Birthday Wishes by Pattie H 'Man, I hate birthdays! Why couldn't they just leave it alone? I was really hoping that they'd forget this year. I especially don't want to celebrate this one.' The man grumbled a little more. He finally realized that it didn't matter. There was little he could do about their efforts on his behalf. Taking a deep breath and releasing it, he repeated the procedure several times. Once he was convinced that he was calm, he ventured into the apparatus bay. Slowing by the entrance to the kitchen he could hear the hushed voices and the scuffling of feet. He steeled himself once again and entered the kitchen. "Surprise!" they all shouted. He tried his best to look both happy and surprised. "Aww guys - you really shouldn't have! Thanks for the great surprise," he said as he looked over the festive table holding a large birthday cake and presents. Mike walked up and placing an arm around the other man's shoulders, steered him to a chair at the head of the table. "Have a seat Cap. Enjoy your day." Hank Stanley smiled as he looked up at the happy faces all around him. 'How can I be mad at these guys? They obviously worked very hard on this.' Sensing that their commanding officer was more than a little speechless, Roy stepped up and offered to light the candles. "That's not necessary Roy, really." "Sure it is Cap," Johnny spoke up. "It's tradition." "It only serves to remind me of how old I really am. Let's skip it, okay?" Noting Gage's disappointment he looked at the cake. To his surprise there were only four candles on the cake, not forty. "Four?" he queried. "Yeah Cap - didn't think you wanted a bonfire in the station," Johnny replied with a sly smile. Everyone held their breath, afraid that he'd be upset or angry. They were surprised when he laughed. He laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. "That's funny! Thanks guys." Once he regained control of himself he said, "Go ahead and light them." Roy lit the candles and the guys sang a shaky but heartfelt rendition of the birthday song. Henry even put his two-cents in by howling along. Hank then blew them out. "Well Cap, did you make a wish?" Johnny asked seriously. "Yeah I did, but - " "Don't tell or it won't come true." No matter how many times he talked to John Gage he never failed to learn something new about his youngest crewman. He could see the sincerity in his eyes when he made the statement and came to realize that this was something very important to him. He smiled and nodded, "You know, you're right. I almost blew it. Thanks John." "No problem Cap." He didn't have the heart to tell him he knew not to tell his wish and wasn't about to spoil it. Chet of course couldn't wait to start on Johnny about silly superstitions. Johnny did his best to ignore his nemesis so as not to spoil Cap's party. They all enjoyed a slice of cake, coffee and some less heated conversation. Finally they goaded Hank into opening his gifts. A short time later they were finishing their chores when the klaxons sounded. "Station 51. Structure fire at the old Woodcrest Sawmill. 1871 Woodcrest Road. 1-8-7-1 Woodcrest Road, five and a half miles east of Mason. Time out 10:38." "Station 51. KMG 365." Hank replied and tore the two slips of paper from the pad. He handed one to his paramedics and took the other with him, joining the rest of the crew on the engine. He said his routine silent prayer as they pulled out into the morning traffic. Engine 51, as usual, followed behind the squad to their destination. They arrived to find the old mill almost totally engulfed in flames. Hank quickly requested additional units for assistance. He gave his crew their orders. The man who had called in the alarm, a former employee who happened by to check on the guard, said he had not seen the older gentleman come out. He told the captain that the building was already in flames when he arrived. He also told him where the guard's office was located. Hank instructed his medics in regards to the location of the guard's office and they quickly donned their SCBA. Before they headed for the structure he reminded them to be careful. They acknowledged their captain's wishes and headed inside with Marco and Chet providing them cover. The two men quickly headed for the back of the building in search of the guard or his office. It only took a matter of minutes to locate him, still in his office. The man was unconscious but at least he was alive. Roy quickly put him into a fireman's carry and headed for the office door. He called to make sure his partner was following and started out the door. No sooner had he passed over the threshold than he heard the creaking and groaning just before the roof came crashing down into the office. "Johnny!" he yelled, turning around slowly with his load. He was relieved to see his partner hurriedly limping out behind him. "You okay?" The SCBA mask kept Roy from seeing the amount of pain on his face as he clutched at his leg. "Yeah...let's get out of here...fast!" They exited the building in record time. The other engine companies had just arrived and were witness to the structure collapsing in on itself and the sheer power of it's sawdust driven fury. Hank ran over to greet his men and assist them. He had managed to have most of their equipment ready and waiting for them when they laid the man down. He also noticed that Johnny was limping. "You alright John?" "Aww Cap, it's nothing really." "Roy, when you have a minute check him out and make sure he's seen at Rampart." "But - " "No buts John. That's an order, okay pal?" The captain's voice left no room for argument. He nodded slowly and dropped down next to their patient. He put oxygen on the man while Roy called in the vitals. By the time the IV was established the ambulance had arrived. The patient was loaded and Roy ushered his partner in beside him. He fully intended to follow Cap's orders. The captain told Roy he'd send Chet by with the squad in a while to pick him up. Roy took his pair of scissors and cut up his partner's pant leg to get a better look at the injured area. His pants were already torn but did not afford a clear view of the damage below. "What happened?" "Ahhh...Roy. It's okay. I'll live." "I know that. What happened?" "One of the roof timbers caught me on the shin. It really hurts." "I don't doubt it. Looks pretty painful partner." He proceeded to clean the wound which consisted of a large laceration and what looked like a second degree burn. He then palpated the area which caused his partner to grimace in pain. There was a fair amount of swelling but he was uncertain if there was an underlying