College Man by Nexxie PART II Chris DeSoto pounded his fist into the pillow on his bed before flopping back to stare at the ceiling. Nothing was going right. The classes he attended held no interest for him no matter how hard he tried. He could be a good student, he knew he could---if it was what he wanted. Looking at his afternoon's notes the words all blended together. Bottom line was he wanted more than anything to be a fireman, and that didn't take a college degree. Going to college felt like a supreme waste of time, and Chris grew increasingly frustrated watching the days go by while he came no nearer to his cherished goal...the big engine. Would his parents really be so mad if he quit college? The answer to that was a resounding yes, he knew. Thanksgiving Vacation---and its four days at home---was still six weeks away. He'd written and received letters all assuring his family that everything was fine, and being assured in return that they were all proud of him. Well, except for Jennifer. Her letters mostly just contained complaints about how unfair life was since she couldn't be alone with J.R. Gage. Given the current situation, he could understand her frustration; her dreams too were slapped aside by their parents' determination to map out their children's lives for them. He couldn't blame his mom and dad, really. They were just trying to keep their kids from having to undergo the same hardships they suffered...to give him and Jen a 'better life'. Well, Chris reflected, maybe if they hadn't always been so darned happy together their kids would desire something better than their parents had. But frankly, Chris took great pride in his dad's job with the fire department, and wanted to follow in his father's footsteps...at least as far as the engine. Mom brought Jen up to be just like her...why shouldn't Jennifer want the same things out of life? He wished he could afford to telephone more often. He already spent a substantial amount of his allowance on calls home. Chris never thought he could be so homesick. He had money enough for one more short call and he knew pretty much what he wanted to say. Would she go for it? ********** 'Jennifer Gage', she wrote. 'Jennifer DeSoto Gage', 'Mrs. John Roderick Gage', 'Mrs. J.R. Gage', 'J.R. and Jennifer Gage', 'Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Gage'. Were there any other possibilities? Not as far as Jen was concerned. She sighed, it seemed like forever until she would be eighteen, instead of just ten and a half months. Her parents said she couldn't be alone with J.R. anymore until she was eighteen. After that she was old enough to do as she pleased...and it would please her very much to marry J.R. Gage. Now if she could just persuade J.R. The ringing of the telephone startled Jennifer from her pre-occupation with the future. She hopped up from the desk in her room and fairly flew to the phone. Maybe J.R. managed a way to call without Uncle Johnny being able to hear. Their conversations had to be kept very general and innocent in their parents' presence, just settling for the sound of each others' voices. To have any private conversation, Jen dragged herself out of bed each morning at six to phone J.R. from her father's den. "DeSoto's," she replied breathlessly. "Geez, Jen, didn't Mom teach you how to answer the phone?" "Oh, it's just you," Jen said automatically deflating her brother's in-her-opinion-too-large ego. "I love you too, Sis," he replied. "So what's up?" Jennifer knew it had to be something. This made three phone calls in as many days. "Are Mom and Dad there?" Chris tried to keep the anxiety from his voice. "N-no, they're over at the Peters' house this evening. Did you need me to call them?" Jen was becoming worried. "No!" Chris fairly shouted into the phone. "That is, no, don't bother them. I...uh...really had a favor to ask you." "Me? Like what?" Jen asked, surprised. Chris seldom requested anything from a lowly sister, considering it beneath his dignity. "Actually it's a favor from you and J.R. You see..." Chris laid out his request while Jennifer's eyes got wide. They could get in big trouble she knew and opened her lips to say 'no way'. What came out instead surprised her almost as much as it delighted Chris. "I'll ask him," she said, "but don't get your hopes up." After hanging up the phone to the echo of Chris' fervent thanks, Jen stared at it for a few minutes. It was very unlike Chris to ask what he had asked, and it was for that very reason that she agreed---conditionally. She cautioned her sibling that J.R. might not go for this at all. The desperation in her brother's voice made her determined to convince the older boy to take part in something that could get them all in serious hot water. ********** John Gage looked up in frustration from the book he was trying to read, a volume of fiction that J.R. said his mother liked, when the phone rang again that evening. Reading was never his first choice of activity, but there was nothing on television that he cared to watch, he didn't subscribe to a newspaper since he could read it at work, and there was nobody he wanted to talk to at the moment. Considering the pain he was in, he knew a date was out; sitting on pillows in his own living room was one thing...anywhere else it would make him ridiculous. He wasn't in the mood to be pleasant to anybody anyway. And now the darn phone kept ringing every five minutes...or so it seemed. J.R. hadn't yet returned from the barn where he was finishing the evening chores, which took twice as long since Johnny was nursing a sprained wrist and couldn't help. In the last half hour Dave Konnitsky called once, the Riley twins---or at least one of them---twice, and there'd been three hang-ups as soon as the caller heard Johnny's voice. With a malevolent look in the direction of the barn, he slowly hefted himself from 'his' chair, the other one being J.R.'s, and made his way to the kitchen to answer the phone. Luckily the caller was patient and let it ring until he picked up. "Gage house, John speaking," Johnny