College Man by Nexxie Chris DeSoto pounded in frustration on the front door of his parents' home. Locked. He could smell the smoke emanating from the upstairs windows, feel the heat through the front door as the fire licked its way ever closer, sealing off the only means of escape. Roy and Joanne tugged desperately at the window in their bedroom, but the sash stubbornly refused to budge and no attempts to break the window were successful. Chris could see the panic in their eyes as he fought the stubborn door. His key didn't fit. Nothing seemed to work. Inside the house he could hear Jennifer's muffled screams. "What's the equation, Mr. DeSoto?" the house asked him with the voice of his Math Professor. "Give me the correct answer and the door will open." The formula danced in the air over his head, just out of reach as Chris struggled to recall his math lesson from earlier in the day. The outside walls blackened, the fire burning through to the wood siding and creeping up to the second floor. Frustrated, Chris cried out in the agony of loss, knowing his family perished in the flames. "Well, Mr. DeSoto? Do you know the answer? Their lives are in your hands," the house taunted him. Inside the house, the fire ate through the ceiling and the second floor gave way. Chris watched in horror as his parents disappeared from their bedroom window and fell into the inferno below. Jennifer's screams ceased abruptly and Chris replaced them with his own. "A fireman!" he cried. "If I was a fireman I could save their lives! Dad! Mom! Jen! Please don't die. I'll do better! I'll study harder. Aaaaargh!" Chris DeSoto rolled, tossed and fought, tangling himself hopelessly in the bedsheets before Chad Ferrell, his college roommate, finally shook him awake. "Huh?!" Chris sat up in bed, his eyes wide in terror, his body drenched in cold sweat. For the third time this week he had the same nightmare. "I don't know what you're dreamin' about, Christy, but if I were you, I'd see a shrink or something." Chad yawned widely and padded his way back to his own bed. Within moments he was asleep. Chris envied him. I don't feel like ever sleeping again. Wonder what J.R. is doing right now? He's probably in his bunk fast asleep after putting out five fires and rescuing twenty victims from a cave-in somewhere. Man, that must be the life. He looked at the clock...six a.m. on Wednesday morning. C-Shift returned this morning. J.R. would be up, most likely, and dressing for work. How that guy managed to crawl out from between the sheets each day before five-thirty was a mystery. Even on the camping trip two months ago he was awake before the birds. J.R. was the only person he could talk to at this point, the only person that knew his secret. ********** The phone in the kitchen downstairs broke the peace of the early morning, interrupting J.R.'s train of thought as he pulled on his Levi's. She was early! He descended the stairs at a gallop, vaulting the railing at the bottom landing and sliding on stockinged feet before running into the kitchen to answer. His dad didn't know it, but the phone in the master bedroom would not ring. J.R. unplugged it to avoid waking up his father; it was the only way he could talk to Jennifer without his parent knowing. "Gage and Gage," he answered breathlessly. He nearly sang out, "Morning, Sunshine," but was glad to have erred on the side of caution when it was her brother's voice, and not his girlfriend's, that hailed him. "Geez, Gage, what have you been doing, running a marathon?" "Hey, DeSoto, how's it goin'?" J.R. was disappointed not to hear Jen's voice, but he couldn't let Chris know that. He was still certain, despite Jennifer's assurances, that Chris would dislike the thought of his sister becoming involved with J.R. Gage. "It's going lousy, that's how it's goin'!" was the angry response. J.R. was the only one who knew that Chris DeSoto hated college with a passion and longed to come home. "What's the matter this time?" J.R. tried not to sound longsuffering, but it was getting toward six o'clock and time for Jen to call. He'd come to depend on that every morning, and he knew she was making a real sacrifice by getting up so early. He smiled at the thought; Jennifer DeSoto liked her sleep. J.R. was also more than a little put out with Chris. He'd tried to talk the younger boy into telling his parents how he really felt about college, but to no avail. Chris is wasting a college education when all he wants is to be doing what I'm doing---riding a fire engine every day for a living. It's ironic that I would kill for the chance at a college education. Isn't life humorous? "J.R., I keep having these nightmares. I want to be putting out fires instead of concentrating on English and Math, but in my dreams, I can't put out the fire or rescue the victim until I solve the math problem or write an essay. And I never get them right. I'm going nuts here." I'll buy that, J.R. thought. "Look, Chris, there will still be fires to put out after college. I even promise to save some for you." He chuckled at the thought of not having enough fires to go around. Some days he barely had time to eat or shower all day. "Oh, ha ha, that's real funny. I wish we could trade places," Chris said, his voice a good imitation of a pouting five-year-old. "Or better yet, I wish we could be riding the engine together! Gage and DeSoto, second generation. Sounds pretty good, huh?" "Yeah," J.R. agreed, "it sounds good. But to truly be the second generation we would have to be paramedics." He knew what was coming next. "NO THANK YOU!" "I thought you liked what your dad did for a living." J.R. couldn't resist baiting his friend. If it would make Chris re-think his situation, J.R. would go a lot farther than that. "I did...I do, you know that. I'm proud of my dad and all he's accomplished. But all that blood and gore he's had to wade through...no thank you. Sometimes dad would tell how a patient threw up on him or how he had to