Expect the Unexpected




Johnny looked down at the two little faces staring up at him and wondered what he had gotten himself into. But he felt so bad for his neighbors, he couldn't say no.

A young couple lived three doors down from Johnny. They had a nine month old baby girl named Rita and a four year old boy named Danny. Joe and Anne Robinson were a nice couple. Joe was a fellow firefighter. He worked at Station 127 as an engineer. Anne was a stay at home mom. The two were just a little younger than Johnny. After seven years of marriage and two kids, they still acted like newlyweds. Sometimes Johnny almost envied them.

When Joe had knocked on his door in the middle of the night to ask if Johnny could watch the kids because Anne's mom had been admitted to a hospital in Sacramento, Johnny was glad to help. He grabbed some of his things and headed down to their apartment. Joe knew A shift was off the next day. He apologized for imposing on Johnny, but they had no family in LA.

Anne tried to give Johnny as many instructions as she could think of in the short time they had before they left. Johnny wasn't too concerned. After all, he was a trained paramedic. How hard could it be to look after two small children?

It was around 3 AM when they left. Johnny settled down on the couch to get some sleep before the kids woke up. Just as he was dozing off, he heard a cry. It was Rita the nine month old. Anne had said the baby sometimes cried for a bottle during the night. Johnny went to the kitchen and found a bottle and heated the milk on the stove. He checked it about four times to be sure it wasn't too hot, meanwhile the baby had begun to wail.

"Okay, okay I'm coming Rita," he said as he hurried down the hall to her room. He opened the door and found her standing at the side of her crib, her face was red and tears were rolling down her cheeks. As she saw an unfamiliar face coming towards her in the dark she began to cry even louder.

"Shhhh, its okay Rita. You know me. I live a few doors down. My name is Johnny. I'm going to take care of you. Look I brought you a bottle," he spoke in the gentlest tone he could produce.

The baby upon seeing the bottle stopped crying and reached for it. "That's it. Good girl. You drink your bottle and go back to sleep okay?"

The baby took the bottle and began to suck on it as if she hadn't eaten in days. Then she lay down and continued drinking. Johnny covered her with her blanket and sat down in the rocking chair in her room to be sure she went to sleep. 

The next thing he knew he was feeling a tug on his shirtsleeve. He opened his eyes it was daylight and Danny was standing next to him. "Johnny what are you doing here?" the child asked.

I guess I fell asleep while Rita was drinking her bottle, he thought.

"Well Danny, your Mommy and Daddy had to go to see your grandmom, she wasn't feeling too good. But I'm sure they'll be home soon."

The little red haired boy stood there absorbing the information for a moment, then tears filled his eyes as he cried, "I want Mommy!"

His cries woke the baby who joined in the chorus. "Shhhh it's okay. I'm a nice guy, really. We're going to have lots of fun. Please stop crying," he pleaded.

Danny settled down a little. Johnny reached for the baby and picked her up. She was soaked from head to toe. "Oh, no!  Danny where does your Mommy keep the diapers?" he asked. The little boy just shrugged his shoulders.  Then he tried to decide the safest place to put the baby. He couldn't put her back in the wet bed, he couldn't sit her in a chair, and he certainly didn't want to hold her in this condition. He grabbed a clean blanket and laid it out on the floor, and then he sat her down while he went to look for clean clothes and diapers.

It took him a few minutes, but he finally found everything he needed. "Okay Rita, now we're in business," he said proud of his success. Then he realized the baby was no longer on the blanket. He looked under the crib, next to the changing table, by the window, she was gone.

"Rita, where are you?" How could she have gotten away so fast? She was just a little baby. Johnny kept calling her. Then he realized he didn't know where Danny was either. "Hey guys come on. Where are you?" The last place he checked was the kitchen. "Oh man! What did you two do?"

There was spilled milk all over the kitchen floor. Rita was happily playing in it, splashing it around. Danny was trying to scoop it back up with a spoon. They were both wet from sitting in it.

"Now you both are going to need a bath," Johnny said dreading the experience. He gathered the two soggy children in his arms and headed for the bathroom and was sure to close the door behind them. They can't fool me twice, he thought t himself.

