In the Driver's Seat by Maura "Good morning Marco," Roy said as he entered the kitchen at the beginning of A shift. "Good morning Roy. I just made some fresh coffee," replied Marco. Roy was grateful to get one of the first cups from the new pot. So many mornings there would just be a few drops left by the time he got in. Mornings were so hectic at the DeSoto's it was really a challenge to get out the door and to the station on time. This morning had been one of those mornings. Joanne was taking the kids to see her sister. They were going to spend the night. She was busy making sure they would have everything they needed, just in case. Joanne always over packed, especially for the kids. She would bring clothes in case it was warm, clothes in case it got colder, medicine, toys, extra shoes, their favorite blankets and pillows. By the time the car was packed, it looked like she was leaving Roy to go live somewhere else. After seeing them off safely, Roy hurried to get himself ready for work. Roy smiled as he sipped his coffee. Even with all that confusion, he had still managed to arrive at the station before Johnny. For a moment he imagined what it would be like to wake up to an empty house, not have to maneuver for time in the bathroom, and to have nothing to distract him from getting to work on time. Johnny would never make it in my house he mused. "Roy, Cap wants to see you in his office," said Chet as he headed for the coffee pot. Roy took one more sip of his coffee while it was still hot and headed for Captain Stanley's office. "You wanted to see me Cap?" Roy asked. "Yea Roy. Come in," Captain Stanley offered him a chair next to his desk. "Roy I just got a call from headquarters. Apparently they are doing a random quality control check of personnel files. They called to say they couldn't find a copy of your driver's license in your file." "That's crazy Cap! They've had that for years," Roy said. "I know. Some twit probably misfiled it or something. All you need to do is bring your license down to headquarters after the shift tomorrow and they can make a copy. I just need to see it, so I can report the number and that it is valid." "Sure Cap," Roy said as he reached in his back pocket for his wallet. When he pulled it out and opened it, he knew something was very wrong. It was filled with Monopoly money. There was a picture of the Incredible Hulk in the spot for the license. "Oh no!, " Roy said. "What's wrong Roy?" "I picked up Christopher's wallet this morning. He wanted one just like mine, so we got him one on his birthday. In all the confusion getting ready this morning I must have grabbed the wrong one." "Well that's not a problem. Just call Joanne and ask her to bring yours down to the station." "I can't. She left to stay with her sister over night. It's an hour drive from here." "Oh I see. Well I guess you just better let Gage drive for today until we get this straightened out." "Okay Cap," Roy said as he left the office. Johnny driving the whole shift? This was going to be strange. Johnny was heading from the locker room into the kitchen when Roy met him. "Johnny can I talk to you for a minute?" Roy said as he motioned Johnny over to the squad. "What's up?" Johnny asked. "Johnny Cap said that headquarters called. They were doing some kind of spot check on personnel files and they can't find a copy of my driver's license. I need to go down tomorrow to clear it up, but I can't drive the squad today." "Can't you just show Cap your license?" "Yea, that would have solved the problem, except I don't have it. I grabbed Christopher's wallet by mistake. Now I have a pocket full of Monopoly money and a picture of the Incredible Hulk." Johnny laughed out loud, then realized that Roy was not finding this so funny. "Well, just call Joanne and get her to bring your wallet down here." "I can't, she went to stay at her sister's. She won't be home till tomorrow," Roy answered. Johnny began to process the information. For the first time in how many years, he was going to get to drive the squad to rescues, not just to Rampart? Roy was going to be the navigator. The prospect made him smile. Then he noticed Roy's concerned look as he gazed at the squad. "Don't worry Roy, I won't let anything happen to your baby," he said with fake sincerity as he patted Roy gently on the back. Johnny turned and laughed as he headed into the kitchen. Roy stayed behind a moment and looked at the squad. This was going to be a long day; he frowned as he decided to join the others. Before he made it, the klaxons sounded, Squad 51, man down, 246 Brighton, cross street Riverdale, time out 8:45. "Squad 51 KMG 365," Roy responded. As he turned to head for the squad, he bumped into Johnny who was running for the driver's seat. "The keys," Johnny said as he held out his hand. "Huh?" "The keys Roy. I need the keys." "Oh yea," Roy said as he pulled them from his pocket. He felt a momentary pang as if he were giving the keys of his favorite car to a newly licensed teenager. It was silly. He hadn't realized how possessive he had become over this piece of machinery. He pushed his thoughts out of his mind and headed for the shot gun seat. Johnny took the squad on the road. Roy checked the map to give him directions. "You need to make a left on Maple, Brighton is about a mile down from that," Roy directed. "I know a short cut," said Johnny. No sooner had he spoken the words than he was making a hard left into a small alley. "This will save us a few blocks," he said. The alley was in bad shape. It hadn't been paved in years. The squad bounced and rocked as it maneuvered over the uneven surface. Roy cringed as he