change shirts because somebody's severed artery squirted all over him. Yuck! Give me a hose and an axe any day." J.R. could envision Chris shuddering; he had a weak stomach. "Well, it kind of goes with the territory of dealing with sick and hurt people. I help Winston and Crawford sometimes...we all do. That's part of this job too. Some of the victims I help carry out don't look so good either, you know." He didn't bring up the part about finding burned corpses...it was too early in the morning to make DeSoto barf. All in all, J.R. thought, I like what I do for a living, gross stuff and all. "J.R., you sound like you wanna be a paramedic or something." Chris was sounding almost panicked. "I didn't say that," he tried to reassure Chris. "I have reasons for not volunteering for the program too---they just aren't the same ones you have." "Has your dad tried to talk you into it?" "Nope, not even once. I'm not sure why, either; I kind of expected him to." "Gage, promise me you won't stop riding the engine. Promise me you'll stay just a plain old hose jockey." "DeSoto," he answered wryly, "the odds of me doing anything else aren't worth mentioning at this point. Tell ya what, I'll keep a seat warm for ya on Engine 15, how's that?" Pacified, Chris answered, "Deal, bud!" "J.R.? Is there somebody down there?" Johnny's sleepy voice drifted down the stairs. Darn. Chris talked until after Dad's alarm went off. There was no way to talk to Jennifer now. "No, Dad, I'm on the phone to somebody." He hoped Johnny wouldn't ask who. "Kid's always on the phone." The younger Gage smiled at his dad's grouchy comment. It was going to be a typical morning...except that he'd talked to Chris instead of Jennifer. ********** The buttons just wouldn't cooperate this morning and Roy was running late. Still, he wouldn't change last night for anything. He and Joanne celebrated nineteen years together with dinner at a restaurant they couldn't normally afford followed by dancing at a popular night spot and a drive along the coast highway in his Porsche. The conversation about their dreams coming true took place at a 'scenic overlook' and included a view of white-capped waves highlighted by a three-quarter moon and serenaded by the sound of the surf. It was a memorable evening. Dinner was courtesy of his former partner. In times past, their anniversary gift included a night without children. Johnny babysat Chris and Jennifer so their parents could be guaranteed at least one uninterrupted night together per year without the ritual of drinks, stories and tuck-ins. Now that the kids were grown past the need of babysitting, Johnny found other ways to make their anniversary special. This year it was "dinner for two" at Don Carlo's, the very posh Italian restaurant where Rudy Taylor, one of the firefighters on Station 51's C-Shift, spent his off-duty time as a chef. Roy supposed that there was a discount involved somewhere, but it didn't make the evening less wonderful. They spent a lot of time reminiscing about their life together, taking a scenic drive after dinner to a favorite parking spot. Roy was surprised to find it nearly unchanged from when they were in high school. You know, Jo," Roy said as he held his wife tightly in his arms, "it's finally all coming together. Our son is in college and I'm a captain. In two years Jennifer will graduate high school and start college. In four years our mortgage will be paid off and Chris will be out of college. What we've saved for, worked for, dreamed about all these years is finally happening." Joanne smiled contentedly. "It doesn't seem possible, Honey," she agreed. "Wasn't it just yesterday that we held baby Christopher and planned for a home of our own? You had just finished Fire Academy and it was a struggle to make ends meet." "We ate our share of chicken and hamburger and wore clothes until they wore out. I can remember even budgeting for a haircut," Roy chuckled. "Then we had Jennifer and things got even tighter. You worked extra shifts and caught rides to save on gas. I clipped coupons, saved stamps and figured out ways to cut down on using the utilities." They were hard times and Joanne was glad they were finally over. "When I became a paramedic, things got worse instead of better... more demanding job, more dangerous rescues. You were so supportive, Jo, I don't know how you've stood it all these years." Roy kissed her softly, appreciating the love that carried them through the hard times. She was the one that held the family together, that kept him from going insane when the job became more than he could bear. She was his source of strength. "I wasn't always patient and supportive," Joanne admitted. "There were times I wanted to scream in frustration, and even more times I wanted to strangle that partner of yours for getting you involved in his nutty schemes." "Yeah, he did have a few. But I think he's outgrown that now." Roy smiled fondly at the memory of Johnny's enthusiasm for some of the silliest things---like writing a game show. And between that and his hurt puppydog look he usually managed to rope Roy into whatever it was. But that was in the past. Joanne snuggled even closer and held her face up for a kiss. The evening breeze, warm for October, combined with the dinner wine and the magic of the stars overhead created the perfect romantic mood for the remainder of the evening. What followed after they returned home was just as exciting and enjoyable as the 'date'. After nineteen years, Joanne was still the love of his life and their intimate times together just got better all the time, in Roy's view. Jennifer would normally have stayed out at Johnny's ranch in order to give her parents the privacy they desired, but her unwise behavior on her last visit there and continued infatuaton for Johnny's son J.R. precluded that. Maybe they were being unduly cautious, Roy admitted to himself, but it was a mutual decision between the DeSotos and Johnny for the protection