc.”
Brackett laughed. “Well, I understand you had a bit of excitement in getting to him.”
“Nah,” Johnny dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “It was nothing.”
Roy looked at him incredulously, “What? You were petrified back there.”
“I wasn’t,” Johnny looked uncomfortable. “I just didn’t want to take any unnecessary chances, that’s all.”
“Right,” Roy looked at Brackett and Dixie, as she hung up the phone. “You should have seen him.”
“Roy, I don’t think we need to bother the Doc here with a play-by-play,” Johnny said, his eyes pleading with his partner.
Roy just blinked at him. “Ya gotta picture this. The bees weren’t even anywhere near us and Junior here could hardly move…..”
“Speaking of moving,” Johnny shot his partner a murderous look. He grabbed the H.T. and headed down the hall, muttering.
Dixie watched Johnny for a moment, then turned to give Roy a stern look.
“Can I help it if he’s so sensitive,” he said, giving her an innocent look. Grinning, he nodded good-bye and trailed after his partner.
“What was that all about?” inquired Brackett.
“Oh, our best paramedic team seems to be suffering from “old married couple” syndrome.”
“Serious?” he asked, frowning slightly.
“With those two? I sincerely hope not.”
“Hmm,” Brackett rubbed a hand over his chin. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it usually Johnny who’s giving Roy a hard time?”
“Uh huh.” Dixie nodded. “Seems Roy’s decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.”
“Aaah,” Brackett grinned as he helped himself to a coffee. “A case of a paramedic administering treatment without a doctor’s consent, huh?” He noticed the look on Dixie’s face. “What?”
“Oh,” she admitted reluctantly, “I guess I can’t help but feel a little sorry for Johnny. He looked a bit like a puppy whose faithful companion just kicked him.”
Brackett laughed out loud. “He did at that, didn’t he? Well, don’t worry about them. They’ll work it out.”
“Hmm,” Dixie sighed. “Well, for all our sakes, I hope they do it soon.”
###
Squad 51 had been on another run and the paramedics were now returning to the station. The ride was accomplished in silence. Roy had barely finished backing the Squad in when Johnny was out the door, heading for the locker room. Roy laid his forehead against the steering wheel. Man, it was turning out to be a long shift. He sighed. Maybe it was time for him to give his friend a break and have things return to normal. He made a face. John Gage normal, that was. The stubborn streak that seemed to be controlling his mood lately rebelled at that thought. Maybe not just yet, he decided.
“Hey, Johnny, Roy,” Mike called from the kitchen doorway. “Come check this out.”
Johnny hesitated a moment before turning around and following Roy into the kitchen. Both men stopped abruptly, staring at the scene before them.
Roy figured it out immediately. He moved over to the table, a big smile on his face. Chet and Marco were sitting across from each other, a large box between them, effectively blocking their view of the other. Marco had a stack of picture flash cards in front of him and was holding one of the cards in his hand. Mike and Stanley were watching them.
“What…?” began Johnny.
“Sssh,” cautioned Marco, holding up a hand. “Don’t break his concentration.” He stared at the card in his hand.
“Umm,” Chet, eyes closed, rubbed his temples, deep in thought. “It’s….a circle.”
“Yes!” Marco enthused, holding up the card for the others to see. It had a picture of a circle on it.
Mike pumped his fist in the air. “That’s the eight one in a row he’s gotten right.”
“Eight out of ten,” added Stanley.
“What?” demanded Johnny in disbelief.
“Yeah, Gage,” Chet reached for the Mind Power book sitting beside him. “This book is amazing. It’s taught me how to tap into my brain’s potential.”
“Ya gotta have a brain first,” Johnny retorted. He shot Roy a disgusted look. “See what you started.”
Roy sat down beside Marco. “Eight in a row, huh? That’s pretty good. Can you teach me how to do it?”
“Me first, Pal,” advised Stanley as he settled back in his chair. He was trying hard not to smile.
“Oh, come on, Cap. You’re not that gullible, are you?” blurted Johnny.