He turned the water on and made sure the temperature was right. As the tub was filling he worked on getting the wet clothes off the little ones. Danny was finished first because he could help undress himself. Then Johnny turned his attention to Rita. He was a little confused by all the hidden snaps of her pajamas, but he finally figured it out and had the baby ready to go. He turned back to the bath which was almost overflowing with bubbles. Danny had dumped half a bottle of bubble bath into the water while Johnny was distracted with the baby.

He quickly turned the water off. He decided a few extra bubbles wouldn't hurt them, so he proceeded to get the children into the tub. Danny and Rita were thrilled with the sea of bubbles. They splashed and giggled. They're kinda cute, Johnny thought. Then Danny decided to slam both his hands into the water for a really big splash. The water was projected out of the tub and all over Johnny. Danny and Rita giggled at the sight.

"Okay, that's enough. Johnny doesn't need a bath too." He grabbed two towels and scooped them out of the water and dried them off. Then he realized he didn't have their clothes with him. As he opened the door to let them all out, the children ran through the hall giggling and screaming. Johnny didn't know whether to chase them down or get their clothes. He figured option one was a losing battle, so he ran to get their clothes from their rooms.

He was heading down the hall with everything he needed when it occurred to him that they might have gone back to play in the pool of milk on the kitchen floor. He was relieved to see they had decided to play with their toys in the living room instead.

He finally had them both dressed. He turned on the television and found Sesame Street for them to watch while he cleaned up the milk in the kitchen. He had just finished up when Danny came in, "Johnny, I'm hungry."

"Okay Danny what would you like for breakfast?"

"Can I have cereal?"

"Sure. Let me get it for you." Johnny found the bowls and poured the cereal, then went to the refrigerator for the milk. There was none. They must have spilled the last of it. Then with a sinking feeling Johnny realized if there wasn't any milk for cereal there wasn't any milk for a bottle. As if on cue, Rita began to cry.  

He knew there wasn't any milk in his refrigerator. He would have to take the children to the store. But he couldn't put them in his Rover. He noticed a stroller in the corner of the living room. The closest market was about five blocks away. It was a nice day. He could walk them.

He found Rita's pacifier and hoped that would be enough keep her quiet until they were home from the store. He told Danny what they were doing. He seemed excited.

With Rita in the stroller and Danny holding onto Johnny's hand they made their way to the store. Johnny started to laugh to himself. If anyone from the station saw this he would never live it down. Johnny Gage pushing a baby coach with another child by the hand. This was the first, and more than likely the last time this situation would ever occur in his lifetime.

The walk went pretty quickly. Rita seemed to enjoy seeing the sights. She squealed and clapped her hands. Danny enjoyed the walk too, but his legs were getting tired.

They made it to the market and went inside. As he walked past the produce section he saw a beautiful blonde he had been noticing around the neighborhood for weeks. She looked up as she heard Rita squealing happily.

"Oh what a beautiful baby," she said as she came over to get a better look. Johnny had seen her several times and was never able to get her attention. Maybe Rita would be his way in.

"What's her name?" she asked as she bent down to get a closer look at the baby.

"Huh? Uh, Rita, her name is Rita," Johnny said distracted by the view.

"Hi Rita, my name is Sandy."

"My name is Johnny," he added quickly trying to focus her attention onto him.

"And who is this?" Sandy said as she noticed Danny holding Johnny's hand.

"This is Danny. Haven't I seen you around the neighborhood before?" replied Johnny trying once again to turn the conversation towards him.

"Well, you have adorable children Johnny. You're a lucky man."

"Oh, they're not mine. Maybe we could get together and have dinner sometime?" Johnny said trying to take full advantage of this unexpected opportunity.

Just then Rita looked up at him and said, "Dada" Then she reached her arms up for him.

Sandy looked at Johnny with disgust. "What kind of a man denies his own children, just to pick up a woman!" she said as she stormed past him.

"But they really aren't mine. I'm just babysitting," he called after her. But she ignored him and went to check out her groceries.

"Dada," Rita said again as she held out her arms.

Johnny picked her up. "Rita you just ended what could have been a beautiful relationship," said Johnny as he looked sadly in Sandy's direction.

