HAPPY ANNIVERSARY? by Tammy Roy felt awful. His kids were driving him nuts. Boys were starting to notice his daughter and he was just not ready for that. Then, his son was bugging him about getting a driver's license - AND a car! Add to that his work problems…two of his top paramedics were going through bad divorces. One had to transfer out of his own station because his wife was seeing his partner. To further compound the issue, it seemed every paramedic in the county was taking sides and all the captains were looking to the paramedic chief to control all these paramedics. Roy was just starting to get the rest of the paramedics to keep their noses out of the issue and was attempting to counsel the broken-up partners so they would keep their issues to themselves. Then to top it all off, when he finally remembered his anniversary early enough to think up a way to surprise his wife, she surprised him by informing him that she and the kids would be gone that week. "But Joanne, that week?" Roy had asked incredulously. "Isn't there something special going on that week?" Joanne turned her back to him and leaned into the refrigerator. "No, dear, I don't think so. It's the perfect week for me to see Mother. My new job will start right after that, my college classes will be done until fall, and both kids are free. I didn't think you wanted to go with me but hey if you want to?" Roy stopped. Could she have forgotten? That will be our 17th anniversary. He decided not to say anything, certain that Jo would soon realize her mistake and he would be able to tease her for once. But she didn't. And then the phone calls started. The first time Roy noticed, he was coming home just a few minutes early. Joanne didn't hear him enter the living room and from what he heard, he would have sworn Joanne was on the phone laughing with Johnny. When he walked in the kitchen, she was just hanging up the phone. "Oh Roy! You scared me," Joanne jumped. "Who was on the phone, hon?" "Wrong number." Joanne replied and then quickly launched into a recounting of what had happened at her class at the college. Twice during the next few weeks, he was sure he heard her whispering on the phone while he was working in the backyard. And then, just a few days before she was to go to her mother's, he accidentally picked up the phone in the bedroom and caught part of the conversation. His wife was laughing with what sounded like a low sexy lilt to her tone. "Johnny, I feel so guilty, but we'll finally be totally alone. No wondering if someone will come in and surprise us or interrupt us with phone calls. I am so excited!" Then his best friend laughed back, "As long as you're happy, Jo. I'll pick you up from the airport at 5 pm Thursday night. Do you want me to take you by 'Frederick's' on the way back to my place?" Roy's heart had stopped beating waiting for his wife's next words. "Do you think you can handle it?" was her reply. Roy carefully placed the phone back in its cradle. He couldn't believe it. HIS wife? And HIS best friend? Roy made excuses at work during the next two days when Johnny called. He just couldn't find any words to say to Johnny. Home was a little better, he talked with the kids and just kept watching Joanne whenever she was absorbed in some job she was doing. Luckily, she was busy getting their things packed for the trip to her mom's and she didn't notice anything wrong. As Roy glumly noted, she seemed to be happier than he had seen her in a long time. That Wednesday morning, Roy walked to the car with his family. He hugged and kissed his kids then turned to Joanne. "Joanne, you could stay here. Call your mom and change your plans, you know." Joanne looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "Roy DeSoto, are you trying to tell me something?" Roy looked at her and inwardly sighed. He had spent the last 24 hours analyzing everything he had overheard. At first it had seemed preposterous that Johnny and Joanne could be together. But hadn't he just dealt with two partners in a love triangle? Then he started to realize how often the two of them had come together to care for Roy when he was injured, or how often Joanne had had the primary care of Johnny when Johnny was injured. Not to mention that they both had bright, adventurous personalities while Roy knew most people considered him to be boring. Maybe Joanne had decided after being in college classes, that she wanted someone who acted more youthful. Roy reached out and hugged her tightly. He whispered in her ear, "I'll always love you." Then he kissed her deeply and quickly set her in the car. He jumped to his county truck and sped away, without even a wave. Joanne just stared after him. That kiss was more affectionate than he had ever given her in a public setting.. "Now what's gotten into him?" she thought. She shook her head, double-checked that all seatbelts were on, and started her long drive. Wednesday and Thursday seemed to drag on considerably for Roy. Joanne called