“Come again, Gage,” Stanley sat up, eyeing Johnny. “I think you might want to rephrase that.”
“Uh, sorry, Cap,” the hapless paramedic made a placating gesture with his hands. “It’s just…it’s a trick, right?”
Marco stood up. “Here, Gage, you pick a card, any card and he’ll tell you what it is. You’ll see.”
“No way. Forget it.”
“You afraid?” challenged Mike.
“No, I’m not afraid. It’s just stupid, that’s all.”
“Tell you what, Gage,” Stanley put his arms on the table, looking up at Johnny. “If Chet doesn’t figure out the card you’re holding, the guys and I will take over your chores for the next three shifts. Okay with you guys?” he asked. The guys all nodded enthusiastically. “And if Chet reads your mind and gets the card right, you have to hang all that hose that’s out back to dry. So whad’ya say, Pal?”
Johnny eyed the guys around him. It was the last thing he wanted to do but he could see no way out. “Alright. Fine. Here.” He sat down, shuffled the cards and grabbed one at random. “Okay, Chet. Astound me,” he challenged. He waited a brief second before demanding, “Well?”
“Hey, I’m still learning this stuff,” Chet explained, as he rubbed his forehead. “You need to concentrate to. Really stare at the card and think about what you’re seeing. That’s how I’ll read your mind.”
Johnny shook his head. He couldn’t believe that he was doing this. As he stared at the card, he didn’t see the signal that Marco gave Chet. Johnny glanced up suspiciously at Kelly, but the stocky fire fighter had already closed his eyes in apparent concentration. Johnny tapped the card in his hand. “Well?”
“Hmm,” Chet was really laying it on. “You’re a little hard to read. Probably because you use even less of your brain than most people.”
Johnny made a face, “Quit stalling.”
“Got it!” said Chet triumphantly. He opened his eyes. “It’s a star.”
Johnny’s jaw dropped as he held up the card. It had a star on it.
“Way to go, Chet!” Mike clapped him on the back.
“Ya gotta teach me that, Pal,” Stanley was shaking his head in wonder.
“So what do you have to say now, Johnny?” Roy asked, egging his friend on.
Johnny was checking the card to see if there were any marks on it that might have identified it. Nothing. He frowned at his colleagues. “This is ridiculous. It’s a trick. I know it is, I just need to figure it out.”
Roy picked up the MIND POWER book and tried to hand it over to him. “Here, maybe this’ll help you.”
Johnny pushed the book away, shaking his head as he got up from the table. “Forget it. You guys don’t fool me.” He started over to the television area.
“Uh, Gage, where are you going?” asked Stanley. Johnny turned to look at him. “I do believe there’s some hose waiting for you outside.”
Johnny was about to argue but the look on the Captain’s face stopped him. He stomped out of the room.
The crew could hardly wait until he was out the door before they started laughing.
“Like taking candy from a baby,” smirked Chet, as he gathered up the cards.
###
Hanging hose was really a two-man job and Johnny was struggling. Actually he was glad of the physical activity. He ignored the call to supper, definitely not wanting to be around the guys right now. Especially Roy. He sighed as he hoisted another hose. He didn’t know what had gotten into his partner lately and worst, he didn’t know what to do about it. It was a real problem - usually when something was bothering him like this Roy was the one he turned to.
He looked back at the station. Maybe he should call Joanne to see if she had any ideas. He debated the idea for a moment but dismissed it. With the way his partner was acting, he would probably bite his head off for calling his wife.
He kicked at the hose on the ground, then grimaced as his foot slipped, jamming his ankle. Oh that was just great. Man, it hurt but as Roy would say, ‘grow up, you’ll live’ He rubbed his ankle. Grow up, huh?
###
“Roy, grow up.”
“But…,” Roy pulled the phone receiver closer, and turned his back to where some of the guys were watching television. He didn’t want them to hear what Joanne was saying. HE didn’t want to hear what Joanne was saying. He had called to mull this Johnny thing over with her. She always seemed to help him find his perspective on things but at the same time, she didn’t pull any punches.