answered. CLICK. Damn! My wrist hurts, my backside hurts and I'm not in the mood for this game. Somebody is checking to see if the ranch is deserted, he thought. Most people I know wouldn't hang up on me. Would they? Maybe it's Chet. Nah, the Phantom doesn't prey on a Pigeon in pain. "Did I hear the phone ring?" J.R. asked as he pushed open the screen door. Johnny cringed in anticipation as the spring drew the wooden door closed behind his son with a resounding SMACK. He only nodded acknowledgement at his son's belated "sorry". "It did---seven times to be exact. You are to call the Riley twins, I'm not sure whether Kalie or Karen or both; Dave wants to know if you plan to go bowling tomorrow night, and four people---or one person four times---hung up as soon as I answered." Johnny was irritated as much by the fact that none of the calls to his own home were for him as he was at having hang-ups. "Wow! Thanks, Dad. I'll get supper started in a minute, okay? I just want to call Dave and the twins back first." Well, supper will be at least an hour then, Johnny thought. Looks like I have plenty of time to finish this dam---darned book. Grumpy at the world, his wrist aching and nether region in pain, Johnny was further irritated when the phone rang again before J.R. got halfway to the kitchen. His son's jaunty response of "Gage and Gage" forced Johnny to smile despite himself. The way his son answered their phone was too trite, but satisfying anyway. He had to admit that he found life a lot less lonely since J.R. moved in. "Hi!...No, I'm always glad to hear from you, I don't have anything to do for a little while yet. I can talk." Johnny saw his supper getting farther and farther away. "Well, sure, you know I'd always do a favor..." "Well, of course, I understand that..." "No, I can probably switch with somebody for..." "I don't know. He might let me use the Rover...but...but..." "You want me to what?!!! I can't do that...I know I promised, but..." "I know I said that...but...but..." Johnny realized he was eavesdropping when J.R.'s voice dropped to a mere whisper and he caught himself straining to hear. At a guess the caller was Jennifer DeSoto. He smiled at how much this one-sided conversation resembled the ones Roy and Joanne had every shift at the station. Whatever Jo wanted, Roy ended up doing. Johnny stopped smiling. This sounds unhealthy. Where could Jennifer possibly want J.R. to take her? Should he interfere and refuse the use of the Rover? Knowing Jennifer, J.R. would capitulate. He had all the resistance of tapioca pudding where Roy's daughter was concerned...just like his father. "Honey...we just can't do that," J.R. said in a low pleading tone. Honey? Whoa! This is definitely not good. His aches and pains and J.R.'s privacy forgotten, Johnny listened intently. "How desperate? Can't it wait? I know...but...but..." J.R. shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot and kept one wary eye on his father. Desperate? What can be desperate with a teenage...? Shit! Johnny's uneasiness turned to genuine worry. "Look, Sunshine, I'll think about it, okay?" J.R. sounded very depressed. Sunshine? not Jennifer? Think hard, son, Johnny mentally telegraphed. "Of course I feel... Of course I do... No, I wouldn't want that to happen." Want what to happen? "I want that too. Well...yes, but not yet! Are you sure it can't wait?" J.R.'s shoulders sagged, his tone that of a defeated man. Oh no, he's gonna give in! Johnny put his head in his hands. "All right. I'll try my best. Me too. Bye." J.R. walked into the kitchen and slumped into a chair, almost slamming his head down onto his arms crossed on the oak table. A shiver of apprehension went through the senior Gage as he remembered the fateful evening last month when J.R. sat exactly in that chair beside Jennifer. That was an event he wouldn't care to repeat in this lifetime. "Something wrong, son?" Johnny, ever master of the understatement, queried J.R. "Nah, I just got volunteered to do a favor for a friend," J.R. unconsciously began tracing the patterns of the woodgrain on the table. "I don't suppose I could borrow the Rover Saturday?" "What for?" Johnny wanted to give the young man a chance to ask for his advice before refusing out of hand. "To help a friend move." If there was a way for J.R. to look more reluctant, he didn't know what it would be. But he called the girl 'Sunshine', not Jennifer or Kalie. "You don't look too happy to be doing this favor," Johnny observed. This seemed to be a different situation than the one conjured up in his own mind. "Well, I'm not, really, but I guess the situation calls for desperate measures...at least that's what she says. I think it's a bad idea, but she won't change her mind. Anyway, the Rover holds a lot. I'll replace the gas and it will just be for the day." J.R. looked positively depressed by the thought. "Don't you have to work Saturday?" "I told her I would try to switch with somebody. Look, Dad, if you say 'no', I'll call back and say I can't do it. She'll be real disappointed, and I'm afraid she'll try to find somebody else, but..." "Son, if somebody needs help, and you're the one they feel they can trust the most, you shouldn't let them down. It isn't anything illegal, is it?" Johnny held his breath. "N-no, not illegal, just not real smart, in my opinion. But this person is in an intolerable situation and needs to get away from it." J.R. avoided eye contact with his father. It sounded like his dad wanted him to do this 'favor'. If he only knew. "Then, be careful and help her out. Don't be afraid to help a lady in distress, son, but watch out and make sure she doesn't have a husband anywhere." Johnny smirked...that was his own personal code of honor. "Oh, she doesn't have a husband," J.R. muttered, ...at least not yet. But I have a feeling she's working on it,. "Hey, if I have the Rover Saturday, how you gonna get around?" the younger Gage asked, hoping for a reprieve. "I'll get Roy to give me a ride to work," Johnny replied easily. Now that he was pretty sure this wasn't some