This story takes place several weeks after the events in Step Back and Breathe. To Bowl or not To Bowl by Min Roy DeSoto pulled into the parking lot at Station 51. He was early, because he was almost always early. His paramedic partner, John Gage, was almost always late. But, lately, that wasn't the case. Johnny had been early every day for the last 6 shifts. Roy chalked it up to the fact that Johnny had been spending a lot of time with Dr. Melinda Mulvaney. Maybe Doc's habits were starting to rub off on Junior. Roy could only hope. Johnny had been in a tremendously good mood the last several shifts as well. Roy surmised that the good doctor was responsible for that too. He didn't care; just as long as his best friend and partner was happy. If Johnny was happy, then all was right in Roy's work world. As Roy walked across the parking lot, Johnny's Rover pulled in, with a grinning Johnny at the wheel. He pulled into the space next to Roy, and jumped out. "Good mornin', Pally. What a great day!" Johnny's crooked grin was wider than usual. Roy smiled at his partner's exuberance. "I guess it is, Junior. I guess it is. You're here early." "Yeah, I thought I'd get here in time for donuts." Going through the door, they could hear raised voices. Opening the door to the locker room, the voices belonged to their crewmates. Chet Kelly, AKA the Phantom, was ranting and raving about a water balloon that had been placed in his locker. Mike Stoker, the tall, handsome, and quiet engineer, was sitting quietly on the bench with an enigmatic smile on his face. Marco Lopez, the other member of Engine 51's crew, was trying to calm the Irishman down. "Amigo, calm down, no harm done. At least it didn't explode on you." "NO HARM DONE? I know it wasn't Gage, he's not here yet. Neither is DeSoto, so I can't blame it on him. It was one of you two, and I'll find out who. The Phantom will have his revenge!" "Chet, what are you raving about now?" Roy walked in the door, Johnny right behind him. "You can hear it all the way out in the parking lot. Now who are you going to get revenge on?" "Roy, someone put a water balloon in my locker!" Roy looked at Kelly, and just shook his head. Johnny was incredulous. "You don't look like you're wet. Didn't it go off?" Roy was trying to make sense of Chet's rampage. "Is that all? Maybe you weren't the intended target, so it didn't go off." "Is that all? Roy, are you serious, man? No one's done that in a long time. I'm gonna find out who did it." Johnny and Roy finished dressing, and went out to the kitchen. Stoker got up and walked out the door. Marco followed him. "Mike? Did you do that?" "Do what?" Sounding very innocent, the "quiet one" smiled. "Would I do something like that? That's not my style." He walked out to the kitchen. Marco smiled to himself. "The Phantom is in mucho gundo trouble." He thought. "He won't know what hit him when Mikey gets done. This is gonna be good." He followed Mike to the kitchen. Captain Hank Stanley was seated at the table, with several papers in front of him. Mike poured himself, then Cap, some coffee. "Thanks, Michael." "You're welcome, Cap." Cap greeted his paramedics. "Mornin', fellas." "Mornin', Cap." Johnny sipped his coffee, and finished the donut in his hand except for a small piece, which he gave to Henry the basset hound. Henry's tail thumped against the couch. "You're welcome, Pal." Johnny patted him on the head, then sat back down. Cap finished his coffee, and handed a paper to Gage. "John, I think this might be something you'd be interested in." "What is it, Cap?" "It's an application for the Department Coed Bowling tournament. It starts next week. There are several rounds, and the Grand Prize is an all-expense paid trip for two to Bermuda." Johnny's eyes lit up at the sound of that. He had the perfect traveling companion in mind. He thought about his friend, Melinda Mulvaney. He wondered if she would enjoy something like that. It would be fun to find out. "An all-expense paid trip? Where do I sign up? You need a partner, Gage? I bowl pretty good." Volunteered Chet. "Chester B., it's a coed tournament. That means the other partner is female." explained Mike. "Female? Well, can't blame me for trying." groused Chet. "Gage, who are you gonna sucker into bowling with you? Roy's wife?" Johnny scowled at Chet, and decided to ignore him. Roy poured himself a cup of coffee, and listened to the conversation about the tournament. "So, who are you going to ask to be