“Johnny’s your partner and your friend,” his wife continued. “So he gets on your nerves sometimes. YOU get on my nerves at time but that’s never stopped me from loving you.”
“Oh,” Roy stared at the receiver for a moment. He grinned.
“Hon, I hate to say it, but it sounds like you’re acting a bit like Chris right now. You just need to figure out why.” Joanne’s voice held a smile in it. “I think it’s time you two kissed and made up, don’t you?”
Roy nodded, then realized that she couldn’t see him. “Yeah, you’re right. As always.”
The sound of her warm laughter floated up through the phone. “You just remember that, Roy DeSoto.”
Roy laughed with her. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Give the kids a hug for me. I love you.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
Roy hung up the phone, shaking his head. She was right. He had been acting even more immature than his partner at his worst. Must have been a full moon happening or something, he mused. He was about to go outside to talk with Johnny when Chet came in the back door.
“Well, still won’t come in. I offered to help him finish up with the hose but he said he’d rather do it himself.” Chet actually looked a little worried. Maybe they had gone a little too far this time. “I even tried to explain how we did the card trick but he didn’t want to hear it. Said it didn’t matter.”
Stanley frowned, “Maybe I better talk to him.”
“Don’t think it’ll do any good, Cap.” Chet raised his hands helplessly. “He said he just wants to be left alone.”
Stanley sighed. He had enjoyed the joke as much as the next guy, but Johnny hadn’t reacted the way he usually did. He looked over at Roy.
“What do you think, Roy?”
Roy ran a hand through his hair. The guys had pulled stunts on Johnny before, especially Chet, and though Johnny usually got himself worked up over them, he never reacted this way before. Roy thought he knew why. His partner always knew he could rely on Roy for backup. But not this time. “Cap, this is all my fault. I’ll talk to him in the morning. Maybe he’ll feel like listening once he’s had a chance to sleep on it.”
Stanley nodded. “Okay. Just make sure that you get things back to normal around here.” He hadn’t realized before how much Johnny’s usual carefree, upbeat personality affected the mood around the station. It was time for things to get back to normal.
###
Roy tossed and turned in his bunk, his bed covers tangling around him. Sighing, he turned over, glanced at his partner’s bunk. It was empty. Frowning, he sat up, grabbed his turnout pants and slipped them on. Padding quietly past his sleeping colleagues, he headed for the kitchen. He could see a light on in the room.
Johnny looked up from the couch, where he was reading, as Roy came in.
“Hey,” he looked worried as he closed the book. “I didn’t wake ya, did I?”
“Uh, no.” Roy went to the fridge to get a glass of milk. He looked over at his partner. “You okay?”
Johnny nodded, rubbing his eyes. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“You’re not still mad about that stunt Chet and the guys pulled today, are you?”
“No,” Johnny shook his head dismissingly. He added wryly, “I figured it out pretty quick, while I was hanging hose.”
Roy sipped at his milk as he walked over to sit in the chair across from the couch. “So, is something else bothering you?”
“No,” Johnny said quickly, then paused for a moment before adding, “Well, yeah.” He looked uncomfortable. “I was just…thinking, I guess.”
“Oh,” Roy put his glass down carefully. “About what?”
Johnny suddenly looked very young, unsure of himself. “Just trying to figure out what I did to make you so mad at me. I mean, I know I can be a pain sometimes, okay, sometimes I can be kind of immature but that never bothered you before.”
“It’s not you, Johnny. It’s me,” Roy let out a deep breath. “I figure it was the full moon or something. I guess I’ve been acting a bit flaky, huh?”
“A bit?” Johnny gave him a crooked grin. “I thought I was suppose to be the flaky one in this partnership.”
“Right. And I’m good, old reliable Roy.”
“Well, yeah,” Johnny looked puzzled. “That’s why we make such a great team.”
“We do make a good team. Can’t argue with you there.” He sighed. “I guess I just got tired of being the sensible one for awhile.” He shot his partner a look. “But man, it takes a lot of work to act like you.”