saw Johnny take each bump with reckless abandon. When they reached their destination, Roy felt more like a patient than a paramedic. He was nauseous and his head was pounding. He was sure his blood pressure must be sky high. But he was as professional as ever and tended to the man who had fallen in his home. He had a large laceration on his forehead and was complaining of dizziness. Rampart instructed them to transport the patient and observe his level of consciousness closely. Once they had turned over their patient, they returned to the squad parked in the Emergency entrance. Roy tried to check the squad over without letting Johnny see. He had to know if any damage had been done during the run. He was relieved to find that his superficial inspection didn't seem to uncover any damage. He decided not say anything to Johnny. No harm had been done. He would give him the benefit of the doubt. Johnny basically knew what he was doing. Everything would be fine. The squad would survive the day and so would he. While they were heading back to the station, they came to a busy intersection and Johnny floored the squad to get through. "You just ran a red light!" Roy yelled. "It wasn't red, it was yellow. I was just making sure we got through it," Johnny explained. 'Yellow means caution, slow down. Not hurry up before it turns red," Roy insisted. Johnny just smiled. Roy was really having a hard time giving up control of the squad. Even though it was only for a day. I bet he never lets Joanne drive him anywhere, he chuckled to himself. Suddenly there was a loud backfire from the squad. "What was that?" exclaimed Johnny. "It was the squad letting you know what you did was wrong," said Roy. "Ha, ha, very funny," said Johnny as he sneered at Roy. When they got back to the station, Johnny went to start cleaning the dorm. Roy took out the wax and started to work on the squad. It was as if he felt he had to do something to make up to it for the way Johnny had treated it. He polished the chrome until he could see himself. Then he began to work on the body. It was almost lunchtime when he had finished. He stepped back to admire his work. She looks beautiful, he thought. Just like the first day she arrived. Everyone had finished lunch when the call came in. Squad 51 assist engine 39, traffic accident 1215 Longshore, time out 12:45. "Squad 51 KMG 365," responded Captain Stanley. As he handed the call slip for the run into the squad the engine suddenly cut out. Roy shot a look of skepticism in Johnny's direction. Johnny responded by restarting the engine with a slight look of annoyance. And they left the station. Traffic was heavy. It was the middle of the day and everyone was out and about. He steered around the cars stopped at the intersections. He made hard turns onto side streets as they made their way to the accident scene. When they arrived, he cut the tires hard as he pulled over to the curb. Roy could feel the tires hit as they finally came to a stop. He had to take a second to gather himself after the ride. He had to focus on the victims at the scene, not his own uneasiness. Thankfully none of the victims had been seriously injured. One driver had a broken arm, the other a possible concussion. Roy rode in the ambulance, while Johnny followed in the squad. He glanced out the back window from time to time to see how Johnny's driving appeared from a distance. He had never really noticed before. From the back of the ambulance everything looked quite normal. Johnny appeared to be driving with just as much care as Roy would if he were behind the wheel. Maybe I'm just too critical, he thought. Maybe I need to give up some control once and a while. Johnny met Roy at the nurse's station. "I think we should check out the squad when we get back," said Roy. "Why?" Johnny asked. "Because it stalled before our last run and it back fired earlier remember?" "Oh, I'm sure it was nothing, "he said as he noticed Roy's disapproving glance. "But we can check it when we get back if it would make you feel better," Johnny said. He decided he should be as cooperative as possible. Roy already thought he was being too rough on the squad today. When they got back to the station he would go over it with a fine toothcomb. Then Roy would see that he was just as responsible a driver as he. When they returned to the station Roy wasn't happy with the condition of the tires. They were scraped from when Johnny had hit the curb. Johnny had gotten the tools they would need to check the squad. He was heading over with them when he saw Roy's look of disdain. "What's wrong?" "Look at the tires Johnny! You scraped them up on the curb on that last run. They're a mess!" Roy said sounding like a mother hen. "You have to be more gentle with her!" "With her?" said Johnny surprised at Roy's choice of word. "I mean with the squad," said Roy annoyed at Johnny's insinuation. "Just remember Roy, you're a married man," Johnny said with a smirk. Johnny reached in the cab to release the hood so he could check the engine. The lever was stuck. He pulled as hard as he could. "That's funny," he said as he tried one more time. "Let me try," said Roy as he gently pushed Johnny out of the way. He reached in and released the lever on his first try. Now Roy had the smirk on his face as he lifted the hood. The two checked the oil and the battery and anything else they could possibly think might have caused the engine to stall. Everything checked out fine. "So is the squad still in service?" asked Captain Stanley as he came out of his office. "Yea, Cap. Everything looks fine. It must have just been a one time thing," said Johnny feeling vindicated. "Well