This story is a continuation of "What Was That Name Again?" and refers to characters
and the timeline created there. ********************************************************** Just Add Water by Nexxie The young firefighter was uneasy at the thought of meeting his father's friends, but he recalled that these particular people already knew about him, so there wouldn't be any embarrassing explanations. Reluctantly he agreed to go to dinner with Johnny. How bad could it be? At least that pretty girl would be there. J.R. Gage looked ready to run at the slightest noise as he followed his father up the driveway toward the DeSoto's front door. Two young people could be heard arguing inside and a dog was barking excitedly in the back yard. J.R. looked more like he was being dragged to his own execution than to a family dinner. As she watched from the front picture window, standing far enough back to avoid being seen and still satisfy her curiosity, Joanne DeSoto was amazed at the uncanny resemblance between the father and son. If someone cloned Johnny Gage, they couldn't come up with a more perfect replica, she thought. How does the boy manage to walk with the same easy gait as his father and brush his hair back from his eyes with the same unconscious gesture when they only met last week? Those are habits picked up over a lifetime. According to Roy their voices and speech patterns are nearly identical too. It's eerie. In fact, she could remember a very young Johnny Gage approaching their house in exactly the same hesitant, cautious manner the first night Roy invited his new partner over for dinner. Uneasy in a strange home and unsure how to act, Johnny sat in near silence except for the profuse and constant apologies he made after he knocked over a glass of water, soaking the table. The evening went downhill from there with a string of mishaps caused by Johnny's nervous attempts to clean up the mess and making more of a mess than ever. He was so miserable. Finally it looked like he was ready to leave for good, never intending to return, when five-year-old Jennifer approached the mortified young man where he sat stiffly on the sofa and took one of his tanned slim hands in her small ones. "It's okay, Mr. Gage," she said, her big blue eyes full of sympathy. "They were all accidents. You couldn't help it. Mommy says nobody should be punished if something happens by accident. I think you can still have dessert, but you have to help clean up the mess first." Joanne also wished he would leave so she could repair the havoc his nervousness had wrought, and now she wanted to sink through the floor at her daughter's words. Then she witnessed the miracle her little girl worked on the distraught young man. Led firmly into the kitchen and put in possession of a broom, Johnny, ably assisted by young Jennifer DeSoto, began sweeping the kitchen floor where remnants of broken dishes and bits of food lay scattered as embarrassing evidence of his clumsiness. Meekly following the little girl's directions, he swept up the mess and cleared the table before starting in on the dishes. Dishes done and floor mopped, John Gage stood by for inspection by Captain Jennifer. With her satisfied nod, Johnny was rewarded with an encouraging pat and a piece of chocolate cake. Catching Joanne's pained glance, the young paramedic's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter and his mouth began to twitch before breaking into the widest, sunniest grin Joanne ever witnessed. She wasn't sure whether Johnny fell in love with Jennifer or Jen had fallen for John Gage first, but it was mere days before he became firmly established in their family circle as "Uncle Johnny". Jennifer's magic breached the walls of his reserve, and from then on Johnny fit into their household like a glove, Joanne remembered fondly. He really enjoyed playing with the kids, babysitting and helping Roy with chores and projects, like building the deck and repairing the roof. Maybe J.R. will manage to fit in without going through the same initial awkwardness. Joanne sure hoped so. Actually, I would give a lot for John's boy to be a little clumsy, she thought half way through dinner. At least apologizing would require some kind of vocalization. I've yet to hear the kid say a single word! Dinner was strained, to say the least. J.R. sat silently watching everyone, eating little and contributing nothing to the conversation. Chris essentially ignored the newcomer. At nineteen, only one year older than Chris, J.R. may have looked like his Uncle Johnny, but he sure didn't act like him. He bet the guy's face would crack if he tried to smile. Heck, he didn't even open his mouth all evening, not even to say "hi" or something. Jennifer mooned dreamily over the handsome young addition to the evening's company, bringing dark scowls from Chris, who was embarrassed for her, especially when J.R. tried not to notice. John and Roy attempted to carry on a normal conversation, which fell dismally flat. Joanne wished the evening would end. There was no little girl with a miracle to save this one...was there? After dinner, Chris was tasked with clean up and Joanne, taking pity on him, helped. Roy and Johnny retired to their usual chairs on the back deck to watch the daylight fade. Unsure where he fit in, J.R. stood in the middle of the livingroom unhappily awaiting some kind of clue what to do next. Taking matters firmly in hand, Jennifer pointed him to a chair and strode purposefully over to the bookcase that occupied part of one wall in the DeSoto's livingroom. With easy familiarity she pulled out a thick photo album from the bottom shelf and plunked it on the coffee table in front of the young man. The sound of the heavy volume hitting the table caused J.R. to jump nervously, and Jennifer grinned up at him as if sharing a joke. He gave her a hesitant half-smile in return, embarrassed at his startled reaction, and tried to pay polite attention to what appeared to be a very large collection of pictures. His attention, however, was truly riveted as he thought he saw himself among the people in the album. At least it looked like him. Focusing on Jennifer's stream of