forbidden weekend trip with Jennifer DeSoto, he began to enjoy J.R.'s discomfort. Johnny wondered again who 'Sunshine' was...he didn't remember hearing her name mentioned before. Maybe Konnitsky would know. "Great, thanks, Dad," J.R. said half-heartedly. Just peachy! Well, I can still hope Cap Riley won't let me trade, or that nobody else wants to. Morosely he began preparations for dinner...a dinner he was suddenly in no mood to eat. ********** Joanne DeSoto walked over to the recliner where Roy was reading the evening paper and slipped comfortably into his lap, crushing the paper into an inaccessible, unreadable mass. "I take it you want my attention?" Roy was pretty well done with the paper anyway, and more than ready to be diverted by his pretty spouse. With Jennifer at Tammy Payne's, Roy and Joanne had the house all to themselves. After a few moments of providing her husband with pleasurable distraction, Joanne decided to bring up her conversation with Jennifer the evening before. She had been putting it off all day, trying to find a way to word it in a way that would be the least dangerous to her husband's blood pressure. "You know how we decided to let the situation with Jennifer and J.R. work itself out? How we just decided to make sure they aren't alone together? How we hoped that they would lose interest in each other?" Joanne fiddled with the top button of Roy's shirt, her way to avoid looking him in the eyes. "Have they been sneaking out on us?" Roy's voice held irritation. So much for the good mood. "No...as far as I know, they've been following the rules we laid out. It's just that...well, they've been following the rules we laid out. They remain in sight, never alone and never act beyond the bounds of propriety." Joanne was emphasizing the positive first, not quite sure which side of this fence she wanted to be on. Straddling the middle between Jennifer's determination and Roy's temper was growing very uncomfortable, and she had a feeling that she was going to have to choose a side very soon. "But..." Roy prompted. "But they aren't losing interest. At least Jennifer isn't. Last night we had a talk about what it was like being married to a firefighter. Roy, she's considering not going to college." Joanne closed her eyes tightly waiting for the explosion. When it didn't come, she opened her eyes and stared at Roy's sad face. He was hurt, she realized, not mad. He also didn't seem surprised. With a heavy sigh Roy DeSoto tilted his head back against the soft leather of his favorite chair and pulled Joanne against his chest. It was as he feared. Since the conversation with Cap Riley last shift, he had thought about his daughter and the hungry look in her eyes when she stared at John Gage's son. It wasn't a problem that was going to go away. Roy felt...defeated. "I kind of figured that," He said at last. "Joanne, did you know the bracelet J.R. gave her for her birthday belonged to his mother? That it was a gift Johnny gave to Marnie as a memento of her visit to the reservation and their time together? Johnny's cousin made the bracelet and since she's become an established artist, it's probably worth a lot of money. It isn't an engagement ring, but I think in Jen's mind it might as well be." "I had no idea. How did you find out all that?" If it was true, then Jen probably did consider the bracelet a 'promise'. "Actually Johnny told me," Roy admitted, "but I don't think he quite realized the implication. The sight of it just prompted old memories and he started talking about them. The rest I kind of figured out." Joanne leaned into Roy's chest, watching all their dreams fly out the window. The plans they had made for years, the money they scrimped and saved so that Jennifer and Chris would have the best possible chance in life. How could their daughter do this to them? Roy was just silent. She wished he would say something, get mad, make threats...anything. When he did speak, his voice was quiet and sad. "She's determined to have him, isn't she?" he asked, receiving a solemn nod in reply. Joanne suddenly felt old. She wasn't sure whether to be upset about losing her daughter, happy to be gaining such a good kid for a son-in-law, or mad at Johnny for being J.R.'s father. A little of all three, she supposed. "What about college? What about our dreams? What about her future?" Joanne fought to hold back bitter tears. She hated to see Roy hurt, and she was more than a little hurt herself. "Damn J.R. Gage. Why couldn't he just leave our little girl alone?" "They were our dreams, Joanne," Roy told her softly, "not Jen's. It looks like our daughter has her own dreams. If they don't include college, well, maybe the college money we saved will help them in other ways. As for J.R. leaving Jennifer alone...I think it's kind of the other way around. She pretty much decided she wanted that boy from the moment she laid eyes on him. She's kind of like her mother in that respect." "I've never been sorry, Sweetheart," Joanne conceded. "Maybe she won't be either." "He's a good kid," Roy admitted. "I've disliked him for a lot of reasons, none of them the right ones. I've been jealous of his closeness to Johnny, afraid of his hold over Jennifer, even afraid he would become a paramedic and outshine Johnny and me. Stupid, huh?" Joanne didn't know what to say to that. The reasons weren't the best, but they were honest. She shook her head. She had reasons too, and they weren't any better. "I've been wrong, Joanne. I didn't want to admit it, but J.R.'s been good for Johnny. As far as Jennifer is concerned, I think she's the one with a hold on him. And he has no desire to be a paramedic; but if he did, he'd be a darned good one. As sons-in-law go, we could do worse." "Will they follow the rules, do you think? Will they wait for her to be out of high school?" Joanne was afraid to think about what would happen if they didn't. "I hope so. He seems determined to keep a safe distance anyway, and he's dating one of the Riley girls in the meantime." "He's two-timing Jennifer!" Joanne was furious. If