the first evening after reaching her destination but was so tired from the drive that she just wanted to sleep. Work was very slow, few phone calls and all his paperwork seemed for the first time ever, to be totally caught up. He drove to a few stations but avoided Johnny's Station 51 and the stations where Chet and Marco were captains. He didn't want to take a chance of running into any of them for he knew they would all realize something was bothering him and then drive him crazy trying to pry it out of him. Of course, he cursed his luck when he realized he had a lunch date with Battalion Chief Stoker that he just could not cancel. Afterwards he congratulated himself because he thought he made it through the meal without letting Mike know he was worried over anything. Roy would have been surprised to hear the call Mike placed as soon as he was back to his office. "Station 51, Captain Gage speaking." "Johnny." "Hey, Mike," came the cheery voice. "Something up?" "Well, I just had lunch with our paramedic chief. Johnny, I'm pretty sure he suspects something. When are you two going to tell him?" "Tomorrow, Mike. She'll be here tonight and we plan on breaking it to him tomorrow," Johnny replied. "Okay. Don't tell him I knew. I would hate to have him have to get on me for knowing about this." Friday morning Roy arrived for work early. His secretary had left a message up front, letting him know her car had died and she'd be late dropping it off on the way in. Thus, Roy had to answer his own phone. "Chief DeSoto's secretary, please," the voice requested. "This is Chief DeSoto. May I help you?" "Sir, we were just trying to verify where your tickets were to go. Normally, you have your tickets dropped at headquarters but these are listed to be dropped at Station 51. Is this correct, sir?" "Tickets? Which tickets?" Roy was thoroughly confused. He had no travel planned for the next month. "Um, sir, I have 2 tickets here for Chief and Mrs. DeSoto to Seattle, Washington leaving this afternoon and returning Monday. Somehow, it appears the delivery got mixed in with the one for Capt. Gage who's leaving Saturday for Las Vegas." Roy sat stunned for a moment. TICKETS for Seattle --- and a ticket for Johnny to Vegas?! "Uh, yes, ma'am. They should all go to Station 51." "Thank you, sir." Roy shook his head, mentally kicking himself as hard as he could. Okay, they got him. NOW, it was his turn. Roy pulled up to Station 51 with every intent of giving his former partner a lesson that even the Phantom would be proud of. But just as he got to the station, he felt the unmistakable rumble of an earthquake. As soon as the tremor ended, he grabbed his turnout coat and helmet that he kept in the truck and ran to the station. Johnny turned and grinned at him as the klaxons sounded, knowing that they had an extra paramedic on this run. The call was to an older storefront near Roy's neighborhood. He had always assumed it was safe because no other earthquake had done any damage to it. Now it lay in ruins. Luckily most of the stores were empty or they opened after 10 am so there were no employees working this early. But there was a hair saloon on the end that opened at 7 am and had a good-sized clientele. Johnny and Roy ran over to the ladies who were milling around the edges of the store. One lady appeared to be taking a count of who was there. Johnny grabbed her arm. "Ma'am. How many people do you think are still in there?" "Just one moment," she mentally ticked the last ones off and turned back to Johnny. "It appears we are missing one client and two stylists. They were back in the corner, there." She pointed. Johnny nodded gratefully. Having someone cool and collected was a major aid at this type of structural failure. Roy and the two paramedics began searching as Johnny sent the rest of his men over to turn off the utilities and check for any other possible dangers. 51's two paramedics found both stylists unconscious but not pinned so they quickly got them out and started their treatment. Roy continued over to where an inside wall still stood. On the one side, he saw nothing but a large pile of rubble. On the other was a still hand. It came through a crack in the wall that was hiding the rest of the body. Roy dropped down and felt for a pulse. He yelled "I have Victim 3. She has a strong pulse. Johnny, she needs to be dug out." Roy held the hand and it grabbed tightly to his. Johnny sent his men over and started them digging. Then, he went back behind the wall to see if Roy needed anything. "No, Johnny. Not much can be done until we can get to her. I'll just stay here and keep her calm." Roy replied, searching the wall. Roy noticed there was another hole that could possibly be near her head. This might at least be giving his victim air and allow her to hear him talking to her. "Ma'am. Can you hear me? If you can't talk, it's okay just squeeze my hand twice for yes," Roy was thrilled to feel two squeezes. "We'll get you out. I promise. Are