He looked down and realized Danny was gone. He scanned the store from where he stood. He was nowhere. Just then a loud crash came from the back of the store. Johnny held onto Rita and pushed the coach to the scene. There was Danny standing next to a pile of soup cans that had fallen from their carefully organized display.

"Oh man!" Johnny said as he attempted to restack the items. The manager of the store came back to see what had happened. "I'm really sorry," said Johnny. "I can put them back for you."

"That's alright sir," the manager said trying to hide his annoyance. "I'll get my stock boy to restack them."

Johnny took Danny by the hand, he had the baby in the other arm, now how was he going to push the coach? He tried to put Rita back in, but she started to scream for him. He had Danny help him push the coach while he held Rita and they quickly made their way to the dairy section.

He grabbed a gallon of milk, he wanted to be sure they had enough; he wasn't going to go through this again. He managed to get to the front of the store without losing anyone or knocking anything else down. They made their purchase and went outside to head home.

Danny started to whine that he was too tired to walk. Rita wasn't going back in, so he put Danny in the stroller instead. He put the milk in the pouch underneath the coach and with Rita in his arms they headed home.

Once they were home Johnny sat the children in the kitchen to feed them. He was sure they must be starving by now. He was pretty hungry himself. He made a bottle for Rita and poured the milk on the cereal he had prepared for Danny. "Danny, what does Mommy feed Rita besides milk?"

"That yucky stuff in the little jars," he said pointing towards a cabinet next to the stove. Johnny opened it and found an assortment of baby food. Chicken, beef, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, spinach, none of it looked appetizing to him. "How can they expect kids to eat this stuff?" he asked out loud. He took one of the jars, opened it and took a whiff, "Agghh, that's awful!"

Johnny didn't think he could handle the smell and sight of the baby food on an empty stomach. He looked desperately around the kitchen. Aha, a box of donuts. He opened it and shoved half a donut in his mouth. Danny laughed at the sight. A few moments later he had finished it all. Rita has teeth, he thought, she could probably eat one of these if I break it up.  

He proceeded to put small pieces of a powdered donut on the tray in front of her. Rita happily shoved the pieces in her mouth. "Can I have one too Johnny?" Danny asked.

"Sure, here you go pal," Johnny said as he placed a donut in front of the child.

After another donut and a glass of milk Johnny was ready to rest. He felt like he had put in a full days work. When Danny and Rita were finished eating he wiped their hands and faces and brought them into the living room to play. Johnny hoped that they would entertain themselves with their toys while he sat to catch his breath.
   
It was around 11 when Johnny remembered Anne had mentioned the baby took a morning nap. She had started to seem a little sleepy. He went to the kitchen to heat a bottle. Then he picked her up and carried her to her room. He left Danny in the living room coloring pictures.

Johnny changed Rita's diaper and put her to bed with her bottle. He sat on the rocking chair for a few minutes just watching her. She was a cute little thing. From time to time she would look over at him and smile then go back to drinking her bottle. Slowly her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

Johnny wondered for a moment what it might be like…then he realized he had better check on Danny. He got up quietly and pulled the door closed behind him. Danny came down the hallway smiling.

"I made you a picture Johnny," he said beaming with pride.

"Oh great let's see it," Johnny said as they went toward the living room.

"Well where is it?" Johnny asked looking through the papers Danny had been coloring on the table.

"There," said Danny proudly pointing across the room.

Johnny looked in the direction he was pointing not expecting to find what was waiting for him. There are on the far living room wall was a large stick figure holding what appeared to be donuts in each hand.

"Oh wow Danny, that's really something," Johnny said trying not to offend the little boy. "You know you could draw the same thing on a piece of paper and then I could take it back to my apartment and hang it up."

"Or I could go and draw one on your wall," Danny said smiling.

"Well Danny, ah if I had one on paper then I could bring it to the station and show everybody there," Johnny said hoping to convince the child.

"Okay Johnny," Danny said happily as he took a piece of paper and went to work.

Johnny decided to wait until the new picture was done before he talked to Danny about cleaning the original off the wall.

Johnny's stomach was telling him it was getting near lunchtime. When Danny finished his work of art, Johnny asked him if he was ready for lunch.
"Can I make it Johnny? I have a special recipe. Mommy lets me make it sometimes."