Jen couldn't date him yet, the least he could do is wait for her. "Hey, I thought you would be relieved. Besides, I think he's just going out with her for fun. The attraction seems to be mostly one-sided, at least according to Gene Riley." "Roy," Joanne said in a tiny voice, "I'm not ready for Jen to grow up yet. J.R.'s a nice boy, but I'm not ready to be a mother-in-law." Joanne shuddered. Thinking of his own in-laws, Roy chuckled. J.R. would be a very lucky guy. "You know, honey, I bet you'll be a great mother-in-law!" "Oh you...!" "Hey, you know, I've never kissed anybody's mother-in-law before." ********** Johnny twisted slightly to examine in the mirror the bruises resulting from his impact with the pavement last shift. The SCBA tank left purple marks on his back but he hit the ground sort of sitting down a split second before the door landed hard and heavy on top of him. His wrist was trapped beneath the door and bent slightly backwards. Ice packs had taken the swelling down and J.R. wrapped it in an elastic bandage last night. Unfortunately he couldn't apply ice packs and bandages to the other sore areas. Well, nothing to do but grin and bear it. Okay, he didn't have to grin, exactly...grimace was more like it. J.R. stirred in his room down the hall, stomping one foot to get his boot on firmly. He heard the bedroom door creak as it opened. "So, you have the day off then?" Johnny called to J.R. from the bathroom where he'd just finished brushing his teeth. It was Saturday morning and he had to get to work. "Yeah, Dad, I traded with a guy from 110's. I'll be working his shift Monday. That'll give him four day's off in a row." "Sounds like a good deal. You'll be back today some time, right?" "Uh huh, this evening. I can drop you off at the station, Dad, it's kind of on my way." J.R. poked his head into the bathroom, "You about ready?" No matter how hard he hustled, Johnny never managed to be ready to leave before J.R.. Sometimes it was irritating. J.R. had adopted his father's mode of dress, Johnny noted, western cut shirt with the sleeves rolled up and tucked into skin-tight flared jeans. Peeking from beneath the pant cuffs were the toes of his scuffed cowboy boots and a pair of sunglasses nestled conveniently in the V above his top shirt button. Well, whoever said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery was right, Johnny reflected. "Where are you headed?" Gage-1 hitched at his towel and hurried into the bedroom to get dressed. "South," was the vague answer from Gage-2 outside the door. "Well, that covers a lot of territory. The whole south, or somewhere specific?" Johnny was annoyed at the attempt to avoid answering his question. "I won't have exact directions until I get to my friend's house," J.R. continued to evade. Telling Johnny that he was headed to San Diego would be a dead giveaway. "So this...'Sunshine'... is moving 'south' then?" Sunshine! How did he know that? Johnny's son panicked for a moment. "Um...well," J.R.'s voice broke, "not exactly, but we have to go that way first." "Hey, Johnny, you about ready?" Roy DeSoto's voice drifted up the stairwell. "Dammit, Roy's here already! I'll see you tomorrow morning, son. I guess I won't need you to drive me in after all." He'd forgotten that Roy would be giving him a ride. Good thing he didn't leave with J.R...best friend or not, DeSoto would have been furious. "Hang on, Pally, I'll be right down." Johnny did a small hopping dance step as he struggled to pull his boots on. Whistling, J.R. hustled down the stairs. He vaulted the rail over the el at the bottom to land in front of Roy. "Mornin' Mr. D," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "I'll see ya tomorrow morning, Dad." J.R.'s exit line was punctuated by the slamming of the screen door. Roy heard the Rover start a few seconds later and accelerate down the long dirt driveway to the paved road beyond. "Let's go, Pally," Johnny said a moment later as he breezed down the stairs, taking the last three with a jump. DeSoto envied his friend that energy. It was a cool October morning, but sunny and beautiful. Roy left the top down on the Porsche, electing to wear a jacket and enjoy the fresh air. Johnny reached for his own denim jacket on the way out after eyeing the open car. "How's the wrist, Junior?" Roy asked with glance at the elastic bandage on Johnny's left arm. "Tolerable. I'll live," he grinned, destroying any attempt to look pathetic. Roy smiled and shook his head. "So, where's J.R. off to this early?" Roy asked as Johnny jumped into the Porsche. Would the man never learn to open the car doors? One day I'll leave the windows up just to spite him, he thought grinning wickedly. Roy didn't see Johnny wince from the pain caused by his impact with the car seat. The 'flying captain trick' as Dwyer preferred to call John's accident two days prior, bruised more than his ribs. Sitting was definitely something to be done slowly for a while, he reflected. Gage forced his voice to sound normal as he answered his former partner's question. "He's helping some girl move," was all Johnny said. He couldn't give details he didn't know. "New friend?" "They sounded very friendly over the phone," Johnny admitted. Roy frowned. He was just starting to get used to the idea of someday having J.R. as a son-in-law. This chasing after other girls had to stop if he was going to marry Jennifer. "Say, Johnny," Roy didn't quite know how to couch the question, "what do you think of the relationship between your son and my daughter?" Johnny looked down at a worn spot on his jeans. "I honestly don't know," he answered. "When he gave her that bracelet, I was surprised. I knew they were good friends, but to give her something of his mother's seemed a bit ...personal. And then when I found them together in the barn... I was sure we were gonna be in-laws---shotgun style!" He grinned. "But now I wonder if things have cooled off a bit, ya know? First he dates Kalie, then he's willing to go to a lot of trouble to help out this 'Sunshine', whoever she is." It began to