your partner, or do I already know the answer?" He did, in fact, know the answer to the question. Melinda Mulvaney was an excellent bowler, and Roy and JoAnne had gone bowling with Johnny and Melinda last weekend. They had a great time. Of course the more experienced team had beaten Roy and JoAnne, but a great time was had by all. "Grand prize is a trip for two to Bermuda." said Johnny. "Sunshine, warm sand, tropical island…." "Gage getting shot down." finished Kelly. Johnny shot him a dirty look, while everyone else dissolved into laughter. He got up and stalked off. Cap got up and followed him. "Hey, Pal, you didn't give me an answer about the bowling tournament. Are you interested?" Cap knew that the best way to calm Johnny down was to focus him on something else. "Yeah, Cap I am but I have to talk to my bowling partner. Can I get back to you?" "Okay, John, I'll keep the form on my desk. Let me know as soon as you can so I can get the form back to headquarters." Roy had gotten up and joined them out in the bay. "What do you think, Junior, will Melinda be a willing partner?" "Roy, she bowls 220; she's got a wicked hook, why wouldn't she be willing? She's a terrific bowler; and I'm lucky she lets me bowl with her." "Good luck, partner." "Thanks, Pally." Just then, the tones sounded. The rich baritone voice of Sam Lanier came over the speaker. "Station 36, Truck 127, Station 51, Battalion 14, structure fire. 7890 Dumont, cross street Mesa. Seven-eight-nine-zero Dumont, cross street Mesa. Time out: 9:05." "Station 51, 10-4, KMG-365." Cap handed Roy the slip with the address then ran to Big Red. Johnny took the slip from Roy, read it, and put it in the glove box for safekeeping. As the two vehicles sped along the street towards the scene of the fire, smoke could be seen in the sky ahead of them. It hung like a thick blanket and surrounded the area with an almost twilight aura. The building was fully involved as they pulled up to the fire. People were standing around pointing and asking questions as Big Red pulled up to the hydrant. Marco and Chet pulled feeder hoses off the rig and hooked them up to the hydrant. Squad 51 pulled up in front of the building, and a man ran up to them. "You've got to come right away, I couldn't get her to move, and I'm afraid she's going to die!" panted the man. Both Johnny and Roy were getting their turnouts on, and Roy turned and asked the man, "Who is it, sir?" "That's what I'm trying to tell you, it's my wife, and she won't leave the apartment! She hasn't left it in 20 years." Johnny raised the HT. "Engine 51, this is HT 51. Cap, we have a woman in one of the apartments. Her husband says she is refusing to leave." "Gage, you and DeSoto, get in there and carry her out if you have to, this building is fully involved, and we don't need any casualties." "10-4, Cap. Hey, Pally, let's go." "Right beside you, Junior." answered Roy. As they climbed the stairs, the heat became even more oppressive. They could hear coughing and crying, and as they opened the door, they found a frail woman in her seventies on the floor. She looked at them fearfully, and as Johnny pulled off his mask to give her some oxygen, he spoke to comfort her. "Hi, my name is John Gage, and this is my partner Roy DeSoto, we're firefighters with LA County. What's your name?" "My name is Agnes Duvall, and if you think I'm leaving this apartment, you've got another thing coming, young man." She clutched her very large purse to her side like a shield. Roy spoke urgently to the older woman. "Ma'am, your building is on fire, and if the fire doesn't kill you, the smoke will. We're under orders to evacuate everyone from this building, you included." "I'm NOT leaving, young man!" Johnny got impatient. "Look, your husband is already out…" "That coward! Too scared to stay!" The HT came to life. "Squad 51, Battalion 14. Everyone else is out, except for your victim. On my authority, use whatever force you need to, but get that woman out! Do you copy?" Roy sighed. "10-4, Chief. You heard the man, partner. Let's go." They moved together to pick the woman up. Agnes' eyes grew wide with horror. "NO! NO! NOOOOO!" Johnny picked her up, and put her over Roy's shoulder. She fought and kicked, and screamed, but to no avail. These firemen were bigger, younger, and stronger. She had no choice. Down at the squad, Cap and Mike had gotten the equipment out, and Mike had opened the line to Rampart. "Rampart base, this is Rescue 51." Dixie McCall's