"Okay, if your mom lets you do it," Johnny said. It must not be too bad if Anne lets him make it.    

Danny proceeded to direct Johnny in gathering the ingredients. "We need bread and jelly," started Danny.

Sounds safe so far, thought Johnny.

"And goldfish," Danny said triumphantly.

"Goldfish?" Johnny started to think he'd made a mistake.

"You mean goldfish that swim in a bowl?"

"No Johnny," laughed Danny. "The goldfish in the bag over there," he said pointing o the counter.

Johnny was slightly relieved to see he meant the little crackers shaped like fish.

Danny proudly placed two slices of bread on the table. Then he took a spoon from the drawer and smothered both slices with grape jelly. Then he drizzled the goldfish over the jelly and topped it all off with another slice of bread.

"There's my special recipe Johnny," said Danny beaming. "Try it!"

Johnny gave his most enthusiastic smile and picked up the sandwich. He took a deep breath. The things people do for kids, he thought. He took a small bite and began to praise Danny for his cooking talents. Danny sat happily at the table enjoying his creation. Johnny took a second bite. It really isn't that bad. A little unusual, but it's edible. Maybe I should make it for the guys the next time I'm stuck making lunch, he smiled. If they'd eat that green stuff I made that time, they'd eat anything.

Just as they were finishing their feast, the phone in the kitchen rang.

"Hello," Johnny answered.

"Hi Johnny, its Joe. How is everything going?"

"Oh it's going great. Rita is napping and Danny just made me a wonderful lunch," Johnny said smiling at his little friend.

"Don't tell me, jelly and goldfish?" asked Joe.

"That's right. I've decided to make it for lunch at the station someday," Johnny laughed.

"Johnny, Anne's mom is doing much better. We are going to bring her home as soon as the Doctor's sign the release forms. Then I am going to head home. Anne is going to stay here a couple days."

"Okay Joe, I'm glad she's doing better. Take your time. We're fine."

"Thanks again Johnny. This was really nice of you."

"It's no problem. I'm having fun, really."

"Okay then, I'll see you later, bye."

"Bye."

Johnny hung up the phone. "That was your Dad; your grandmom is feeling better. He will be home later.

"Okay, can I watch Mr. Rogers now?"

Johnny put the TV on for Danny. He heard Rita crying in her room. He went down the hall to get her up from her nap.

"Dada," Rita said as she reached her arms out to him. "No, not Dada, Johnny," he said with a smile.

He brought Rita into the kitchen and sat her in her chair. "I guess we'll give that baby food a try now," he said with a frown. He decided to try the carrots. He opened the jar and put the contents into a bowl. Then he went to the drawer to find a spoon. The smallest one he could find was a teaspoon. It would have to do.

He sat in a chair across from Rita. He put the bowl on her tray and dipped in the spoon. He held it up to Rita's mouth. She pushed it away and turned her head. Johnny tried again getting the same reaction. I can't blame her, he thought. He tried making the spoon swoop like an airplane, but Rita wasn't interested.

"Look, Johnny likes it," he said pretending to put a spoonful in his mouth. "Mmmm, why don't you try it?"

Rita looked at him as if she knew he was trying to pull something over on her. When he began to put the spoon to his mouth again she grabbed his hand and pushed it so that the spoon actually ended up in his mouth.

Seeing the look on Johnny's face made her giggle and clap her hands. She got so excited she bumped the bowl on her tray and it fell to the floor, spilling its orange contents as it landed.

Johnny ran to the sink to get a glass of water to help wash the strained carrot taste from his mouth. Danny came in to see what was going on. "Don't worry Johnny, that happens when Daddy tries to feed her too," the little boy said sympathetically.

"When she does that to Daddy he just makes her some scrambled eggs. She really likes those."

"Now you tell me," Johnny said with a grin. He made Rita scrambled eggs and cleaned the carrots off the kitchen floor. When she was finished eating he brought the children back into the living room to play. He got down on the floor with them. They played with blocks and fire trucks and even a baby doll. The rest of the afternoon went quickly. He even managed to clean Danny's picture off the wall. Johnny had fun and Danny and Rita enjoyed playing with someone new.