fracture. He contacted Rampart about the additional 'patient'. He gave them the updated vitals Johnny had obtained on the guard and proceeded to splint Gage's lower right leg as requested. When the ambulance arrived at Rampart General, the guard was directed into treatment room #1 and Gage to treatment room #2. Roy stayed with the guard until his assistance was no longer required. He then joined his partner in the other room. Dr. Brackett had just ordered x-rays and was glad that Roy was there to keep Johnny in line. "I'll be back as soon as I get the results of the x-rays," he said and left the two men alone. "You okay?" "Yeah. It hurts but he doesn't think it's broken. Still I have a feeling he wants to keep me here a while," he replied with a frown. About an hour later Brackett returned with the results. "You're lucky. No fracture. However, since that's a very deep wound you have there, I want to keep you here overnight to make sure there are no complications. I don't like the looks of it and those burns worry me a bit. I'll have someone come in to debride it and then we'll get you on an IV of antibiotics. You should be able to go home in the morning unless you develop a fever." He looked up at the sullen young man. "Roy, talk to him. It's not a death sentence to stay here," he looked at Roy who quickly looked away. "Is it?" "No comment." Brackett laughed. "He's gonna miss the next two shifts and then I'll want to see him back. If everything goes okay, I'll sign his papers." "Sure thing Doc. I'll be picking him up tomorrow and I'll make sure he's back when you need him to be." Johnny sighed. He was not happy thinking about the upcoming painful procedure. It hurt now, but that was going to make it worse. "Well Junior, Chet will be here soon to take me back to the mop-up. Anything you need or want before I have to go?" "Tell Cap I'm sorry." "It wasn't your fault. I'm sure he'll be glad it was nothing more serious." A light tap on the door was followed by Chet Kelly poking his head in the door. "Hi John. How's it going?" "Fine, just fine," he replied glumly. "He doesn't sound fine to me. How about you Roy?" "Let's just say he's not happy." "That's an understatement," John growled. The nurse arrived to take care of Gage's leg wound so both Roy and Chet said goodbye. A while later Johnny was in a room with his required IV. He had also been given a heavy dose of pain medication. The debridement had been rough on him. Capt. Hank Stanley had sent Roy and the squad back to the station almost an hour ago. He wanted someone to be there to meet John's replacement. Enroute to the station themselves, he requested Stoker make a detour to Rampart. He wanted to see Johnny himself. They were allowed a brief visit since the patient was very tired. Each man went in to see him, Hank opted to go last. He sat beside John for a few minutes before speaking. "Glad you're okay pal." "Sorry Cap," John said meekly. "Why? It wasn't your fault." "It's your birthday - " "It's just another day." "Still, I'm sorry," he yawned. "Don't be. After all if wishes - " "Don't tell... won't..." he yawned again. "Okay. But, if you keep saying you're sorry you'll end up with latrine duty when you come back," he grinned. "Chet would miss it," he smiled back. "I can see you're tired and we really need to get back to the station. I'll see you in the morning okay?" "Sure," he agreed tiredly. "I'll still be here." He was asleep before Hank reached the door. ~~~~~~ The next morning Dr. Brackett signed Johnny's discharge papers. The wound was clean and there was no fever. Brackett gave him a prescription for ten days of antibiotic prophylaxis. He was allowed to go, but was warned to behave himself. He sighed and rolled his eyes at the retreating physician's back. He sat on his bed, dressed and ready to go, waiting for Roy. He looked up in surprise when Hank Stanley walked in. "Morning Cap," he said. "Morning John. Ready to go?" "I though Roy - " "I told him I wanted to pick you up. He said he'd call you later on today." "Oh, okay," his puzzled reply was not lost on the older man. "Well?" "I'm ready," he said as he slowly eased off the bed and reached for his crutches. Hank opened the door and stepped out in the hall only to return with the wheelchair he had parked outside. Gage gave no argument this time. His leg still hurt from the procedure the previous afternoon and he hated crutches. Hank maneuvered the chair down the hall and onto the elevator. They were at his car in no time. Once his passenger was safely inside he got in and headed for John's apartment. Gage couldn't help feeling that his boss wanted to talk about something. His expression seemed a bit more serious than usual. Hank helped Johnny get settled on his sofa and then took a seat near the young man. "Cap - " he started with a worried look on his face. The older man held up a hand and said, " John. Let me." When he was sure he had the younger man's attention he continued. "You aren't in any trouble so relax. Last night I did some thinking about what happened and our little discussion about the wishes one makes on their birthday. I have a confession to make. I'm glad I didn't tell my wish because it did come true. I can safely say that I got exactly what I wanted." Johnny watched his captain closely before speaking, "If you don't mind Cap, what was your wish?" "That we'd all survive another shift together and to be able to do it all again. Crazy, huh?" "No sir, not crazy at all. My grandmother always said that the best wishes were the ones that were most sincere and unselfish." "Wise woman." "Yes, she was." An uncomfortable silence followed before either spoke again. "I'm glad your wish came true." "Me too John, me too. Well, I guess I should be going so you can get some rest." "Thanks for the ride home Cap." "No problem." "I'm glad you had a happy birthday after all." "So am I pal, so am I. Call if you need anything." "Thanks Cap." Hank Stanley left and thought about their conversation all the way home. He really was lucky to have such a wonderful crew. Despite the fire, it's resulting injury to John, and the three false alarms that evening, he really did have a nice birthday. He was looking forward to spending some quiet time alone at home with his wife and daughters. This was one time he was really glad that the idea about wishes coming true was not a myth. He was looking forward to his next birthday and the chance to make another wish. Author's note: Happy Birthday to Johnny's Green Pen! Hoping to be invited to many more birthday celebrations. You've done a great job Janet and thanks for offering me a home. :) |