sound like J.R. was taking after his father after all...going from girl to girl. But he wasn't getting dumped. In fact, he was seeing them all at once. "A lot of trouble?" Roy prompted. He wanted to know if his daughter was going to get hurt. "Well, I think she called several times, but hung up when she heard my voice. Then J.R. answered and she seemed to be talking him into something suspicious. At first I thought she was persuading him to run away with her...or something else he considered wrong. But when I asked, he explained that she was in a 'desperate situation' and needed to move out." "J.R. was going to tell her no, but I told him he should always help a lady in distress. Maybe I should have let him turn her down, but I was having fun teasing him about a girl." Johnny just shook his head. He hoped he hadn't made a mistake. "Gene Riley said J.R. would make a heck of a parmedic." Roy waited for a reaction. "Is that a fact? Huh!" Johnny wasn't about to voice any reservations---or anything else---on the subject. J.R. had his own choices to make, but the paramedic program was a course his father hoped he wouldn't follow. Watching his son disappear down the hill in that mudslide last spring was an experience Johnny wouldn't care to repeat. Now that he'd admitted that he loved his son, first to himself and then to J.R., Gage found himself fiercely protective...and a little afraid of losing the boy. Firefighting was a dangerous occupation. Being a paramedic was equally dangerous and more demanding, both emotionally and physically because of the nature and frequency of the calls. Johnny wouldn't try to stop J.R. if he wanted to join the program, but he wouldn't encourage it either. With a sigh Roy realized Johnny was determined not to take the conversational bait. ********** "Roll call in five minutes, Gentlemen!" Cap Gage briefly greeted B-Shift captain Jeff Brady. With his left wrist firmly wrapped in an elastic bandage, Johnny omitted the usual 'high five' and substituted a toast with his first cup of coffee. Looking at the clock, he figured he just about had time to finish the coffee, barring being toned out. "How's the wrist, John?" Jeff Brady paused to ask as he straightened the paperwork on his desk and placed the log book in front of the C-Shift captain. "Sore," Johnny admitted, "but I've had worse. I persuaded Dr. Brackett that captains don't have to use their hands as much as they do their mouths, so he released me to come back to work today." Johnny grinned when Brady shook his head. "Just take it easy, and don't use it too much. No broken ribs?" Brady heard that Gage made a 'pavement-and-steel-door sandwich' on the call that put him in the hospital. "No, but the SCBA left a helluva bruise." Johnny tipped back his coffee cup to catch the last drop before making his way to the apparatus bay for morning roll call, the clipboard cradled against his chest and a forced smile on his lips. This was gonna be a painful shift, but staying home was not an option at present. "Good morning, Gentlemen," Cap Gage addressed "Johnny's Crew". Various versions of 'morning Cap' were given him in reply. "I know it's only early October, but the holiday season is just around the corner. C-Shift is scheduled to work Thanksgiving Day, so if you want that day off you'd better start looking for a trade now. We are also scheduled to work Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, so think ahead, guys." Murmurs and groans erupted from the ranks. It was always a complicated thing to arrange trades during the holidays. Johnny had worked more overtime in the past during the holiday season than any other time of year---it helped him forget he had no family. This year was different. Johnny's cousin Claire invited him and J.R. to visit over the Christmas holidays and they had answered with a tentative 'yes'. Claire was the one who introduced Johnny to her friend Marnie, J.R.'s mother. She'd kept in touch with Johnny over the years and was one of the few relations that held him in any affection---and vice versa. It would be good to see her again, and to introduce her to his son. He had a feeling, although J.R. didn't say so, that Claire had known about the existance of his son all along. With an effort, Cap Gage brought his thoughts back to the present. "Details. Konnitsky and Manley, the dorm; Dwyer, you're the cook this shift; Rudy, sorry man, you were last one in, you have the latrine; Marco, B-Shift had a long, hard night and Big Red needs a bath. Manley can help you when he finishes in the dorm and Konnitsky, I have a special project for you..." Johnny smiled, Dave was probably going to actually like this one. "Since there's so much to do, we'll all pitch in hanging hose." "The engine will be out of service between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. I've been asked to visit Palm Center Elementary School during their lunch hour and talk to the kids about fire safety. Konnitsky has graciously volunteered to help. We'll be eating with the kiddies, so Charlie, you can adjust lunch accordingly. Of course that all gets washed out if we get stuck on a call." What Dave Konnitsky didn't know, Johnny reflected, was that Karen Riley, an elementary education major in college, would be there as an observer. Originally Captain Gene Riley was going to do the 'talk' and take J.R. with him, but J.R. switched off for today, so Gene contacted Johnny and asked him to do it instead. Johnny agreed. He enjoyed kids once he understood them better. Gage shuddered at the memory of his first hospital tour with a group of 10-year-olds. If it hadn't been for their attraction to Maxwell Hart, the author and a patient at Rampart, that would have been total disaster. He'd underestimated those kids badly, Johnny remembered. At any rate, he'd wised up since then. Captain Stanley was so amused by the incident, that every time the station was tapped for a speaker or tour guide, he assigned it to Johnny until Gage was familiar with the territory and no longer intimidated. Hank Stanley was a wise