Johnny was starting to wonder what to make for dinner when Rita began to get fussy. She looked tired, but he remembered Anne said not to let her take an afternoon nap. If she did she would be up all night.    

Johnny picked her up and walked her around. He brought her over to the window to look out. He tried to get her interested in her toys again, but nothing was working. She was getting as frustrated as he was.

"Mommy gives her the binky when she cries," Danny stated.

"Binky?" asked Johnny.

'The thing she puts in her mouth," Danny explained.

"Oh the pacifier. Where did we put that when we came home from the store?" Johnny started looking around as Rita expressed her displeasure.

He wanted to be able to get down on the floor and look, so he put Rita on the floor for a minute. He looked under the couch, through the toys, and in the coach. He decided to check the kitchen next. At last he was successful; the "binky" was on the floor.

Johnny went to the sink to wash it before he gave it to Rita. He put just a tiny drop of soap on it to be sure it got clean. The soap made it slippery. It fell out of his hands and went down the drain. "Oh man!"

Johnny stuck his hand in the opening trying to retrieve it before it went down too far. "Got it!" he said triumphantly. As he went to pull it out he became aware that his hand was stuck. He pulled and pulled being careful not to let go of the binky. It seemed as though the harder he pulled, the tighter his hand became stuck. "I don't believe this."

Rita began to wail louder. "It's okay sweetheart. I'm just trying to get your binky. It's okay." But Johnny was having no luck releasing his hand. What was he going to do now? He couldn't take care of the kids with his hand stuck. He tried pouring soap down around his hand to loosen it with no luck. There was nothing else he could think of to do. He couldn't reach anything from where he stood. Except the phone. Roy! I'll call Roy.

He picked up the receiver and dialed Roy's number. "Come on, come on, answer!"

There was no answer. Johnny hung up. Rita continued to scream and Danny was starting to look frightened. "It's okay guys. I'll get my hand out soon, I promise."

It was the last thing in the world he wanted to do, but he knew he had no choice. The kids could walk away and get into anything, they could get hurt and he wouldn't be able to help them. He took a deep breath and dialed the phone.

"Station 51, Fireman Kelly speaking."

"Chet? What are you doing there?"

"Gage, is that you? Dave called out, so I'm picking up some overtime."

Why did it have to be Chet? Of all people, why him?

"So what's up Gage?"

"Chet, I'm going to tell you why I called. But I'm warning you, you'd better not laugh!"

"Do I hear a baby crying Gage?"

"Yes you do," replied Johnny.

"Is there something you need tell us Gage? Some secret you need to reveal?"

"Listen Chet, I'm babysitting Joe Robinson's kids. They live a couple doors down from me. His mother-in-law got sick during the night and he and Anne had to drive to Sacramento."

"You mean two intelligent, responsible people chose you to stay with their children?"

"They didn't have anyone else to call…. Hey, what do you mean by that? I'm a paramedic; I can take care of kids for a day."

"Sure you can Gage. So why did you call?"

Johnny winced knowing he had to tell Chet what had happened.

"Chet, I dropped the baby's binky down the sink."

"The baby's what?"

"Binky Chet, binky! It's what they call a pacifier."

"So why don't you just get it out."

"That's what I was trying to do when…" Johnny hesitated.

"When what Gage?" Chet asked, and then he realized what was coming. "Don't tell me, your hand is stuck in the drain," Chet started to laugh.

Johnny was getting very annoyed with the joy Chet was taking in this situation.

"Yes Chet, my hand is stuck. I've pulled and pulled, I've tried soap, and nothing is working. You can hear the baby is crying, and I can't get to her. I need somebody to come over and help me get out."

Chet was thrilled that lady luck had shone on him today. This would be something he could ride Gage about for months. "So you need us to come over there to get your hand out?" Chet snickered into the phone.

Johnny could hear Chet howling on the other end. "Okay Gage, we're on our way. Should we use red lights and sirens?"

"Just get over here Chet. It's apartment A-7."

"Okay Gage, I'll go tell Captain Hook."

Johnny hung up the phone in disgust. He looked down at the two little faces staring up at him and wondered what he had gotten himself into. But he felt so bad for his neighbors, he couldn't say no. This was what he got for being a Good Samaritan.