voice came over the link. "Go ahead, 51." "Rampart, this is Engineer Stoker. Our paramedics are in the process of extricating an elderly woman from a fire in her building. Smoke inhalation and injuries are probable. Just wanted to make you aware." "10-4, Mike. We'll stand by." Mike had inadvertently left the link open, so the hospital staff heard everything that happened next. "You hooligans! Mashers! Monsters!" Agnes was madder than a wet hen and didn't care who knew it. Roy put her down, and she took a swing at him. Her fist caught him right on the jaw. Cap and Mike tried to subdue her, and she swung her massive purse at them. They both ducked. Captain Greg Smithers of Station 36 heard all the commotion, and directed Marco and Chet to assist the rest of their crew. They shut the hose down, and came running. They skidded to a stop when she swung her purse in their direction. The other units working the fire felt sorry for the boys from 51s. They would much rather be fighting the fire than the tiny wildcat 51s was dealing with. Chief McConikee attempted to gain control of the situation by coming up behind the woman and grabbing her. It was the wrong move. She turned around and attacked him like a cat, nails at the ready. She went for his face, and just missed his right eye. "YOU! You're the one who ordered these hooligans to kidnap me out of my own home! I'll have your job for this! I'll have all of your jobs for this! There will be no escaping from my wrath!" Her husband Morris ran up. She turned and decked him. He dropped like a ton of bricks. The staff at Rampart heard everything. Dr. Kelly Brackett, head of Emergency Services, had come to the base station to deal with whatever 51 had, but from the sound of things, the injuries incurred were by the rescuers. "Squad 51,this is Rampart. How do you read?" Agnes spun around, looking for the source of the disembodied voice. Johnny grabbed the biophone, and spoke. "Rampart, we read you, but are unable at this time to assess victim. She has become combative." "That's an understatement." Brackett muttered. "Sorry, Rampart, could you repeat last transmission?" "Never mind, 51, if patient refuses treatment, then I suggest she follow up with her family doctor. Any further injuries?" "That's affirmative, Rampart, none life threatening." Johnny responded. "Hey Pal, speak for yourself." grumbled Cap. "Chief, are you alright?" Agnes found the source of the voice, and moved to grab the receiver out of Johnny's hands. Roy saw her move, and made his. Chet saw an opening and moved in to assist. Between the two of them, they attempted to subdue her. She screamed, "LET ME GO!" Struggling, all three fell to the ground. Finally Vince Howard appeared. Agnes took one look at him and quieted down. "Are you going to arrest me, officer?" Vince answered quietly. "That depends on whether or not these gentlemen want to press charges for assault. Who is the man on the ground?" Morris moaned and sat up. "I am her husband, officer." He turned and faced the crew. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, she hasn't left our apartment in 20 years. I've been trying to take care of her. Please try to understand she normally doesn't act like this. She's just upset." He put his arm around his wife, and turned to leave with Vince, but Cap stopped them. "Sir? You and your wife both need to be checked out, if only to rule out any injuries. Ma'am? Would you be willing to let my paramedics check you out?" Agnes was staring, looking around at her surroundings fearfully. She nodded at Cap. He pointed at Gage, then at the elderly couple. Johnny limped over, and proceeded to check the couple out. Cap walked over to McConikee. The Chief was sitting on the rear bumper of the squad, and let Hank take a look at him. His face had several cuts and bruises. "Chief, maybe you ought to let one of my boys take a look." McConikee nodded. "DeSoto? Could you come here please?" Roy came over to the two men, and started to do the assessment. Johnny spoke into the receiver, "Rampart, we are assessing injuries on our crew, and will advise. Please stand by." "10-4, 51." Johnny closed the link, and finished his assessment of the elderly couple. He found their vital signs to be normal, with no sign of smoke inhalation. Agnes was still looking around fearfully, with Morris still holding tightly to her hand. Roy was checking pupillary response on the Chief when Johnny limped over to give his report. "Roy, the