of both of their offspring. This year, Jen slept over at a girlfriend's house. With a loving look at his still-sleeping wife, Roy hustled down the stairs and out to his car to begin the short commute to Station 99, only a couple miles from his house. He supposed it would have been smarter economically to transfer to 99's years ago, but he never regretted the partnership with John Gage that kept him driving the extra miles to Station 51. "Mornin', Cap," various voices sang out as Roy entered Station 99 to begin the work day. He was a popular captain and his men were grateful to have him. Roy greeted Scott Richey, his engineer, and senior paramedic Jesse 'Pete' Peters, who were engaged in an animated conversation in front of the coffee pot, before parting them to pour a cup for himself. Captain DeSoto sighed with his first sip of the heavily sugared and creamed coffee. Life was good. "Have a nice anniversary, Cap?" Pete asked. He knew Roy was fretting all last shift about the details of the evening and the present he would give his wife. Cap was like that, a worrier. "Yeah, it was really special," Roy smiled in acknowledgement. The gold bracelet he gave Joanne was the priciest gift he'd ever been able to give her, and she was truly pleased for once. This captaincy made that possible, he reflected. "Dinner at Don Carlo's and dancing afterwards, it was about the best anniversary date we've ever had." Thanks again, Junior, Roy thought. He would remember to call Johnny some time today and express their appreciation. "Everybody ready for roll call? We have about five minutes." ********** "Roll call in five minutes, Gentlemen," Cap Gage sang out to the members of Johnny's Crew as they gathered in the kitchen for a donut and a quick cup of coffee before starting the day. I hope Roy's anniversary dinner went well, Johnny thought, and there was no trouble with the reservations or the gift certificate. I'll ask Rudy later if it went okay. Johnny had asked Rudy Taylor to take a peek into the dining room from time to time and see if Roy and Joanne were having a good time. I wish Jen could have stayed at the ranch like she used to. Somehow it makes my anniversary gift a little less special now that she can't come visit alone anymore. It's hard not to be trusted with her, but I really can't blame Roy and Joanne for that stance. I deserve it. Before roll call could begin the klaxon sounded, "ENGINE 51...TRASH FIRE IN THE ALLEY BEHIND THE 4700 BLOCK OF CLAREMONT...CROSS STREET BRADLEY...TIME OUT 07:56." Johnny signalled his men to the engine. Since they were all present, B-Shift could call it a day instead of quibbling over the four minutes that could turn into an hour or more before their shift ended. That would leave C-Shift twiddling their thumbs without an engine, Cap Gage reflected. Captain Jeff Brady raised his coffee cup in salute to Captain Gage's departing back, grateful yet again for an understanding and compassionate co-worker. Hookrader, a stickler for promptness and the rule book, would have made B-Shift take the call even if it was "time out 07:59", he reflected. Brady motioned for his engine crew to leave. The B-Shift paramedics looked questioningly at Charlie Dwyer, and at his nod, they too departed for home. When 'Big Red' arrived at the scene of the trash fire, it was another 'now-I've-seen-everything' call. Flames shot up from a pile of clothing, furniture and miscellaneous items in the middle of the alley behind a private residence. A young woman appeared to be doing the disco version of a rain dance. She circled the bonfire with a maniacal grin on her face while singing along with a tape of "Disco Inferno" blaring from a cassette player nearby. "Burn, Baby, Burn..." she sang at the top of her lungs as Cap Gage and his crew took in the spectacle with no little degree of amusement. Not far away, a young man that Johnny presumed to be her boyfriend, noting the lack of a wedding band on either of the pair, alternated between cursing the girl and bemoaning the loss of all his worldly possessions. Cap accurately assumed those items to be fueling the bonfire. A gas can, sitting perilously close to the flames, told the firemen how the blaze started. "Taylor, get a reel line and knock out this fire," Johnny yelled over the loud music before personally scooping up the gasoline can and setting it far away from the flames. He wanted to avoid a relatively harmless situation escalating into a tragedy. The fire was set a safe distance from any structures or combustible items, with the exception of the gas can, but it was illegal...clearly a case of arson. He thought momentarily of Captain Stanley and Chief McConikee's hat, probably the same kind of motivation, too...revenge. "L.A., this is Engine 51, request a police officer at this location." "Engine 51, 10-4" Shaking his head, Johnny pulled the young woman away from her victory dance and signalled an amused FF Dave Konnitsky to turn off the music. A small crowd gathered to watch what promised to be an entertaining encounter. "No! Let it burn!" the girl screamed, struggling with Cap Gage as she saw her handiwork destroyed. It took only a few moments for the spray from Taylor's reel line to soak the pile of partially-incinerated possessions, extinguishing the fire. "Why did you have to do that?" the woman said indignantly, aiming a kick at Gage's shins. "That bum deserved it. He was cheating on me with my best friend...in my own house!" Gage did a little dance of his own to avoid the flailing feet that threatened to bruise his shins while holding on securely to the woman who struggled, screaming invective. The 'bum' ignored her as he viewed the devastation. Johnny was relieved to see a police car pull into the alley. He would be glad to relinquish the kicking screaming woman. His shins would be doubly glad...she'd made contact several times, and Johnny now walked with a limp. His face took on a disgusted look; he wondered if it could be called