I'd like you two to go to a restaurant on Chestnut Street for a safety inspection," Captain Stanley said as he handed them the forms they would need. "Okay Cap, we're on our way," Johnny said as he closed the hood and went to start the squad. Roy put the tools away and got in the passenger seat. Johnny started the engine and the windshield washing fluid squirted out and wet Captain Stanley who was standing next to the squad. He gave Johnny his "you twit" look and Johnny apologized as they left the station. He was sure he hadn't turned the knob to activate the washer. Why would it go on by itself? The drive to the restaurant was uneventful. Johnny parked the squad in the rear of the building and the two proceeded to perform their inspection. When they came out there was a long scratch on the passenger side of the squad. Roy almost gasped when he saw it. Then he looked at Johnny. "You can't blame me for that. Some kid must have come along with a key or a screwdriver or something. That's not my fault," Johnny said defending himself. Roy just shook his head. Intellectually he understood it wasn't Johnny's fault. But emotionally all he could think was that Johnny was the one with the keys today. Nothing like this ever happened when he was driving. Johnny started the engine. It turned over but made an almost moan-like sound for a few seconds. Roy was almost sure it sounded like someone in pain. Could it be that the squad was trying to tell him something? When they got back to the station the crew of Engine 51 took a look at the damage. "Wow, that scratch goes the whole length of the squad," Marco said. "Charlie will have a fit when he sees it," said Chet referring to the department mechanic. Charlie was probably the only person other than Roy who had a deep attachment to the squad. "Why would somebody do something like that?" asked Captain Stanley. The group slowly made their way to the kitchen to start dinner, everyone except Roy. He just stood there staring at the scratch. He felt like someone had violated someone close to him. He wanted to find someone to blame, someone to hold accountable for this. But there was no one … except Johnny. The crew was able to eat dinner without interruption. There was an uneasy silence at the table though. Johnny and Roy didn't say two words to each other all through the meal. Chet picked up on the tension and decided to have some fun. "You know it's a real shame about the squad. All the years we've been here and nothing like that ever happened before. I wonder why today of all days someone would come along and do something so cruel? And the squad stalled when you went on that last run didn't it? If I didn't know better I'd say somebody's trying to tell you guys something," Chet said waiting for the desired reaction from Johnny. Once he had it he went on. "Something is different about today though isn't it? I just can't put my finger on it. Hey Gage, isn't there something different about today?" Just as Johnny was about to lose his temper, Captain Stanley stepped in. "That's enough Kelly, one more word and you'll be on latrine duty for a month!" "Sorry Cap, I was just making conversation. Some people around here can be really touchy don't you think?" he directed his comment toward Johnny. "Okay Chet, just because this is the first time I am driving the squad for a whole shift that doesn't mean everything that happens to her is my fault." "Her? Gage don't get too attached. I think she would prefer Roy any day," Chet said with a mischievous grin. Roy sat and watched the exchange. He was silently glad that Chet was giving Johnny a hard time. Somehow he felt Johnny deserved it. " All right Chet that's enough! " Johnny said emphatically. "I've been in that squad just as long as Roy. I care just as much about her as Roy does." "Well Gage, given your track record with anything of the female persuasion I think that Roy is much better suited to take good care of her." Chet grinned. When he saw the look in Johnny's eyes he got up from the table and headed quickly to the locker room. Roy was unaware of the smile on his face until he noticed Johnny glaring at him. He quickly wiped it off and began cleaning the table off. Johnny headed out back to be alone. It was Roy's turn to wash the dishes. After some time to think Roy began to feel guilty about how he had treated Johnny. It was just a piece of machinery and Johnny was his best friend. They couldn't allow the squad to come between them. He went out back to talk to Johnny. Johnny was shooting hoops when he saw Roy walk up. "Johnny I want to apologize for the way I've been acting today. I really don't know what came over me. I know it's silly to become so attached to the squad. I don't want her to come between us." "Well thank you Roy. You know I care about her just as much as you do. I'll be more careful the rest of the shift, I promise," Johnny said as he extended his hand in a gesture of friendship. Roy extended his hand and the two smiled at how silly they had been all day. " It's been a quiet evening so far, why don't we go to Rampart for some supplies Junior?" said Roy. "Okay Pally," said Johnny as they headed back into the station. Chet was coming from the locker room when he saw them. "Where you guys going?" "We're going to Rampart for supplies," said Roy. "Roy are you sure you want, you know who driving the squad again?" Chet said pointing to Johnny. "Chet, we've settled that. Roy understands that there is no logical reason that I can't drive the squad," replied Johnny. "Well, maybe there isn't any logical reason. But you have to admit a lot of things have happened to the squad today Gage. Things that never happened when Roy was at the wheel." "Chet knock it off. It was just a coincidence," Johnny said as he headed for the driver's door of the squad. He pulled on the handle, but the door didn't open. He checked the lock, it was open. He pulled again, the door didn't budge. "Chet, did you do something to this door?" Johnny said impatiently. "Gage, even I wouldn't sabotage the squad. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize a rescue," replied Chet genuinely. "Try it again," said Roy. Johnny pulled as hard as he could and nothing happened. Chet came over and tried with no luck. Roy did the same to no avail. "Try the passenger door Roy, " said Johnny. Roy tried without success to open the passenger side door. "Hey Cap, we have a problem," shouted Chet. Captain Stanley, Marco, and Mike all came out to see what the commotion was. "Cap, the squad won't let Johnny in," snickered Chet. "Oh stop it Chet. The doors are just stuck Cap," said Johnny becoming increasingly annoyed. "Did you check the locks?" asked Captain Stanley going for the most logical explanation first. "Yea, Cap. The doors are unlocked, but they won't budge," said Roy still pulling on the passenger side door. "Well something has to be causing the problem, " said Captain Stanley inspecting the side of the squad. "Maybe she's just refusing to let Gage drive her again," said Chet with a mocking tone. "Oh shut up Chet! It's just stuck or something," Johnny said as he continued to pull on the door with all his might. "I'd hate to use a pry bar, that will break the door and put you out of service. Maybe if we try some oil it will loosen up and open. Marco get the oil pal," said Captain Stanley as he headed over to report the squad temporarily out of service, just in case. Marco returned with the oil. They generously lubricated the doors. After waiting a few moments for it to seep in, Johnny and Roy tried opening the doors again with no success. The other members of the crew each gave it a try. No one was able to open either of the doors. Captain Stanley scratched his head. He was out of suggestions. "I guess I'll have to call Charlie," he said. "Oh no," groaned Johnny. "He'll blame this on me for sure." Johnny continued to yank on the driver's door. The doorbell to the station rang. "I bet that's Charlie now. He probably sensed something was wrong," said Chet teasingly to Johnny as he walked by to answer the door. Johnny continued to yank on the door, while Roy stood there stunned. Was it possible the squad was keeping Johnny out on purpose? "Roy, Joanne's here," Chet said as he escorted Joanne into the apparatus bay. "Joanne, what are you doing here?" Roy asked surprised. "I found your wallet in Chris's suitcase when we were unpacking a couple hours ago. I thought I should get it back to you. You never know when you might need your license and things," she explained, always the practical one. Roy smiled at her thoughtfulness and incredible timing. "Thank you honey. I really did need it today," he said looking at Johnny with a devilish smile. Captain Stanley came from his office. "Cap, Joanne brought my wallet, here's my license," he said handing it over to the Captain. "I'll explain it later," he whispered to Joanne. "Well then I guess you're cleared to drive again," said Captain Stanley. "There's just one problem Cap, the doors won't open," said Johnny pulling on the handle again. "Wait a minute," said Chet as he headed to the hood of the squad. He bent down close and feigned a whisper as he said, "It's okay now Roy has his license." He gently patted the hood of the squad. Then he put his ear close as if he were listening for a response. "Gage, give Roy the keys." "What?" Johnny said indignantly "Just do it Gage, give Roy the keys." Johnny looked at Captain Stanley who motioned as if to say he might as well hand over the keys. Johnny let everyone know by his expression that he wasn't pleased with this arrangement. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to the squad. He handed them to Roy while he glared at Chet. "Okay," Chet spoke to the squad. "Roy has the keys. Now let him open your door," he motioned for Roy to come over to the driver's side. Roy looked at the others who appeared curious as to what would happen next. He approached the door and put his hand on the handle. He pulled and instantly the door opened wide. The crew began to laugh. All except Johnny. "Well congratulations Roy! It looks like the squad has made her choice!" Chet said as he glanced in Johnny's direction. "Gage, I guess your 'girl' just dumped you. But it's not like that has never happened before," laughed Chet. Everyone headed into the kitchen to explain the whole story to Joanne. Captain Stanley called Charlie back to cancel and he put the squad back in service. Johnny stayed in the in the apparatus bay next to the squad trying to understand what had just happened. Had he really just been rejected by a piece of machinery? "All these years we've been together. All these years! I've changed your oil, replaced your fan belts, washed and waxed you. We've been through everything together, fires, car accidents, floods, mud slides…. and this is how you thank me? By just locking me out? Well I just want you to know I'll never offend you by attempting to drive you to a rescue again. I can take a hint. From now on I'll only drive you to Rampart okay?……….. Roy stood silently in the doorway to the kitchen listening to Johnny's rant and laughed to himself. He had no idea how to explain what had taken place today. But it was good for his ego to have a girl prefer him to Johnny. Feedback for Maura |