Duvalls are okay, no sign of smoke inhalation, vitals appear to be normal." Roy nodded, indicating that he had heard Johnny. "Chief, some of these scratches are pretty deep. You're going to need to go to Rampart for stitches or else you'll have some pretty nasty scars." Chief McConikee sighed. "Alright, DeSoto, I'll get over there. Thanks." The Chief picked up his helmet, and walked back to his car. Vince met him there. "Chief, are you and your men pressing charges? I need to know, so I can get these people taken care of." Hank Stanley had followed the chief to his car, and overheard the question. He shook his head. " I don't think it would accomplish anything, Chief. She was frightened, she didn't mean any harm." Chief Patrick McConikee looked at his former engineer, then shook his head at Vince. "Let it be, Vince, we're not pressing charges." Vince nodded, then walked away. He stopped over by the elderly couple. "Come on folks, you're free to go. I'll drive you to the hotel where your neighbors are staying." "Thank you, Officer." Looking at the crew, Morris said, "Gentlemen, I apologize for all the inconvenience." He still had a tight grip on his wife's hand. She appeared to be too frightened to say anything. "Come, my dear, it's time to leave." They walked away, over to where Vince's squad car sat waiting. Vince helped them in and then got in himself, and drove away. Chet looked at his crewmates. "Wow, she hasn't left her place in 20 years! That's incredible! You know, for a little thing, she sure packs a wallop. Man! I'm beat!" Johnny chuckled. "You ought to be, she beat the crap out of you, Chester B." The crew laughed. "She did not, Gage!" "Yes, she did! You were on the ground!" "Yeah, well, I wasn't the one she kicked in the shin, and dropped like a ton of bricks." "Guys, knock it off, Cap will hear you." Mike's quiet voice cut through the argument, and silenced them, but only for a moment. Chet just couldn't resist. "Stuff it, Stoker." Mike turned and walked away with a funny smile on his face. "Your turn is coming, Kelly, sooner than you think." Marco looked at the engineer's retreating back, then looked over at Chet. He shook his head. Johnny and Roy proceeded to pick up their equipment, stopping first to let Rampart know that the Chief was on his way over, and the rest of the injuries incurred were minor. Captain Stanley, noticing that Johnny was still limping, ordered Roy to take Johnny over to Rampart to get checked out. On the way over, the boys talked about what had happened at the scene. "She was little, but she sure was tough!" Johnny was still amazed at what had taken place. Roy shook his head. "Can you imagine not leaving your home for twenty years? Think about all the things you'd miss by locking yourself away like that. All the new advances, inventions…" "Yeah, and think of all the people you'd never meet. Or places you'd never see, man, Roy, that's incredible!" Roy didn't get to answer his partner, as the squad turned the corner into Rampart's parking lot. As they walked through the double doors to Emergency, they ran into Dr. Joe Early, who checked Johnny's leg, and then gave him a clean bill of health. Johnny looked for Dr. Mulvaney, but didn't see her, and didn't see Dixie to find out where she was. Disappointed, he climbed back in to the squad, and he and Roy headed back to Station 51. During the ride back to the station, Johnny and Roy discussed the bowling tournament. "What are you going to do, Junior? Cap needs to send that paperwork back to Headquarters soon." "Relax, Pally, I'll call the Doc as soon as we get back to the station." The rest of the trip was uneventful. As they pulled up to the station, Engine 51 was just pulling in from a dumpster fire. Mike carefully backed Big Red into her spot in the bay, just as Roy started to back the squad into her place. Everyone jumped out of their vehicles and headed to the dayroom for some coffee. Chet made it to the coffeepot first, and started to pour himself a cup when nothing came out of the pot but thick brown goo. "UGH! Look at this!" Chet held up the pot. "All right, who made the last pot of coffee?" No one offered an explanation, but Marco stole a glance at Mike when no one was watching. That same funny smile was on his face. "Almost like the Mona Lisa's smile, very enigmatic. I can't wait to see what happens next." Marco thought. "Kelly! What did you do to the coffee? You twit! Dump it out and make some fresh. And hurry, willya?" Cap