a limp when you favored both legs. The young man moaned softly as he sorted through the charred wreckage, tossing aside various smoke-blackened items as he looked for something...anything to salvage. "Boston!" he yelled angrily in the direction of the arsonist. "You burned Boston!" With shaking hands he held aloft the remains of a half-burned L.P. jacket, the contents of which was now a mass of dripping black vinyl. He had Johnny's sympathy. Cap Gage gave the word for 51's engine crew to pack it up and return to the station. This was a crazy start to the day. He hoped, but didn't say out loud, that this was not a preview of coming attractions. ********** Lulled into a zombie-like state by the crowded, warm classroom and the boring subject matter, Chris DeSoto slumped in his seat on a beautiful October afternoon idly moving his ballpoint pen around the page of his spiral notebook. His body was in class, but his mind was not. "Mr. DeSoto? Mr. DeSoto, are you with us?" Chris glanced up as a wave of subdued laughter spread through the room. The page of writing before him digressed from lecture notes on the fall of the Roman Empire to doodles of fire engines and firemen. The doodles weren't very good, but they represented his thoughts fairly accurately. Throughout his childhood he pestered Engineer Mike Stoker, Firefighter Marco Lopez and even Captain Stanley with a barrage of questions whenever his mom took him to visit Station 51. As a result, he knew all about Big Red...her size, capacity, speed, the pressure guages and dials; it had been love at first sight. What he wanted more than anything in the world was to be the engineer. He knew that it would take years of experience as a fireman before he could even take the test, but that was okay too...whatever it took to finally get behind the wheel. Why couldn't his dad see that? His father's passion was rescue, and even Mom hadn't been able to talk him out of it for eleven years. Chris shuddered when he thought about becoming a paramedic. Not for anything in the world would he admit how he hated the thought of contact with human blood. He'd had other nightmares about his parents or sister injured and bleeding...always he ran away rather than touch them. He would never admit that either. "Mr. DeSoto?" "Yes, sir?" Chris was lost and the whole class knew it. "Name for me please one contributing factor to the fall of the Roman Empire." The professor's eyes seemed to accuse. I know you've been shirking, DeSoto, they said. Chris looked down at his notebook but the amateurish drawing of Big Red didn't have the answer. It should have been on his page of notes, but it wasn't. He was busted. "I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that." Chris' fair complexion flushed in embarrassment. Never in four years of high school had Chris DeSoto failed to be prepared for class, a record that his parents were justifiably proud of. They wouldn't be proud now. "I see. Well I suggest, Mr. DeSoto, that you find a very generous classmate who will be willing to share that information with you...after class, of course. Miss Jennings? Could you help us out?" Debbie Jennings answered the question flawlessly and threw an amused glance at Chris. He looked away. Debbie Jennings was cute and he would like to ask her out, but not after this, especially since he was out of money. Heck, he couldn't even go home if he wanted to. Maybe Jen would be able to loan him the money to get his tire fixed and buy gas. "Am I boring you, Mr. DeSoto?" It registered with Chris that he was being addressed again. "Yes, sir?" What now? The class burst into laughter. Uh oh, I've done it again. "Nothing," the professor sighed, "see me after class." Chris nodded miserably. To his credit, he managed to pay attention for the remaining few moments of Western Civilization, WH-101. ********** "Dear Mom and Dad," Chris DeSoto read aloud, "college life is exciting so far. My roommate and I get along fine and the classes are interesting." "You think they're gonna buy that?" Chris DeSoto's roommate snickered. "Well, that's what they want to hear so it should make them pretty happy." Chris felt justified in the lies he was telling. His parents didn't want to hear the truth. "Why don't you try something like this instead: 'Dear Mom and Dad, I hate college. My roommate is a real jerk, the food is lousy, and the classes really stink. I'm failing all of them because what I really want to be is a fireman like my dad and my Uncle Johnny. Please can I come home and go to the Fire Acade...' Mummmph!" A pillow sailed across the room to smack the speaker in the face. "Can it, Chad! Like they wouldn't have a heart attack if I said that. The only ones that would understand are J.R. and maybe Uncle Johnny." "What about your sister?" Chad asked. "Yeah, Jen's pretty cool, even if she is nuts about J.R. at the moment. But what could she do? Mom and Dad still haven't gotten over Uncle Johnny catching her and J.R. making out in the hayloft. "Okay, what about your Uncle Johnny? Can't he talk to them?" "It was his hayloft." "Oh." In a letter Jennifer told Chris the whole story, including the part where their dad belted Johnny Gage. On the whole, it didn't sound like Chris had a good advocate right now. The only three people he felt able to trust with his true feelings were already in the doghouse with his parents. His dad and Uncle Johnny were still friends, but Jennifer said she and J.R. are never left alone together now. Geez, Sis, Chris thought, duh! "What am I gonna do? I hate it here. I thought I was gonna have so much fun...parties, girls...friends..." Chris stared at his feet, wishing they could take him back to Carson, back home to his room at his parents' house. It was only a two-hour drive from college in San Diego, but with no gas money and a flat tire on his Mustang, it might as well be a million miles. "What I don't understand, Christy, is why you stay in the room and study when there's a whole big world out there to play in. My girlfriend has a friend that is dying to go out with you and you just sit here." In answer, Chris stood up and pulled out both pockets of his jeans, illustrating his no-cash status. "Next allowance is not until the last of November, Chad-dy," Chris replied. He'd been here five weeks and used up his total allowance for the quarter already. "Besides, my parents saved for years to get me here, man. It means so much to them. If I don't make good grades it will be such a letdown. They can get mad and chew me out and it doesn't bother me much. But when they're disappointed, they get all sad and it just tears me up inside. "It's worse with Uncle Johnny---he's always stood up for me and helped me even when it meant putting his friendship with my parents on the line. 