you okay?" Roy looked back at Johnny. Roy moved some debris away so he could hold her hand comfortably and still talk to her. He was nearly lying down next to the wall. "Are you scared?" Two squeezes. Okay, that means she is probably lucid. "I suppose you were getting all spruced up for some special fellow?" Two more squeezes. "Don't worry. My buddy Johnny and his men are going to get you out real soon. I know that the only thing your fellow will care about is that you are safe. How 'bout I tell you a story while we're waiting." Johnny looked around the wall and held up fingers indicating they estimated about fifteen minutes until they could get her out. Roy nodded and took a deep breath. "Let me tell you about a couple I know. They met a bit over twenty-five years ago. Just babies they were. When they were finally old enough and the boy smart enough to know he wanted to keep her with him forever, they married. That was the best thing that ever happened to him. Now as this boy got a bit older, he became a silly, old man. He got cranky because his kids were growing up. Great kids! but he still saw them as his babies and had a hard time accepting that they didn't need him so much anymore. And then this fool started to compare himself to his best friend and felt even older. Didn't stop to consider how lucky he was to have such great kids and a wonderful best friend. Now the really strange thing to him was that his wife, who he loved more than anything, didn't get older. As a matter of fact, in his eyes, she got younger and more beautiful every year." Johnny stood watching, getting a confused look on his face. Roy just continued holding the hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of the hand and the wedding band on it, letting the woman know he was still there. "Now this silly old fool, who had never had any reason to doubt his wife, started to imagine that she was seeing another man. In fact, his best friend." The hand squeezed tight and held. "Shh. It's okay. Now, I told you, didn't I, this man was an old fool, so don't be too surprised. Well, his wife decided to take a vacation. This hurt the man very much because he was sure she'd forgotten their anniversary. He was too proud to ask her about it and never even told her he knew what day she was missing. Then he overheard conversations on the phone that made his wife and best friend look guilty as sin." Johnny just stared at his best friend, now knowing who the 'old fool' was. Johnny shook his head in amusement and said to Roy, "Any minute now." Roy finished. "Now this silly old man knows his wife and best friend were really doing nothing but trying to give this old fool a wonderful surprise. Maybe you can help me think of some way to ask them to forgive me." The hand squeezed twice. Johnny smiled at Roy, letting him know he was already forgiven. Then Johnny checked his men's progress on the other side of the wall. They were nearly done. "Roy - Are you going to take charge of this victim's treatment?" Roy shook his head and held the hand tighter. "No, Johnny. I'm staying here. You better have one of your guys do it. I can't treat one of my own." Johnny looked at Roy in wonder, then looked to the other side of the wall. As the firefighters removed the piece of drywall that was covering the face of the victim, he raced to her side. "Joanne?!" An hour later, Joanne was lying on a gurney in a treatment room at Rampart. Roy had grabbed her hand again and was refusing to let go. Dixie worked around him as Mike Morton finished examining her. "Mike Morton, I have airplane tickets for tonight. I am not staying here." Dixie looked at Joanne. "IF he says you are, then you are." Joanne looked at Dixie, "I am not one of the boys. I don't have to listen and you don't scare me at all!" Roy and Joe looked at each other and grinned. Dixie had met her match. Johnny stood against a wall, wondering which of the two women he admired most would win this battle of wills. Joe looked at Roy and then Joanne. "Really, Joanne. It would be best if you stay here overnight." Mike tried to convince her. Dixie stood back, crossed her arms, and smiled. Joanne started to sit up, but Roy pushed her back. "Tut, tut. Joanne, this is my turn. Lay back down. This time, I get the chair, you get the bed." He shook his head and smiled. "We'll go to Seattle next month." He pointed over his shoulder back at Johnny. "He can babysit then. That can be his share of the punishment for you two driving me bananas this last month." Johnny nodded. He and Joanne both were feeling bad that Roy had gotten so worked up over their surprise. If he hadn't overheard their conversations, it would have worked great. Joanne looked at Johnny gratefully, but then looked at Roy, "His share? Does that mean I am going to get punished?" Dixie and Mike had left to go set up a room for Jo. As Johnny reached the door, he overheard Roy. "Well, yes, dear you will. You just may have to share your bed." feedback for Tammy . |