demanded. Johnny went to the payphone and put some money in. He dialed the number that by now was so familiar to him; he could dial it in his sleep. "Hello? Hi Dix, this is John Gage. Is Doc Mulvaney available? She's not? She's with WHO? WHY? Oh man. Yeah. Could you give her a message to call me as soon as she can? Yeah, thanks, Dix. Bye." He hung up the phone, with a very perplexed look on his face. Roy saw the look on his face. "What's wrong, Junior? You look like you did when you found out you were going to be audited. What's the matter? Is everything okay with Melinda?" "Yeah, she's okay, she's spending the shift with Brice and Bellingham, Brackett's orders. They're supposed to learn how to work together and get along. At least that's what Dixie says. I'll wait and find out from Doc herself, when I talk to her." Cap shook his head. "Poor kid, working with Brice and Bellingham isn't punishment enough, she's got to learn to get along with Brice? Good luck, kiddo." "Cap, it's not her fault, Brice is the one who's being a pain in the neck. He questions every order she gives, and he's got a bad attitude besides." Roy defended his friend. He had been around when Brice had pulled some of his more antagonistic stunts for the young doctor. He and Johnny had been present at the scene of a traffic accident when Brice openly questioned the doctor's orders. Brice's partner, Bob "the Animal" Bellingham, didn't share his partner's feelings about Melinda. To him, she was one of the most competent and better-looking doctors at Rampart. He would much rather work with her than her adopted brother, Dr. Mike Morton, and had told Roy so on several occasions. Chet had just finished cleaning out the pot and had started a fresh pot of coffee, when the tones sounded. Station 51,Station 110, Truck 127,Assistant 10, Structure fire, with injuries, 900 South Meadow, cross street Massey. Nine-Zero-Zero South Meadow, cross street Massey. Time out: 11:45. "Station 51, 10-4, KMG-365." Cap handed the slip to Roy, then ran to climb into Big Red. Both vehicles pulled out and turned right. "Hey, Roy, we'll get to see Doc, and get an answer about the tournament." "More than likely. Wow, take a look at that!" The smoke from the fire could be seen for blocks. It was hanging in the air like a very thick set of drapes. Assistant Battalion Chief David Battaglia was just arriving as the boys pulled up. Cap got out of Big Red, and went over to him. David smiled when he saw Hank, having worked with him over the years, and both men had graduated from the Academy together. "Chief, what's the story?" "Hi, Hank, we've got a fully involved structure, move your crew to the southwest side, and lay a couple of inch and a halves. Everyone has been evacuated, but we do have a few minor injures. Gage and DeSoto can take care of them, then assist the rest of your crew with the fire." "Right, Chief, we'll get right on it." Cap lifted the HT to his mouth and proceeded to give his crew orders. Truck 127, and Engine 110 pulled up after receiving their orders, and right behind them was Squad 110. Brice and Bellingham were assigned to the fire, leaving Dr. Mulvaney to observe. Assistant Chief Battaglia had done a fine job of organizing his crews. They fought the fire like a well-oiled machine. They were making excellent headway to contain the fire, when part of the wall collapsed. Luckily no one was in that area, so no injuries were incurred. Observing near the squad, Melinda looked over to the engines, and saw a familiar figure. She walked over. "Hi, Michael, how's it going?" "Hey Doc, not bad. Johnny was looking for you." His eyes never left the gauges, making sure the correct pressure was there for the hoses. "He was? Why?" "The Fire Department bowling tournament. He wants you to be his partner." "He does? That's terrific!" She reached up and gave him a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. "Tell him I said yes, and give him a hug for me. Thanks, Michael." Mike blushed. Melinda walked back over to the squad. Unbeknownst to them, several pairs of eyes had seen the exchange, and most of them had jumped to the wrong conclusions. Chet saw, and the thought jumped into his mind, "So, Ol' Stoker's making time with Gage's girl, huh? The Phantom can use this." The Phantom was in rare form, and he had a bit of a bone to pick with Stoker. Mike had been a pain, lately, even going so far as to dismantling some water bombs. The fact that it saved Chet from latrine duty for the rest of his career was lost on him. Marco saw it for what it actually was, and said something to Chet about paying attention to the fire. Brice and Bellingham saw, and before Bellingham could tell Brice to mind his own business, Brice made a statement about inappropriate behavior, and speaking to the Chief about it. The words were no sooner out of his mouth, then the building exploded. Pieces of brick flew like shrapnel, tearing and cutting anything in its path. Bellingham caught the full blast and was tossed back, landing on Brice. Their hose flew around like a headless snake, throwing water everywhere. 