'Course it never came to that. Uncle Johnny always could persuade my dad to do just about anything." "So, get him to talk to your dad for you." Chad couldn't see the problem. "I already told you things aren't so good between them now. Besides, Uncle Johnny's gonna be more disappointed than my parents are. Did you know he bought me and Jen savings bonds when we were little kids? He had the money taken out of his salary a little at a time. It was to help me get here. My dad never knew about it until I graduated high school and Uncle Johnny gave me the bonds as a graduation gift. Then he helped me rebuild that Mustang so I would have wheels." "That's some uncle," Chad said admiringly. "Is he rich?" "Nah, he just barely gets by most times, but he cares so much about us. Until his son J.R. came along, we were just about the only family he had." "Doesn't that make J.R. your cousin? I thought he was your sister's boyfriend." Chad was confused. "No, Uncle Johnny is really my dad's former partner. He's not a real relation, just kind of a part of the family, so J.R. isn't a cousin or anything." "Oh," Chad shrugged. "Anyway, he sounds like the one to talk to." "Maybe," Chris was doubtful. "And maybe the best thing I can do is stay here and forget the Fire Academy." ********** Station 99 was quiet for the first hour of the day, allowing the normal housekeeping details to be accomplished in relative peace. The klaxon went off about 9:15 calling out only the Squad and Roy was glad for the time to catch up on a seeming mountain of paperwork. Sometimes he thought the nicest thing someone could do would be to set it all on fire. Just as the squad called in available from Rampart, the station was toned out. "STATION 99...STATION 51...STRUCTURE FIRE...1557 ASGROVE...1-5-5-7 ASGROVE...CROSS STREET DELACAMP...TIME OUT 10:18" "Station 99, KMG-375," Roy responded. Well, he had time to think, maybe I'll get to thank Johnny in person for the anniversary gift. As incident commander at this fire Roy directed 51's to the rear of the building. The fire in the small research laboratory behind a petroleum distribution plant proved more difficult than it first appeared. Although smoke billowed from the second story windows of the rectangular two-story cinderblock structure, the flames were confined to the one building and the blaze had not yet spread throughout the structure. So far so good. Things became more complicated when the firemen began to encounter the security measures protecting the laboratory. Bars on the windows and reinforced steel doors were just a couple of the obstacles that turned the blaze into a nightmare. People on the second floor tugged futilely at the barred windows screaming that the stairwell was blocked as they pushed and crowded each other in panic for a chance to escape. The place was built like a prison. Steel reinforced and locked fire doors sealed off the main corridors, further hampering access to the frantic victims. Roy ordered 51's to take a K-12 to the interior doors while he sent his men up a ladder to work on the barred windows. He could smell hot tar as it began to bubble on the roof. The people inside were in a veritable kiln. DeSoto called for a second alarm assignment and additional ambulances. There were already burn victims being carried to a triage point as quickly as firemen could retrieve them. Others had to be restrained from crowding the ladders and attempting to jump. 51's paramedics, Dwyer and Manley, helped 99's paramedics in the triage area prepare for what they were sure would be a numerous victims. When they saw 99's crew start bringing unconscious people down the ladders after sawing through the bars, they knew they were in for a long afternoon. Johnny took his turn with the K-12 as Konnitsky's arms grew tired. After cutting through three doors they still had not accessed the fire. He could feel the heat behind this one, though, and knew they were close. Suddenly Johnny felt himself fly through the air as an explosion ripped through the building. The heavy steel door flew out as if launched with Johnny plastered to its front. He landed beneath it with a THUD, his last conscious thought that he would most likely be at Rampart for dinner tonight. Taylor's voice responded, "HT-51, this is Engine 51, we have a Code I," Taylor's voice cut into Dwyer and Manley's preparations and they headed toward the back of the building on the double, equipment banging against their legs. If somebody was injured, they could just about bet who it would be...not that he was accident prone or anything... Roy heard the explosion from the rear of the building and then Taylor's transmission. "Engine 51, this is HT-99, what is the situation in there?" "HT-99, we have managed to cut through to the fire, but an explosion has now blocked the main stairwell. Also we have a man down. The paramedics are evacuating him now." Just then the ladder truck arrived followed closely by Squad 45 and Chief McConikee. Roy was glad for the chief to handle this one. 45's paramedics ran to the triage area where multiple victims were awaiting aid. He could see a figure in turnouts on a gurney being loaded into an ambulance followed by Charlie Dwyer and two more victims that were ambulatory. "Roy," Chief McConikee jogged over, "what is the situation so far?" Roy had to shout to be heard above the din. "Chief, this place is a nightmare. They've got bars on all the windows and locked fire doors throughout the building. 