The two laughed together, slowly letting their guard down with each other again.
“So we okay?” asked Roy.
Johnny gave that grin of his. “Hey, we’re the best paramedic team there is. Can’t be messing with that.”
“Right,” Roy suddenly realized what the book in Johnny’s lap was. “Mind Power?”
Johnny looked sheepish. “Thought I’d check it out since you were so gung ho on it. Figured it would give us something to talk about.”
“Well, I’ll tell you something,” Roy grinned. “I just kept bringing it up because it bugged you.” He reached over and picked up the book. Besides, I thought all this mind over matter stuff freaked you out.”
Johnny shook his head. “Nah. That wasn’t it. I just didn’t want to fool around with it.”
Roy gave him a puzzled look.
“I don’t know if I can explain it,” Johnny leaned forward, his face serious. “You know I grew up on the reservation, right?” Roy nodded. “Well, a lot of my relatives were Shamans and I’ve seen some pretty amazing things that defy explanation. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He fell silent, obviously thinking about those very things.
Roy sat back in his chair, staring at Johnny in surprise. They’d been friends and partners for a long time, knew each other as well as anybody could but sometimes, sometimes his partner still surprised him, made him think that maybe he didn’t really know him at all. There were parts of his partner’s life that he didn’t understand and probably never would. It made him sad for a moment.
He hesitated to interrupt his friend’s thoughts, “And…”
“And,” Johnny looked over at him, seemingly startled by his voice. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “When you think about it, Roy, what we do every day, running through fire, knowing instinctively when to zig instead of zag, that feeling you get when you just know a fire’s about to flash…how we suddenly get the strength to do something that normally you wouldn’t even attempt to do…don’t you think that what we’re doing is tapping into that part of our brain.”
“I never thought about it that way,” Roy said thoughtfully. “But I still don’t see why you wouldn’t even want to talk about it.”
“Because…” he hesitated, searching for words, “it probably won’t make any sense to you. Just me being flaky but I’m afraid that if I think too much about it, it’ll stop working,” Johnny had never been so serious about anything in his life “If I mess around with it, try to dissect it and figure it out, maybe I’ll screw it up. And then what if I find myself trying to reason things out in a rescue instead of using my instinct and it cost someone their life, maybe even yours or mine.”
Roy could only stare at the young man. Johnny never ceased to surprise him. He rubbed a hand over his face. Now he really felt bad about the way he had been treating his partner but before he could say anything, the station’s tones sounded.
STATION 51, STATION 14, BATTALION 5. WAREHOUSE FIRE…
###
The night was ablaze with the flashing lights from the numerous emergency vehicles. The warehouse was fully involved. Captain Stanley quickly dispersed the crews in fighting the fire and was trying to determine whether there were any people inside. Suddenly, he called out, “Gage, DeSoto, there’s a watchman here who says there’s a man trapped in there! The north end of the building.”
“Right, Cap.”
The duo grabbed their air masks and hurried into the building.
“Which way?” asked Johnny, shinning his flashlight around the smoky corridor.
“That way,” Roy decided, pointing to their left.
Adjusting his air tank, Johnny followed his partner, eyeing the walls worriedly. He called out, “Hello, anybody in here!”
Captain Stanley pulled out his H.T. “L.A. This is Station 51. Please respond another alarm to this location.”
“Ten-four, 51.”
“Cap!” Chet pointed to a man running from the building, one arm on fire. The fire fighter quickly turned the hose on the man, dousing the flame.
“Dwyer, Charlie, we’ve got a man hurt over here,” Stanley motioned for the paramedic from Station 14 to follow him. “Sir, is there anybody else in the building?”
The man, coughing from the smoke he had inhaled, could barely manage to answer. “No…I was…checking it…out…got disoriented.” He took the oxygen mask that Dwyer handed him and took a couple of deep breaths.
“You sure there’s no one else in there?” asked Stanley worriedly.
“Yeah, there’s just me and the watchman….here at night.” The man grew agitated. “Ya gotta pull back. It’s about to blow!”