It seemed like hours before he heard a knock at the door. Oh no! It's locked.

"Danny, do you know how to unlock the door?"

"No Johnny."

"Fire Department," Chet called from outside.

"It's locked Chet. You're going to have to get in some other way."

It was hard to make himself heard over Rita's cries. She kept reaching for Johnny to hold her. Danny rushed to the front window to see the fire truck.

"Wow, that's just like Daddy's truck," he said.

"Gage, the windows are all locked. We're going to have to break in the front door. The kids aren't there are they?" asked a voice that sounded like Captain Hookrader.

"Danny come in here with me," Johnny said. 

Danny complied but was upset that he couldn't watch the activity from the window.

"Okay Cap, its clear," Johnny said above Rita's cries.

Chet broke through the door and the crew entered the apartment.

Johnny wished with all his might that the earth would swallow him whole. Unfortunately, it didn't. The engine crew of B shift was soon standing before him. Some were trying not to laugh. Some like Chet had no desire to spare Johnny's feelings.

"Kelly take the baby," Captain Hookrader said. The rest of us will work on getting Gage free."

Chet picked up Rita, who stopped crying instantly. She giggled and pulled on his mustache. Some of the crew knew Danny from the fireman's picnic and the softball team Joe played on. Kevin Lang the engineer brought him out to see the engine.

Within a few minutes, Johnny's hand was free. He even managed to retrieve the binky. Johnny was washing the soap off his hands when Joe Robinson came running inside. "What happened?" he asked breathlessly.

He ran over to get Rita from Chet. "Dada," she squealed as she reached for him.

"Everything's fine Joe, said Chet. "Gage just needed to be rescued. He was trying to use your sink as a bracelet," he said with a smile.

"Very funny Chet," Johnny said as he entered the living room drying off his hands.

"Joe I'm really sorry about your door. I dropped Rita's binky down the drain. When I   went to get it out, my hand got stuck. I tried everything. Finally I called the station. I had no choice."

Joe smiled. "Well everyone seems healthy and happy I guess there's no harm done."

The crew chuckled as they headed back to the engine. Even Captain Hookrader found the situation amusing.

Johnny helped Joe fix the front door, and then he headed back to his apartment. He was on duty tomorrow and he was sure when word got around it would be a long shift.

He planned on getting to the station early the next morning, before Chet so he could tell his version of the story first. But he overslept. By the time he got there everyone's cars were already parked in the lot. "This is going to be a bad morning," he groaned to himself.

He went to the locker room and quickly changed. He braced himself for the worst before entering the kitchen. When he walked in everyone was sitting quietly at the table drinking coffee and eating breakfast. Captain Stanley was looking over paperwork. Roy was reading the sports section of the paper. Marco was doing a crossword puzzle. Mike was reading for the upcoming Captain's exam. Chet was on the couch reading the front page with Henry on his lap.

As Johnny walked carefully over towards the stove, he eyed each man. Each one gave a "Good Morning" and returned to what they were doing. No one looked the slightest bit amused by his presence. Even Chet seemed nonchalant. It was like any other morning. Maybe Chet hadn't said anything about yesterday. But why? Maybe he was tired from working a double shift and didn't have the energy to give him grief today?

Johnny started to relax and got a cup of coffee. He sat down next to Stoker. "Studying hard, huh Mike?" Johnny said making conversation.
             
"Yea," said Mike. "There's a lot to memorize. Some of these procedures are really complicated. Like this one. Hey Cap was this section on the exam when you took it?" Mike asked as he slid the book over to Captain Stanley.

Captain Stanley took the book and began to read silently. "No Mike, I think that was only added recently."

"Do you think there is a chance it will be on the exam?" Mike asked.

"I don't know. It's pretty important stuff. You may face a situation like this several times as a Captain, you have to be prepared."

Johnny was curious. "What is it Mike, how to handle fires from some of the new chemicals on the market?"

"No, it's how to help your crew remove a paramedic and a binky from a sink without letting any of them die of laughter."

Johnny groaned, closed his eyes, and put his head down on the table as the crew burst into hysterics.



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