51's been using the K-12 to saw through the fire doors in back. They've finally accessed the fire on the first floor, but a few minutes ago, an explosion blocked the stairwell. It also caused one Code I...Captain Gage, I think. 99's been using ladders to reach the windows on the second floor and cut away the bars. We have no idea how many people are left in the building or where they are. No member of management from this lab or the distro plant has shown up." Chief McConikee nodded and took over, immediately requesting a third alarm assignment to help with extrication of the victims. He directed the ladder truck to open its deluge into the second story windows where the flames were now visible and called for additional Rescue Squads. Roy trotted over to Manley to ask about the Code-I. As he suspected it was Johnny. Possible broken ribs, and sprained or broken left wrist, the paramedic informed him, as well as a nasty bump on the back of the head that likely meant a concussion. Shaking his head, Roy went to join his crew in bringing victims down the ladders. All the windows on this side were now free of bars and firemen entered with hoses to start knocking down the blaze. The number of victims reached thirty-two and rising as the second story interior rooms were finally accessed and searched. In the end Stations 99 and 51 stayed out six hours on the fire, including clean-up, and suffered a number of minor injuries. Three civilians died from smoke inhalation but Johnny remained the only Code-I and Engine 51 was stood down until Jeff Brady returned to take over as temporary captain of C-Shift. ********** Johnny turned his head and vomited into the emesis basin Dixie held for him. Why did getting hurt always have to be compounded by getting sick, he wondered? His whole backside hurt like hell, the bruises on his ribs making breathing an unpleasant task, and his splinted left wrist ached like the devil. The bright light over the exam table seemed to be aimed at an angle calculated to deliver maximum pain to his headache. The way the room was turning somersaults it was a good bet he had a concussion. That would preclude the good pain meds. When Johnny felt the urge to vomit again two Dixies held twin emesis basins. He fleetingly wondered which one he should aim for or whether he should try for the middle. Nevermind, let her figure it out. The room went gray as Dixie uttered a cry of frustration...he must have missed. After changing into a clean uniform, Dixie went out to the base station desk and picked up the phone. Checking through the phone list, she ignored her own memo and called Station 15 instead of the DeSoto's. From what Charlie Dwyer said when he brought Johnny in, Roy was there when this happened and already knew about Johnny. She only had a minute, the fire was a bad one and there were, according to the Squads, two more ambulances on their way in and several victims awaiting transport. This was the calm before the storm. "Los Angles County Fire Department, Captain Riley speaking." "This is Nurse McCall at Rampart Hospital. May I speak with J.R. Gage please?" Dixie heard a sigh on the other end. Captain Riley knew pretty well what was coming. "Just a moment, Miss McCall, he's just around the corner." Dixie could hear J.R. being summoned, though the sound was muffled as if the Captain put his hand over the receiver, which he had. "J.R. Gage speaking." Dixie again marvelled at how much the young man sounded like his father. "J.R., this is Dixie McCall at Rampart. Your dad was injured in a fire today. He'll be with us at least overnight, so you will probably want to pick him up tomorrow morning sometime." There was silence on the other end of the line as J.R. digested the news, trying to quell the rising panic it brought on. If he was only going to be there overnight, then his dad couldn't be hurt too badly. "J.R.?" "Uh, yes, Miss...er...Dixie. How is he?" "He has a sprained wrist, some bruises and a concussion. All in all, not too bad...for John Gage." Dixie smiled, remembering a few times that the news was much worse, but then, J.R. hadn't been there for those. "He'll be okay, though, right?" The worry in the boy's voice touched Dixie's 'mothering' instinct, just as Johnny's own voice could do on occasion when he called to find out about his partner. "Now don't you worry, J.R., that father of yours and his hard head are going to be just fine. We'll take good care of him for you tonight and he will mostly likely be released in the morning. I have to go now, business is picking up here. Don't worry, now, promise me." Dixie smiled when she heard a tremulous, "I promise" from the other end, and hung up following a hurried goodbye. After checking with admissions, she found a room for Johnny and prepared to have him sent upstairs. Dixie had a tender spot for John Gage that now extended to his son. ********** Roy DeSoto relaxed as he got off the phone with Dixie McCall. Johnny was going to be at Rampart overnight and then ordered to rest a couple days; there would be no ICU vigil this time. From Konnitsky's description Cap Gage was lucky to only have minor injuries. He landed on his back with his air tank beneath him and the heavy steel door on top. Poor Johnny, somehow these things just happened to him---but Gage always bounced back. Roy wondered if he himself would still be willing to stay in the fire service after experiencing so many injuries. Based on what Joanne said last night, she probably wouldn't have let him anyway. At least, Roy sighed, Chris was safely in college, not riding an engine somewhere like J.R. He knew Johnny worried about his son ever since the mudslide