Dwyer and Charlie quickly led the man away while Stanley got back on the H.T. “Gage, DeSoto.”
A brief pause, then Roy’s muffled voice came through, “DeSoto here.”
“Roy, the missing man has been located. This thing’s about to go. Get out of there. Now!”
“Ten-four, Cap.”
Suddenly, there was an ear splitting explosion. The force of the blast threw the men to the ground. Chet jumped back up, hauling his hose with him. Flames were now shooting up against the night sky.
Stanley looked towards the doorway that the paramedics had entered earlier. There was no sign of them and the area was now totally engulfed in flames. He clicked the H.T. “Johnny! Roy!”
Johnny and Roy had become increasingly worried as they had ventured deeper into the warehouse looking for the missing man. It was obvious the place was becoming increasingly unstable. They paused beside one of the massive concrete pillars that dotted the storage area they were currently checking. “Man, we better move it,” Johnny said, coughing. Even with the air mask, it was hard to breathe. They were both sucking up oxygen faster than normal. Just then the 5-minute warning on his tank beeped.
Roy pointed to the far side of the building. “Let’s check over there.”
Johnny nodded, adjusted the tank on his back. They hadn’t started to move yet when they heard Stanley on the H.T. advising them to pull out.
“Ten-four, Cap.” Roy motioned for Johnny to head back toward the door they had come in.
Johnny hadn’t gone more than a few feet when the room suddenly seemed to implode. He felt himself lifted in the air, weightless. He slammed against a pillar. Everything went black for a moment, the breath knocked out of him. For a brief moment, silence. Then, with a deafening roar, sound returned – the snapping of the fire overhead, the ominous creaking of the building’s roof and walls. Flaming pieces of wood rained down on him. He tried to get up, but his legs slipped out from under him. He groaned, shaking his head. “Roy? ROY?”
He looked toward where his partner should have been. All he could see were slabs of cement heaped in a pile from the shattered pillar. Coughing, Johnny forced himself to crawl over to the mess. The pillar looked like it had broken in several pieces, some quite large. Johnny began searching around them frantically. “ROY!”
“Johnny….”
Roy’s voice was so weak that Johnny almost didn’t hear him. He quickly scrambled over to his friend.
Roy had landed on his back, his damaged air mask lying beside him. He was semi-conscious, bleeding from several cuts on his face. A large piece of cement slab seemed to have him pinned.
Johnny removed his air tank mask and put it up to his partner’s face. He checked around the concrete slab. It seemed to be balancing across a couple of smaller pieces, and didn’t appear to be actually lying on his friend. He should be able to pull him out fairly easily. Just then, Roy started to move, moaning softly.
“Hey, take it easy, partner.” Johnny spoke gently as Roy opened his eyes, looking around.
Roy brought a hand up to his face and took the air mask off. “You okay?” he rasped.
Johnny nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get you out of here, okay?”
“Sounds good to me,” Roy’s coughed deeply.
Johnny reached under Roy’s arms and tried pulling him.
“Argh!” Roy cried, his hands grasping the concrete.
Johnny stopped pulling. “What?”
“This thing’s got my leg pinned.”
“Alright,” Johnny moved quickly around the slab. “I’m going to try lifting it. Do you think you can pull yourself out?”
“Yeah,” Roy nodded, gritting his teeth at the pain. He reached behind him and grabbed onto a metal pipe jutting out of the wall.
Johnny found a handhold on the concrete and tried lifting. The slab didn’t budge. Johnny strained, using every ounce of his being. Nothing.
Roy shook his head. “Forget it, Johnny. You can’t lift it by yourself.”
Johnny stopped, looking around for something to use as a lever. He frowned, listening. He thought he could hear Stanley’s voice. “Where’s the H.T.?”
Roy looked around beside him. “There it is,” he said.
Johnny moved up beside him and grabbed it. “51, this is John. Can you hear me?”
Stanley’s relieved voice came over the H.T. “Are you guys okay?”
“Cap, Roy’s trapped under a slab of concrete. I can’t budge it. Can you get in here with the porta power?”