man, Johnny reflected. Now, it was Konnitsky's turn for a little 'elementary education'. "That will be all, Gentlemen," Johnny said with a grin, anticipating the upcoming objections from the young flame-haired fireman. "Cap!" Dave began, " Dwyer has kids..." ********** "So you're really gonna do it, huh Christy?" Chad Ferrell looked at his roommate in amazement. "Yeah, Chad-dy, I am. I'm wasting my time here, and my parents money. J.R. tried to talk me into telling Mom and Dad in the first place that I didn't want to go to college, but like an idiot, I didn't listen. Now I'm going home. J.R.'s gonna lend me the money to buy gas for the 'Stang and replace the flat tire. Then we're gonna load up the car and the Rover with all my worldly goods and head back to L.A. where I belong." "You're just giving up then?" Chad was more than a little disgusted with Chris DeSoto. He never even tried to fit in. "Look, I don't belong here. Maybe it is giving up, but college is something I never should have started. The next class at the Academy starts the first of the year. I'll get my old job at the department store back until then. If Mom and Dad are too upset with me, I might be able to stay with Uncle Johnny and J.R...or if that doesn't work, my Grandma DeSoto has a spare bedroom. All I know is, I want out of here." "When are J.R. and your sister going to be here?" "Well, probably in a couple of hours, if they left directly from her friend's house." Chris energetically stuffed clothing into suitcases. His books, tapes and other personal belongings were already loaded into milk crates stacked in the center of the dorm room. He had only to strip his bed and roll up the rug, and he was ready to go. Not much would fit in the Mustang, but between that and the Rover, they should have more than enough room for his stuff. ********** "Mornin' Sunshine!" J.R. called as Jennifer quietly closed the Paynes' front door and, Tammy Payne in her wake, jogged to the passenger side of the Rover. She halted in confusion before opening the car door. In the contrasting light and shadows the figure in the driver's seat looked just like Uncle Johnny. The addition of dark sunglasses added to the illusion and for a moment Jen panicked. She let her breath out swiftly. It was J.R. With a wide smile, Jennifer opened the door and hopped in, happy to be going anywhere with J.R. Gage and excited at the prospect of this adventure. By the time anybody knew what was happening, Chris would be home and the fact that she was alone with J.R. on this trip would be lost in the hullabaloo over her brother's decision to quit school. Tammy gawked at the young man behind the wheel of the Rover. She'd met John Gage often at the DeSoto's house, and she wasn't altogether sure she wasn't staring at him now. "Uh, Jen, aren't you going to introduce us?" Tammy poked at Jen's arm from outside the vehicle. "Oh, yeah, sure. Uh J.R., this is Tammy Payne. Tammy...J.R. Gage." Now let's get out of here, Jen thought, before she starts flirting with my boyfriend. With a flash of her perfect smile, Tammy thrust her arm through the window in front of Jennifer to offer her hand to J.R. Jennifer was tempted to bite the arm in front of her face when J.R. grasped that perfectly manicured hand and shook it. It was obvious that Tammy was the one not letting go as the handshake lasted a bit longer, from Jen's point of view, than strictly necessary. "Let's go," Jen said, tapping one sneaker clad foot on the floorboard of the Rover. "Chris is waiting on us." As J.R. backed the Rover down the driveway, Jen suddenly said, "Wait!" At his surprised look, she giggled and told him, "I want a kiss first...for luck." J.R.'s lopsided grin appeared for a moment before he willingly complied. The position was awkward and the time too short for his satisfaction, but the touch and taste of Jennifer DeSoto made up for any trouble he'd gone to in order to arrange this trip. He let his conscience back out of the mental box he'd briefly stuffed it into and broke off the kiss with reluctance, noticing uneasily that they still had an audience. Tammy felt a stab of envy as she watched her friend kissing J.R. Gage. After all this, I'd better be her Maid of Honor! she thought. They'll get married eventually; she's determined and he's hooked. With a sigh Tammy Payne walked back to the house and grabbed her purse from the chair just inside the door. "Mom...Dad...Jen and I are heading to the mall now," she called. "We're gonna hang out with friends and then catch a movie. We'll be back sometime this evening, okay?" Without waiting for a parental response, which she knew would be in the affirmative, Tammy got into her sky blue VW Rabbit and headed to meet friends at the mall. Her part was done, and she couldn't wait to tell their gang what was in the wind; Jen had neglected to swear her to secrecy. ********** "STATION 99...STRUCTURE FIRE...1998 HILLDALE DRIVE...1-9-9-8 HILLDALE...CROSS STREET MAPLE...TIME OUT 09:45" Sam Lanier's voice followed the tones that called Station 99 C-Shift away from their housekeeping chores and sent them to the engine and squad. "Station 99, KMG-375," Roy DeSoto replied. Wonder how bad this one is? It's in a residential area. The home was engulfed in flames when Station 99 arrived and Roy quickly called for a second alarm. He sent in the paramedics to check for victims when the neighbors were unsure if there was anyone home. A thorough search of the house verified that no one was inside, and Roy quickly put the team on a hose to help battle the fire. Engine 127 showed up and assisted in putting the fire out. Not much was left of the house beyond blackened walls, but at least it hadn't spread to the adjacent homes. As the crews were cleaning up and preparing to leave, a station wagon pulled up to the curb a little way down the street and a frantic woman ran toward the firemen. "What happened?" she cried, "what did you do to my house?" Roy caught her by the arms and led her to the back bumper of the squad. "Ma'am, do you have any idea how this might have