incident. Like Joanne, Roy hoped fervently that Jennifer would get over her infatuation with J.R. Gage. He wanted more for his daughter than to be sitting home always worried about some fireman. Joanne didn't complain much over the years, but Roy knew there were times she was frantic over his safety. He didn't want that life for his daughter. She should get a college degree and marry someone that could provide well for her and his grandchildren-to-be. Maybe he could ask Johnny to give J.R. a hint that Jennifer's future shouldn't include his son. The klaxon sounded calling Roy to duty. "STATION 99...ENGINE 15...CAR OVER THE EMBANKMENT...MONTE VISTA ROAD TWO MILES WEST OF THE WEST PINE RIDGE TURNOFF...TIME OUT 14:17" Speaking of J.R..., Roy thought as he answered, "Station 99, KMG-375". The light green two-door coupe had rolled over twice on its way down the slope before coming to rest against a lone pine tree. Its two occupants sprawled on the ground outside the car. Roy wondered whether they were thrown from the car or managed to climb out. The passenger's door, torn from its hinges, lay further down the embankment. FF/PM Jesse 'Pete' Peters determined the slope gentle enough to traverse without safety lines and hurried down to the scene of the crash. His partner followed with the remainder of their equipment. Seeing no smoke issuing from the vehicle, Roy awaited Pete's assessment of the situation before sending the rest of his crew and 15's into action. "HT-99, this is Engine 99. Whatcha got, Pete?" Roy asked. "Engine 99, we're gonna need a backboard and a couple stokes. We will need an ambulance as well. Also there is a strong smell of gasoline," Peters replied. "10-4, HT-99." Roy sent one firefighter down with a reel line and requested Cap Riley to dispatch a couple men with the Stokes stretcher. He saw the one he identified as "Farms" Farmer and J.R. pull Stokes from the engine and the squad before hurrying down to the paramedics. As he watched, J.R. descended the hill as confident and surefooted as a mountain goat. He remembered Johnny taking off at that speed once when they were paramedics only to fall and twist his ankle on the way down. J.R., it seemed, was destined to be more fortunate. He reached the overturned vehicle without incident and backed up Roy's man on the reel line until he would be needed to help bring the victims back up the hill. Captain Riley came over to stand next to Roy. "That kid should be a paramedic," Riley stated, nodding at J.R. Gage. Roy looked at him in surprise. "Why's that?" he asked. "He's quick to size up a situation and makes a darned good rescue worker. He isn't afraid to go anywhere, heights, tunnels, tight spots...anywhere. And he has a knack for solving problems. I can't understand why he doesn't volunteer for the program." Roy knew, but J.R.'s reason was told him in confidence on their camping trip back in August. Having watched his mother slowly die of cancer, losing a victim might be more than he could handle emotionally. "It takes a certain kind of person to deal with injured people," Roy said instead. "J.R.'s kind of shy around strangers." "That's just it though," Cap Riley informed him shaking his head emphatically. "Once he's in a rescue situation, Gage becomes a different person...more confident, assured. He has almost a magical way with injured people. He's able to get them to relax and settle down---especially kids. I usually send him to assist Winston and Crawford, and they're always glad for his help." Roy just stared thoughtfully. It looked like J.R. had Johnny's charisma without the nervous energy that drove everybody crazy---or kept the shift from being boring, depending on how you looked at it. I could really like that kid a lot more, Roy thought, if my daughter wasn't attracted to him. Peters and Farmer carried one stokes up the hill to the waiting ambulance while J.R. assisted Pete's partner with the second victim. Concentrating on getting up the hill, J.R. Gage failed to see the frown on Captain DeSoto's face as he regarded the young firefighter. "My daughter Kalie is pretty fond of that young man," Riley chuckled. "She's determined to get his attention one way or the other." Roy smiled at Gene Riley. I hope she succeeds, he thought. Station 99 received several more calls that afternoon and evening, making supper a meal in three installments...warm, cold and colder. The calls, though, were fairly routine, if you could really call any fire routine. As a result of the busy shift, Roy was later than usual with his call to Joanne, but he knew she would worry if he didn't make it, no matter how late. He told her about Johnny's encounter with the steel door and that he was in Rampart tonight. He also informed her that Dixie had notified J.R. and that the young man would be picking his father up after shift in the morning. It felt odd to relegate that familiar task to someone else after all these years, Roy admitted. There was a twinge of jealousy and a feeling of loss, as if he had been displaced in this important duty. ********** "Hey, Mom," Jennifer DeSoto interrupted the old movie to plop down on the couch beside her mother. Joanne looked over in surprise as her daughter sat down next to her on the high-back sofa and reached for a handful of popcorn. Uh oh, she thought, what's up this time? 'Mom can I use the car?' 'Mom, can I buy a new outfit?' 