explanations, he picked up on the fact that he was looking at a much younger Johnny Gage. There were pictures taken with Jen and Chris at the zoo making faces at various animals and sporting sticky smiles, their hands full of cotton candy. Several photos were of Johnny standing proudly next to his new partner in front of the Rescue Squad. In one he was holding up two fingers as "rabbit ears" behind Joanne's head at some kind of formal affair. Those and endless others filled the book to overflowing, many of them taken by Johnny himself, an unrepentant shutterbug. With the evidence before him, he could see now why people who knew John Gage gave J.R. such funny looks. He also began to see a very new side to the man who was his father. Their current relationship was shaky at best, Johnny trying to adjust to a new person in his life and J.R. unsure how close he wanted to be to this man. Things were stiff and formal between them, both guarding their emotions carefully, neither wishing to show weakness. The man pictured in the photo album seemed to have an irrepressible sense of humor and a passion for having fun. It tugged at J.R.'s heartstrings and gave him hope for a better future. This happy, carefree version of his father was just what he had always longed for. Now how could he meet him? Joanne paused, a soapy dishrag in one hand dripping unnoticed on the kitchen floor as she watched her daughter with John's son. His demeanor wistful, the young man was obviously intrigued by pictures of his dad. He even briefly flashed Johnny's trademark crooked grin as Jennifer explained the funny events behind some of the photos. Laughter, of course! The evening needs something to make everyone laugh and, Joanne's eyes twinkled impishly, I know just how to make that happen. To make everyone laugh, she smiled, all you have to do is add one playful Johnny Gage. Armed with a tall glass of icewater, Joanne DeSoto, a smile still plastered across her face, made her way through the livingroom to the back deck, looking just sneaky enough to pique Jennifer's curiosity. The girl had an inkling of what was going to happen, and she beckoned J.R. to join her in watching the fun. J.R.'s mouth dropped open like a beached fish as he watched petite, auburn-haired Joanne DeSoto walk up to his father and pour an entire glass of icewater down the back of his neck before she took off running down the steps and across the back yard. "Cool off, Johnny," she yelled laughing up at him. Never one to turn down a challenge, at least after his initial shock and blood-curdling scream, Johnny picked up his glass of iced tea and took off at a dead run after his friend's wife. Roy, amused, stayed safely in his chair, wondering just what had gotten into Joanne. "Get her, Uncle Johnny," Jennifer cheered from the safety of the deck, wisely staying out of the line of fire. Chris smirked as he watched his mom head for the hose spigot. She managed to get it turned on just before being doused with iced tea. Quick on the counterstrike, Joanne triggered the hose nozzle to hit Johnny full force in the face with a stream of water, backing him up to where the rest of the spectators waited on the deck. Roy ducked for cover, but not before the spray soaked his shirt. Chris managed to dodge safely in the opposite direction while Jennifer pulled the sliding glass door closed and watched from behind it. Only J.R. was left unprotected, and he received a brief shower in passing as Joanne chased his father around the deck toward the other side of the house. Then she turned toward the son. Joanne was a relentless and unrepentant attacker as she chased first one, then the other Gage without prejudice. J.R., moving at last, took off after his father seeking to get out of range of Joanne's deadly aim. The dog was barking in gleeful abandon, a whole furry cheering section on his own as he watched the demented humans play tag around the yard. It was a familiar scene to the canine member of the family. Warning screams and yells of encouragement blended with the barking as Johnny charged around the other side of the house, attempting to get behind Joanne and capture the hose. Anticipating this move, Joanne turned and soaked him to the skin while backing up to keep possession of her weapon. She didn't see J.R. as he came back the other direction and was surprised when the stream of water abruptly stopped. Confused, Joanne looked into the nozzle and was promptly soaked as J.R. relaxed the kink in the hose. As his ears caught a totally unfamiliar yet wonderful sound Johnny's throat tightened with emotion. J.R. was doubled over holding his sides and laughing hysterically at the sight of dripping wet Joanne DeSoto, who was trying to look angry and not succeeding. Noting that J.R. was still relatively dry, Johnny shook his head feigning disgust----unacceptable. In a flash he grabbed his son around the waist and dragged him struggling and kicking across the yard toward his friend's wife, holding him firmly in place while Joanne thoroughly soaked them both. The ensuing wrestling match between the two Gages lasted all of ten minutes. J.R. was younger, but Johnny had years of hauling hose, carrying victims and lifting hay bales. Before he was sure how it had happened, J.R. Gage was pinned on his back looking up into the wet grinning face of his own father. Happier than he had ever been in his life, the young man returned the grin with his own hundred-watt smile. Johnny's heart melted as he shared the moment with his boy. Still dripping, Gage helped his son to his feet then pulled him into a bearhug. With all the strength in his young body, J.R. returned it, sure at last that he was home. Joanne turned off the hose, glad for the wet hair that dripped down her face and camouflaged the happy tears streaming from her eyes. As Roy returned to wipe down his chair before resuming a seat on the deck, he swiped suspiciously at his own eyes and gave Joanne a knowing smile. She looked over at Johnny to see him smiling at her as well from where he stood still clenched in his son's arms. Between Jen and I, Joanne thought, we managed another little miracle. THE END Place your feedback here! |