“Yeah, we’ll come in the back way. What’s your exact location?”
“Uh, we’re in a storage room in the east corner by one of the main pillars.”
“We’re on our way, Pal. Hang in there.”
Behind him, Johnny heard an ominous creak, and then the scariest sound of all, almost like the building was taking a deep breath. He knew what that meant. He flung himself at Roy, using his body as a shield, covering his friend just as another explosion rocked the building.
Debris, small tongues of flame dropped down on them. Johnny didn’t feel any of it. His only thought was of helping his partner, his friend…his brother. The two of them were coughing, their air tanks useless now. Johnny looked up and was shocked to see how close the flames were.
Roy saw them too. He looked at Johnny. “Leave me. Get out.”
Johnny shook his head. “No way. I go, you go.”
Roy shook his head. “No. Not this time, Junior. Go!”
The flames crept up along their right side. Johnny moved over and furiously kicked away some of the burning pieces of wood. Roy suddenly cried out. Johnny turned and saw that the arm of Roy’s turnout coat was on fire. Roy was frantically trying to smother it.
Johnny didn’t even feel the flames licking at his legs as an adrenaline rush kicked in. He squatted down beside the slab of concrete, reaching out.
Roy watched him, shaking his head. There was no way his partner was going to be able to move the slab. He wanted to tell him to leave again but he knew it wouldn’t do any good. He closed his eyes against the intense heat as the flames crept closer. His mind drifted to Joanne and the kids.
Suddenly, he felt the pressure on his legs ease, blinked open his eyes. Impossibly the slab was hovering mere inches above him.
With the last remaining ounce of strength in him, Roy desperately reached behind him and grasped at the pipe sticking out of the wall. Using it, he pulled himself out from under the concrete. The pain from the pressure being suddenly released was almost overwhelming. He felt rather than heard the woosh as the slab slammed back to the floor. ‘Johnny,’ he worried, his last conscious thought.
Chet and Marco, carrying the Porta Power, waited impatiently while the fire fighters from Station 14 aimed their hoses at the back door of the warehouse. They were having a hard time keeping the flames at bay long enough for the duo to get into the warehouse. No one wanted to be the one to say forget it. No way that Johnny and Roy survived the last explosion.
Chet squinted, looking into the doorway. He dropped the Porta Power. “Over there, guys. Aim your hoses over there!”
Stanley turned to see what Chet was getting excited about. Johnny was staggering through the doorway, Roy on his back in a fireman’s lift. The men ran to help them.
“Easy, Johnny,” Stanley reached up to help lower Roy to the ground. He was unconscious, bloodied. “Dwyer, Charlie, over here!” he called. He glanced briefly at Johnny. He looked to be in shock and had his share of cuts and bruises.
“Need drug box, bio-phone, oxygen, backboard…” Johnny demanded, but was suddenly overcome with a fit of coughing.
Dwyer and Charlie hurried over. Charlie started working on Roy while Dwyer tried to get a look at Johnny.
“I’m okay,” Johnny tried to push the paramedic away. “Roy was pinned under some concrete. His leg. He lost consciousness about 4 minutes ago.” He watched Charlie cut away Roy’s pant leg and blanched when he saw his battered leg.
“How’d you get him out?” asked Stanley, watching him closely.
“Guess it wasn’t as heavy as I thought,” Johnny said, distractedly. He closed his eyes briefly, feeling momentarily lightheaded.
“Johnny, you know Charlie’ll take good care of Roy,” Dwyer’s voice was compassionate. “But I need to check you out, too.”
“I’m okay,” he said stubbornly. Charlie was on the bio-phone to Rampart and was giving them Roy’s vitals but for some reason Johnny didn’t seem to be able to focus on him enough to hear. He saw Roy start to move his head, coming to.
Stanley looked over at him. “Johnny. Let the man do his job.”
Johnny stared at him. He was having a hard time understanding him too, it seemed. Stanley frowned, “Hey, Johnny?”