'Mom, can I go with Tammy on a weekend trip?' Jennifer never sat down like this with her mom anymore unless she wanted something. Not that she is so petty, Joanne tried to be fair, but Jen's friends take up so much of her day after school that she has little left over for mother-daughter quality time anymore. Jo waited patiently for whatever Jennifer had on her mind this time. Frowning at an unsightly chip in her otherwise perfectly polished nails, Jennifer tried to be casual. "When did you know for sure that you were going to marry Daddy?" Whatever Joanne expected, it wasn't that question. She gave Jen a blank look as she searched her mind for an answer. Instinctively Jo knew saying the words "in fifth grade" was a bad idea, even qualified by the caveat, "but I already knew your dad for a year by then." It was true, though, she sighed. She and Roy were close since fourth grade and there was never any doubt in Jo's mind that she would eventually marry the shy, cute, blond boy some day. Unfortunately Jennifer is like me in a lot of ways, she admitted. She decides what she wants and pursues it with relentless determination---seldom failing to achieve her objective. And except for the blond hair, Jen seems to be attracted to the same kind of boy---shy and cute. J.R. Gage fits that description to a 'T'. Joanne had hoped this would be a crush of short duration on Jen's part, but apparently not. She'd give a lot to know what J.R. felt toward her daughter. "Jen," Joanne compromised, "it's a little early to be talking about marriage yet. You still have almost a year of high school and four years of college ahead of you. Anything can happen in that length of time. You might fall in and out of love five times by then, if not more." "But what if I don't want to go to college? You didn't, and you seemed to do okay. You and Daddy just celebrated nineteen years together yesterday." Jennifer's chin took on a stubborn set that sent a pulse of uneasiness through Joanne. "Jennifer, we've discussed this. College is important nowadays, much more so than it was for me. Couples just can't make it on one income anymore, and well-paying jobs require a college degree." Joanne was fighting for a dream here. "You and Dad did okay," she insisted. "You could have gone to work, but you chose to stay home and take care of me and Chris," Jen pointed out. "Do you regret that?" "Oh, Honey, of course not," Joanne reassured her daughter, realizing the corner she was backing herself into. Darn J.R. Gage! "But Daddy and I were discussing just last night all the sacrifices and hardships we went through to make this marriage and our family work." Joanne picked up the stray kernals of popcorn that littered the floor and the sofa; somehow they just seemed to jump out of the bowl. The movie having ended, she flicked the off switch on the remote, reducing the room to total silence and waited for Jen's next salvo. "Well, wasn't it worth the sacrifice, working side-by-side and shoulder-to-shoulder with Daddy to build a life together?" There was a definite hint of romantic idealism coloring Jen's tone. Her mother hated to stifle it, but maybe it was better she did right now. "Jennifer, look...let me be honest here. There were also times I cursed the Fire Department, your Uncle Johnny and even your dad for the hardships we went through. There were so many nights I would sit alone and wish your father had a 'normal' job---a carry-my-briefcase-to-the-office, 9-to-5, every-weekend-off job. Instead I would kiss him 'goodbye' in the morning and hope to be kissing him 'hello' the next." Jennifer was hearing this confession for the first time. Her mom never complained aloud about Dad's job before, at least not in front of her or Chris. "You cursed Dad! and Uncle Johnny?" This was just so un-Mom-like! "Honey, search and rescue was hard dangerous work even before the paramedic program came along. Your Uncle Johnny is the adventurous type and often gets a thrill from taking risks. Your dad is more the responsible type...he did the job despite the danger because it needed to be done. "After 1971, Roy's job got harder and more dangerous. The paramedics were, and still are, called out twice as often as the engine and were the ones sent into the most hazardous situations. "Your dad loved being a paramedic, admittedly, and even turned down a promotion to stay with it. To this day I'm convinced that he remained with the paramedic program mostly because of his belief in its importance, but at least partly so he could continue working with John Gage." There was a tinge of bitterness in Joanne's words. Jennifer thought for a while, unable to reconcile this conversation with the quiet complacency her mother had demonstrated all these years. She took the popcorn bowl into the kitchen and threw away the remainder of the kernals before rinsing it out and popping it into the dishwasher. With a thoughtful expression, Jen returned to the sofa. "J.R. isn't a paramedic," she said at last. "He rides the engine." She confirmed Joanne's suspicion that the young man was the reason for this conversation. "No," Joanne admitted becoming a little perturbed, "he isn't a paramedic, but he is a fireman. And the way he hero-worships that damnfool scapegrace father of his, becoming a paramedic is always a possibility." "Mom!" Jennifer was shocked. "You really think of Uncle Johnny that way?" There seemed to be no end to the surprising confessions of which her mother was capable tonight. "Honey," Joanne admitted with a grin, "I've said far worse to his face. He knows I don't mean anything by it. He knows I love him like a brother. But sometimes, like a sister, I would like to knock some sense into his foolish head. He puts on that dam...darned hurt puppy look and I melt just like any other female within a mile's radius. He always gets an apology and a home-cooked meal afterwards. "Sometimes," Joanne continued with a secretive smile, "I think he would make me mad on purpose just to get a supper invitation." Jen and Joanne laughed together, knowing that Johnny was perfectly capable of doing just that. Jen kissed her mom and trudged thoughtfully upstairs to bed. The way to John Gage's heart is definitely by route of his always-empty stomach, Jo reflected, yet he always dates nurses and never chefs...go figure! Joanne had an uneasy night. This conversation with Jennifer was definitely something to discuss with Roy tomorrow, but she dreaded doing it. He would hate to see part of their dreams start to crumble. ********** End of part I the story continues