started?" he asked. "What? No, of course not. I just stepped out to go to the store for a minute. Where's Tina?" "Tina? Was there someone inside the house? We searched and didn't find anyone. Who's Tina?" "TINA!" the woman screamed, struggling to run toward the house. "Tina, where are you baby? Tina!" "Cap, we looked all through the place, there wasn't anybody there," Peters said, although his face was worried. He'd never failed to find a victim before. Pete and the other firemen began searching the remains of the house for a victim they might have missed. "Ma'am...ma'am where would Tina have been?" Roy struggled with the now-hysterical woman. "Could she have left the house while you were gone? How old is Tina? Ma'am...ma'am, how old is Tina?" "Tina!" the woman said again looking hopelessly at the charred remains of her home. "Tina, baby where are you?" Suddenly Roy found himself supporting the woman as she slipped from consciousness. Peters' partner quickly drew a yellow emergency blanket from the squad and spread it on the grass. Roy laid the woman down on the blanket and turned to survey the onlookers. "Can anybody here tell me about Tina?" he asked the crowd. A woman pushed forward. "Tina was her daughter," the neighbor volunteered. "She died last month in a hit-and-run accident. I guess Michelle is still in denial; she's been kind of unbalanced since it happened." Roy could understand that and was sorry for the woman, but was nonetheless grateful that no child had burned to death in the house. He called to Peters and motioned for the men to quit searching. The junior paramedic checked the woman's vital signs before placing a call to Rampart. Roy requested an ambulance, then told his crew to pack it up. "Man, Cap, I feel sorry for the lady, but at least there was nobody in the house." Peters was shaken up by this, Roy could tell. "I know, Pete. At times like this you doubt your own judgement. But you were right, don't forget that. There was nobody in the house. Don't beat yourself up over something that didn't happen. This one scared all of us. Say 'hi' to Dix for me; I'll see you back at the station, all right?" Roy clapped Pete on the back and turned to climb into the engine. The ambulance took the woman to the hospital and Pete made ready to follow in the squad. He waved a shaky hand and drove off. ********** J.R. sighed as he merged into heavy traffic on I-5. He was used to rush hour on the 405, so this wasn't a challenge to his recently acquired driving skills, but it was going to take longer, at this rate, than he anticipated. Jennifer relaxed with her head tilted back on the seat, completely content to be spending her Saturday morning on the freeway with him. He smiled. Her kiss that morning was like water to a thirsty man. They hadn't spent any time alone together since that ill-fated Saturday last month when his dad caught them making out in the barn. The consequences were heavy, but fairly tolerable. That afternoon was pure heaven---holding Jennifer in his arms in the warm grass of the meadow, stealing kisses from her sweet full lips. That was the day he first called her 'Sunshine'. She was like the warm summer sun, lighting up the dark corners of his life with her bright smile, her beautiful eyes and sunny disposition. He was still amazed that she loved him. A loud 'pop' roused J.R. from his daydream as the steering wheel went rigid and began pulling to the right. The flap flap flap of rubber on the pavement gave an audible clue to the cause...flat tire. Cautiously J.R. eased the Rover to the side of the road and safely onto the far side of the shoulder. A board with protruding nails lay several feet from the Rover where it had landed after J.R. tossed the offending item into the ditch. He went from happy daydream to sweaty reality as he struggled to jack up the heavy vehicle and change the tire. Luckily routine maintenance and repair were a part of his driving lessons that Johnny insisted upon. Jennifer sat on the edge of the road by his side, leaning back to enjoy the sunlight as she peeked from beneath her eyelashes at J.R. He noted with a slight blush the appreciation in her glance. All in all, it was gratifying, but he would much rather be pitching hay to the horses after a long ride with her in the meadow. Suddenly, with a loud snap, the ancient bumper jack gave way. The base plate shifted on the soft shoulder of the highway and the locking gear was stripped as the piece holding the bumper slid down the post. J.R. barely jumped back in time to avoid injury as the Rover settled down onto its dead tire with a loud thump. Great! Just great! Well, he thought, time for plan B. Refusing to utter the oaths that sprang to mind, J.R. tossed aside the now useless jack. The cool clear morning grew warmer as the day advanced until the interior of the 4WD vehicle felt like an oven when J.R. reached in to retrieve a red handkerchief to tie to the door handle. With a snort of disgust he raised the hood of the vehicle and sat down beside Jen to await help. The situation that had seemed like a minor delay a few minutes earlier now took on a more serious tone. While J.R. worked on changing the tire, he was in charge of the situation. Now he no longer was, and Jennifer grew apprehensive. Uneasily she scooted closer to the young man and took posession of his left arm holding it in a death grip as the freeway traffic flew by uninterrupted. J.R. looked at Jen's frightened face and pulled his arm from her grasp, settling it instead protectively around her shoulders. The quickly orchestrated rescue of Chris DeSoto was falling through, and things didn't look good for them either at this point. "It's okay, honey," J.R. told her as two tears let go of her lashes and streaked down her face. "Somebody will stop to help and we'll be on our way." She sniffed and swiped at the tears, trying to come up with a cheerful smile, and failing. J.R. wasn't too optimisitic either. He'd had better days. "If we have to call my parents, we're gonna be in so much tr-trouble," she hiccupped. "Yeah, but