110's engineer saw the hose, and immediately shut it down. Marco and Chet were knocked off their feet. Their hose went flying, Marco trying desperately to shut it down at the nozzle. Mike saw what was happening, and shut it down at the engine. The second concussion knocked Cap off his feet. His helmet protected his head as he fell, saving him from serious injury. He landed on his right shoulder, hearing the pop as he fell. Roy and Johnny came running at the sound of the explosion, having been far enough away to escape the blast. Cap was just sitting up. Johnny put his hand on his chest to keep him down, while Roy yelled for the equipment. Melinda tried to get the equipment from Squad 110, but Brice had locked the truck bays, and she nearly dislocated her wrist trying to open the doors. She almost swore, but caught herself. She ran to Squad 51, grabbed the equipment and started to set it up. 110's Captain Matt Simmons had run over to check on his crew, and found his paramedics on the ground. He grabbed his HT, "this is Captain Simmons, I have 2 code Is." Roy ran over to check on Bellingham and Brice, his eyes widening at the sight of his fellow paramedics lying amid shards of brick. Bob's turnout coat was covered with dust, and the collar was covered in blood. There appeared to be a deep gash on the side of his neck, which Roy couldn't see well, because of the piece of brick, which was sticking out of it. He wasn't moving. Brice was lying under Bob, moaning softly. Roy leaned over. "Where do you hurt, Brice?" "My ribs, and both legs. My back, and my shoulder. Did Bellingham land on me?" "Yes, we're going to try and get him off, but he's got a neck injury, and we need to treat that first, okay?" "Take care of him, don't forget a backboard, and immobilize any injuries." "Look, Brice, I'm running this rescue, just lie back and be quiet, okay?" Johnny had ascertained that the rest of the crew was okay, except for some bumps and bruises. He and Melinda had joined Roy, and were discussing what to do for Bob. "What do you think, Roy? That shard is in there acting like a tourniquet. We start moving him around; we could sever the artery. What do you say we pack the area with ABD pads and kerlix, and stabilize it with the sandbags, then move him." "That's a good idea, Johnny, and then Doc, we can get the IVs started after." "Good idea, I'll contact Rampart, and request a vascular surgeon to be on standby." She picked up the biophone to contact the hospital. "Rampart Base, this is County 51. How do you read?" Dr. Joe Early was surprised to hear Melinda's voice over the link. "Go ahead, 51." "Rampart, Squads 110 and 51 were responding to the same incident, a building fire. The building exploded and we have several injuries, including Squad 110. The first victim is Paramedic Bob Bellingham; he was caught in the force of the explosion. We are in the process of extricating him from his current position, however, he has a large open wound on the left side of his neck, there is a shard of brick acting like a tourniquet. We are padding area with ABD pads and kerlix, stabilizing with sandbags and moving. This will be a wrap and run. Request vascular surgeon to standby." "10-4, 51. Next victim?" "Victim 2 is Paramedic Craig Brice, vital signs and assessment unavailable at this time. Third victim is Captain Hank Stanley, shoulder injury. Will transmit vitals as soon we can. Other victims have cuts and bruises. Will assess and notify. "10-4, 51, we'll be waiting." She put down the receiver, and watched as the boys placed Bob on the backboard. Roy had placed the ABD pads on the wound and wrapped the kerlix around Bob's neck. Then Johnny had braced his neck with the sandbags. Mike, Marco and Chet had placed Brice on the other backboard, and were strapping him in. Melinda started an IV with D5W, and followed it with 10 