Dazed and Confused
by Icecat62
 

Gage wore a look of total confusion as he watched the nurse walk away from him. All he did was ask her what her name was and she blew him off. He stood in the hall, momentarily dazed. What had he done wrong? He hadn't been obnoxious or rude, all he did was ask who she was.

Making his way back to the elevator, he stabbed at the down button. As the doors opened he stepped in, totally oblivious to the people that surrounded him. His mind was in turmoil as he tried to figure out why she didn't want to even talk to him.

He breathed in deeply through his nose. He hadn't fallen into any vile substances and no one had vomited on him today. The smell of soap still clung to him from his shower. Looking at his hands, he noted that his nails were immaculate so that wasn't it. The elevator stopped and he walked down the hall and made a beeline for the men's room.

Pushing the door open, he walked directly to a mirror. Tilting his face from side to side, he looked at himself from every possible angle. He tried to see what would have made her act so short with him.

Running his fingers through his hair, he put a few stray locks back in place. He couldn't figure out what she didn't like about him. He knew he wasn't ugly because he received compliments on how good he looked on an almost daily basis. He'd caught many a nurse checking him out when they thought he wasn't looking.

Frowning, he turned away from the mirror and headed out to find Roy. Maybe he would have an answer as to why she didn't like him. As he walked toward the nurses station, he spied Dixie filling out a report. Better yet, why not ask her? She was a woman. Who better qualified to answer his question than another woman?

"Dix is there something wrong with me?"

Dixie looked up from the time sheet she was working on to see the hurt looking face of John Gage staring back at her. Her immediate thought was, why me? She knew she was in for a confusing conversation.

"Why, do you have a pain or a headache?"

Gage gave her an exasperated look. "No, not physically, I mean what's wrong with me?" He placed a splayed hand on his chest, tapping himself. "Why would someone ignore me for no reason at all?"

Dixie smiled slightly. "What's her name?"

Gage gestured wildly with his hands, the frustration in his voice evident. "That's the problem Dix, she wouldn't tell me!"

Dixie's small smile grew wider, then she quickly suppressed it when she noticed how upset he was. She may have thought it was funny, but Gage on the other hand appeared deeply hurt by the snub.

"How did you go about asking her what her name was?"

He calmed down somewhat as he told Dixie what had happened. She frowned slightly as she listened to him. He hadn't done anything annoying from what she could tell and she knew he was telling her exactly what had happened. Gage may have been a pain in the butt at times with his rants, but if there was one thing she could always count on, it was he never lied.

"So she's a nurse here. What does she look like?"

Gage quickly described her, from the color of her hair to the length of her uniform.

"Johnny, have you ever thought about being a detective?"

He gave her a confused look. "Huh?"

"You described Sara to a t."

"Sara...that's her name?"

"Sara Montgomery. She started here a month ago. Let's just say her last relationship wasn't a pleasant one and she's probably still a bit leery. There's nothing wrong with you, Johnny, she's just a bit gun shy."

Gage's face went from confused to relieved. "Then it's not me? I didn't do anything wrong?"

Dixie smiled at Gage. It was like consoling a hurt little boy. It would take a few reassurances by her before he would finally calm down. "No, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Man...thanks Dix. I thought that maybe I'd done something wrong. I mean, she was so rude to me. Thanks."

"You're welcome."
 
 

Roy walked down the hall toward the nurses station. He could see Gage gesturing with his hands. He could tell that what ever his partner was telling Dixie had him all worked up. Slowing his pace, he could see that whatever Dixie was saying had a calming effect on Gage. By the time he got to them, Gage's posture was relaxed, his expression relieved.

"Hi Dixie. Johnny, you ready to go?"

"Yeah Roy." He gave Dixie a grateful smile and walked away.

Roy leaned toward her. "What was that all about?"

Dixie smiled. "One of my nurses."

Roy grinned back at her. "Okay...that's all I need to know."

Saying goodbye to Dixie, he walked out to the squad and slid behind the wheel. Gage didn't say a word as they pulled away from the hospital and made their way back to the station.

As they backed into the bay, Gage turned to him with a curious expression on his face. "Roy, do you think if someone won't talk to you, should you try and see if they will the next time you talk to them?"

Roy turned the ignition off and sat not saying a word. He was trying to figure out what Gage had said to him. Turning toward the younger man, he gave him a confused look.

Gage took the look as a signal to continue talking. "You know the nurse, the one that we got on the elevator with? Well, I tried to ask her for her name, but she wouldn't tell me. Roy, she was down right rude about it! Well, I talked to Dixie and she said that Sara..."

"Sara?"

"Yeah Roy, her name is Sara. Sara Montgomery. Well Dixie said that Sara had a bad relationship and probably doesn't want to be bothered, but do you think that maybe the next time I see her, should I talk to her again? You know, ask her out on a date. I mean if you fall off a horse, you should get right back on or you'll be afraid to go riding again. What do you think?"

Roy stared blankly at Gage, wondering how he could talk so long without taking a breath.

"Roy?"

"Huh?"

"What do you think? Should I ask her out?"

"Uh...I suppose so."

Gage's face lit up in a bright smile. "Thanks Roy."

Without saying another word, Gage jumped out of the squad, slamming the door behind him. Roy sat in the squad wondering exactly what his partner had thanked him for. Thoroughly confused, Roy shook his head. He gave up. Getting out of the squad he made his way toward the kitchen, hoping to make it through lunch without a call or Gage confusing him again.