I'll tell them this was my idea," he said. "They already think badly enough of me. We're forbidden to be alone together now. How much more can they do?" He knew how much more...they could charge him with kidnapping, but he wasn't going to say that to Jennifer. "J.R., they don't think badly of you." Jennifer hoped she was telling the truth. "Jen, your parents barely tolerate me for my dad's sake. They know I'm not good enough to be hanging around their daughter, and I guess I've proved it now." He hung his head in defeat. By sneaking off with Jennifer DeSoto he had done the one thing that would now put her completely out of his reach. "What do you mean not good enough?" Jen was getting a little irritated. He was doing it again, running off into that world of self-pity he retreated to at times. She wanted to shake him. "Jen, I'm Johnny's illegitimate son. It's not enough that my dad has a bad reputation, just like your dad said last month; I'm living proof of that. Plus I'm part Indian..." "NOW YOU WAIT JUST A MINUTE!" Jen was thoroughly disgusted by his words. "Your dad is a very special person and I love him just as much as if he really was my uncle. More than that, my parents love him too. His 'reputation' is mostly exaggerated, I bet, and as for you being illegitimate, nobody cares about that but you!" "But..." "Uncle Johnny's not ashamed of his heritage. I'm not put off by it either; I've always loved what he's taught me about the ways and legends of his mother's people. If you're ashamed of that, then...then I'm ashamed of you!" Jennifer pulled away and sat with her back to him, her arms crossed, tears forgotten. "Jen, please, I'm not ashamed of... at least I don't think I am. I love hearing my dad's stories and I love him. It's just that I've always been...my grandparents wouldn't let me forget that...that I'm some kind of punishment for my mom's sins or something. They never had anything good to say for me, and I guess I kind of started seeing things from their point of view." He'd not considered that his feelings about himself were an insult to his father. "Oh J.R., if I were your mom I wouldn't consider you a punishment, and I bet she never did either. You said she loved Uncle Johnny and you know she loved you. Can't you see? You were all she had to remember him by, and the fact that you look so much like him must have been a very special gift to her." Jennifer turned to put her arms around the young man she had come to love, her heart torn by the pain and confusion on his face. J.R. had a lot to think about, but right now, he would rather just sit here with Jen hugging him and forget about hurt feelings, the trouble he was sure to be in now, and what the DeSoto's reaction would be to this fiasco. ********** After another half hour, a California Highway Patrol cruiser pulled up behind the Rover. Drat, now their parents would be called for sure. "Having problems?" the officer asked. The broken bumper jack laying where it had been tossed behind the Rover was explanation enough. The CHP officer noticed the girl's nervousness and began to speculate as he retrieved a small axle jack from the trunk of the cruiser. A few pointed questions might be in order. "Rugged vehicle. How's the milage? I don't see many like that every day." "Milage could be better," J.R. admitted. The boy isn't any too happy either, the policeman thought, like he would rather not answer questions right now. Wonder what these two are up to? "Yours?" "My dad's." was the terse reply. "He know you have it?" He handed J.R. the jack and watched as the young man got to work on the tire. "He knows," said J.R. as he scooted under the back of the Rover to position the jack. J.R. seemed fairly comfortable with changing the tire, so the CHP officer concentrated on Jennifer. "Your friend is a real chatterbox," the officer said to the girl, nodding his head toward J.R. "He doesn't talk much," she agreed. "Where are you two headed?" He watched as Jennifer's eyes widened at the question and then were shielded by her lowered lashes. "We're on our way to San Diego to visit my brother at college," she told him. It was pretty much true. "Your parents know you're with the boyfriend here?" Jennifer paused before shaking her head. It wouldn't do any good to lie; the officer could find out the truth easily enough. "Don't you think they ought to know?" Runaways, he speculated, at least the girl. I'd bet any amount of money she's underage. "I suppose so." Jennifer's voice was barely more than a whisper, her eyes filling with tears. How could things be going so wrong? This whole plan seemed so simple when Chris proposed it. J.R. tightened the last lug and lowered the jack. He retrieved it from under the vehicle and held it out to the officer. Things were going to get bad real soon, the young man speculated. "Would you please show me a driver's license and registration?" he asked J.R. "You too," he told Jennifer. J.R. pulled out his wallet and removed the registration from its packet on the visor as Jennifer retrieved her purse from the front of the Rover. Just like I thought, the girl is under eighteen. The boy is probably telling the truth. He could have said it was his car even, his name and address is the same as the one on the registration. "Well, young lady, if you'll just accompany me to my car, we'll go to the station and get this straightened out. Your folks can tell me that it's okay for you to visit your brother with this young man, and his father can confirm that he has permission to use this fine vehicle. All right?" Trembling, Jennifer nodded. They were gonna be in so much trouble that Chris would be a forgiven and forgotten member of the fire department before Jennifer was ungrounded... even if he finished college first. The CHP officer motioned her toward the back seat of his cruiser then turned to J.R. "You just follow me, ok, son? We'll get this taken care of and you can be on your way." The boy was looking very guilty about something. Well, well...big surprise. ********** End of part II onto the conclusion