mg of MS. Just then, two ambulances arrived, and both men were loaded into them. Johnny got in one with Brice and Captain Stanley, who was being transported for observation. Roy and Melinda got in the other one. They started an IV with Ringers and 10mg of MS. Roy patched him in to the EKG, and checked the monitor. Bob's heart was in sinus rhythm, and his breathing was regular. He started to come to, and moaned. "What happened? Where am I?" His eyes opened, and he tried to look around, but couldn't because of the sandbags. Roy touched his shoulder. "Bob, try not to move, you've been in an explosion. We're on the way to Rampart." "What did I land on, I hurt all over, Roy. Brice… Brice was with me. What happened to Brice?" "The explosion threw you both back, and you landed on him. He's in the other ambulance, with Johnny and Captain Stanley." "Well, at least I landed on something soft." "Nothing softer than your partner, pal." Melinda chuckled. Even in the face of trouble, these guys could still crack jokes. Roy smiled at her, then checked Bob's IV. In the other ambulance, Brice was trying to tell Johnny about Melinda and Mike. "…and then she reached up and gave him a hug and a kiss. So what do you think about that, Gage? " Johnny was livid. "I'll tell you what you I think, Brice, I think you're full of sh…" "Hey! Do you eat with that mouth?" interrupted Cap. "Instead of listening to this, why don't you hear it from Doctor Mulvaney herself. Talk to Mike and the Doc when we get to Rampart." Johnny was still angry, but kept his comments to himself. Both ambulances turned into the lane to Rampart, and as they backed up to the entrance, the double doors opened to reveal a full team of doctors and nurses ready to move patients into treatment rooms. The elevator doors opened to reveal the rather imposing personage of Dr. Jameson Randolph, vascular surgeon, followed by Dr. Mike Morton, who was on surgical rotation. They met Bob's gurney, where Dr. Brackett was getting ready to move him into treatment room 2. Brackett started issuing orders. "Sally, get vital signs and EKG." "Dix, type and crossmatch for 6 units of whole blood, I want x-rays of the neck, full chest series, flatplate of the abdomen. Dr. Randolph, your call." "Since this is a teaching session for Doctor Morton, we'll let him proceed. Doctor?" Mike took a deep breath, looking to Kel for confirmation. "Well, we need to find out how far the shard is in there, and then prep for surgery. Sally, vitals?" "Vital signs are pulse 120, respirations 15, B/P 128/70, Doctor." "Thank you, Sally." At that time, the x-ray tech arrived, so the staff stepped out into the corridor. Dr. Randolph looked at Melinda, with a sardonic grin on his face. "Tell me, Doctor, do you want to be a fireman when you grow up?" Johnny and Roy laughed. Melinda blushed, since she had been on Dr. Randolph's rotation last month, and he had been merciless in his expectations of how Doctors were supposed to behave. Brackett explained that he preferred that his staff work in the field with the paramedics so that they had a good working relationship, with no misunderstandings. Dr. Randolph nodded. "An excellent idea, Doctor, I see that you were in the field with my patient?" "Yes, sir, and I guess now that they're both here, I'll give the Fire Department back its equipment." With that, she took off her turnout coat and handed it to Roy. She looked back at Randolph. "May I scrub in, Doctor? I promise not to kibbitz." "If it's alright with Dr. Brackett, and you're not needed here, it's alright with me." Dr. Randolph nodded at Mike, and they headed up to surgery. Melinda said, "I'll join you shortly. I need to clear something up. Johnny, may I speak with you?" Johnny walked away with her. "Hey, partner, I'll grab some supplies." Roy walked to the nurses' station with Dixie to get the needed supplies. Melinda walked to the elevator with Johnny, and as they stood there, she said to him, "Mike told me about the bowling tournament, and I'll be happy to be your partner. As a matter of fact, I was so happy that he told me, I gave him a hug and a kiss. I know somebody probably saw it, and they're just dying to tell you, but I wanted you to know first, so there are no misunderstandings, okay?" Johnny grinned, "I told Brice he was full of it, but I'm glad you're my partner. I'll tell Cap, and we'll get the form turned in. We'll set up a time to practice, okay? I'll see you later." He turned and walked back to