Dwyer reached out and put a hand on Johnny’s shoulder. The dark haired paramedic winced, tried to move away. Suddenly, everything began to spin and he started to fall. Dwyer, Chet and Stanley grabbed at him.
“Easy, Gage,” Dwyer reassured him as they eased him to the ground. “What is it?”
Johnny tried to rub his chest. “Hurts. Real bad.”
Dwyer opened the fallen paramedic’s turnout coat and shirt, checking his chest. He tried to keep his touch gentle as he palpated the area. Despite his precautions, Johnny was moaning in pain. “Looks like you ripped some muscles here.” He reached for the BP cuff. “Once I get your vitals, Rampart will be able to prescribe something for the pain.”
Johnny turned away from him, looked over at Roy. His partner’s eyes were watching him over the oxygen mask he was wearing. He gave him a thumbs up sign. Johnny sighed in relief and closed his eyes as Dwyer placed an oxygen mask over his face.
###
Johnny shifted uncomfortably in the bed, tried to reach for the water on his nightstand but stopped, as his chest and back muscles protested. He sighed in frustration. He hated that he would be needing help to do things for the foreseeable future. Suddenly, a hand reached up and handed him the glass of water. He took it gingerly, resting it on his bed tray.
“Thanks, Roy.”
His partner shrugged, turning the wheels of his wheelchair. “Well, I knew you weren’t going to be able to move it with your mind.”
“Oh, please,” Johnny made a face, then couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.
Roy smiled back. He still couldn’t believe what his partner had managed to do in that warehouse and by tacit agreement they would not be talking about it. Roy respected his friend’s feelings on the matter. Still…he looked away from his friend for a moment. It would always be there between them, a bond.
“Hey,” Stanley walked into the room, closely followed by the rest of the A Shift crew. “You’re both looking better than the last time we saw you.”
“I hope so,” smiled Roy.
“So, what does the doctor say? How long are you guys going to be laid up?”
“Well, looks like we’re gonna be off for awhile.”
“Yeah, hope you don’t miss me too much, Chet,” Johnny teased.
“Oh, I’ll try to survive,” the stocky fire fighter smirked.
“So guys,” Stanley pulled up a chair, “we were down at the warehouse, doing some cleanup,” He looked at Johnny. “We found that slab of concrete that Roy was pinned under.”
“Oh yeah,” Johnny was awkwardly picking up his water glass, trying not to wince as the muscles in his chest protested.
“Yeah,” Stanley said. “We tried lifting it and we couldn’t budge it. It’s gotta weigh at least a thousand pounds. How the hell did you get DeSoto out from under there.”
“Yeah, Johnny,” Marco jumped in. “Did you do that mind power thing.”
Johnny looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Um, I don’t remember.”
“Oh, come on!” Chet looked at Roy. “Do you know how he did it?”
Roy settled back in his wheelchair. “Yeah,” he drawled. Johnny looked at him. Roy sent him a wink and looked back at the guys, “but I’ll never tell.”
Chet groaned. It looked like Roy was back in ‘championing Gage’ mode again. Oh well, it had been fun while it lasted. Besides, he still had something up his sleeve. He held up the paper bag he was carrying.
“By the way, a very nice lady stopped by the station and dropped something off for you two.”
“Oh yeah?” Johnny sat up eagerly.
Roy could see the gleam in Chet’s eyes. He braced himself.
Chet grinned, opened the bag and pulled out two jars of honey.
Johnny made a face. It was obvious he still hadn’t forgotten his traumatic bee farm rescue. “Thanks but you can have mine.”
“You’ve always liked honey, Johnny,” Chet opened one of the jars and moved over to Johnny’s bed. “Come on, have a taste. This was made from bees that you knew personally.”
“Get away from me with that!” Johnny pushed his bedside table tray towards the advancing fire fighter.
Chet stopped, standing just out of his reach, taunting him with the honey. The others were laughing at their antics.
Roy sat quietly as he listened to the familiar sounds of their bickering. It sounded like things were back to normal. Stanley caught his eye and smiled. Roy smiled back.
Yeah, things were definitely back to normal again.
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