Roy. "Ready to go, Pally?" Melinda smiled and walked into the elevator. She pushed the button for the surgical floor, and as the doors closed, she started to gather her thoughts for the upcoming surgery. She said a small prayer that everything would come out okay. The doors opened, and she stepped into the scrub area. Mike Morton was in the process of scrubbing. "Nice of you to join us, Doctor." "Why, thank you Doctor. I'll be with you in a second." She started scrubbing. When she was finished, they turned and walked into the surgical suite. Dr. Randolph nodded at them, then spoke. "Alright, people, let's begin." Roy and Johnny headed to the exit, and ran into Captain Stanley, who was just coming out of treatment room 4. Dr. Early had popped the shoulder back into place, and there was a small amount of swelling, but nothing to hinder Cap from returning to work. Chet, Marco, and Mike were waiting for them, and as they stood, Cap spoke. "Kelly! What's the matter with you? Didn't they teach you to remove your headgear indoors?" Chet reached up to take his helmet off, and there, on his forehead, was a thick black streak. Everyone stared, but Johnny reached up and touched it. "It's shoe polish! What are you doing with shoe polish on your head?" "OH MAN! Somebody polished my helmet! It's all over the inside!" His eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute! One of you guys did this! Which one of you did this?" Cap sighed. Sometimes they were worse than preschoolers. "Come on, let's get back. Kelly, let's go." He headed out to the engine. Marco hung back. He glanced at Mike, who was right beside him. "Mike? Did you polish Chet's helmet?" "No, but I wish I had, that was great." "Well, if you didn't do it, and I didn't do it, that leaves 4 other people, and I don't think Chet would polish his own helmet. That leaves Cap, Roy and Johnny." "We can count Cap out, that's not something I think he'd do." The two men walked up to the engine. Cap was standing next to Big Red, with a scowl on his face. "I thought I'd have to drive home." Mike climbed up into the driver's seat and started the engine. The squad followed them out and they turned left to go back to the station. Johnny was grinning widely. "She said yes, Roy! She wants to be my partner! We're gonna clean everyone's clocks! It'll be a slaughter!" Roy looked at his partner, who was extremely excited. "Ah, Johnny, don't you think you'd better not plan for a full-scale slaughter? Suppose one of you is having a bad day? Suppose she gets stuck at the hospital? What will you do then?" Johnny stopped, and looked at his partner. "Man, Roy, you really know how to bring somebody down. What's the matter with you?" "What's the matter with me? Nothing's wrong with me. I just think you'd better not count your chickens, that's all. I just don't think you're thinking straight, I mean, you're both good bowlers, but suppose you meet up with someone who bowls better?" "We're not gonna meet up with anyone who bowls better!" Johnny shouted. The two vehicles stopped in front of the station, Big Red backed in first, then the squad. Roy and Johnny were still arguing. Cap got out of the engine, and stood in front of the squad, glaring at the two of them. They caught sight of him standing there, and both stopped talking at the same time. They got out of the squad, and stood there in front of him. "Well?" he asked. "Cap, we were just discussing the upcoming bowling tournament." explained Johnny. Cap looked at Roy. "Your explanation, DeSoto?" "What he said, Cap. I was just trying to calm him down, and he took it the wrong way." "Well, all I want right now is a decent cup of coffee, and some peace and quiet. Kelly, take care of your helmet. Everyone else finish your chores." His shoulder was sore, and he needed to take some aspirin. He walked into the kitchen, and poured himself a cup of coffee. He turned around to see Henry laying on the sofa, staring at him. "Henry, whatdya think, Pal? These guys are driving me nuts. Maybe I'm getting too old for all this nonsense. All I want is some peace and quiet, no practical jokes, no ranting, no raving, nothing. Just quiet. Maybe after I retire." He sat down on the sofa, Henry climbing into his lap. He shook his head. "Maybe all this stuff will calm down after the bowling tournament, they'll all be so concerned with that, they'll have no time for practical jokes. One can only hope, right pal?" TO BE CONTINUED.... Let Min know you want more! |