"I know..." Johnny said quietly.  "Should he wait outside...or--" "No, there's no need for that." "Well maybe he should--" "Will you have a seat Mister McConnely?" "Gage...John Gage." "Oh that's right...I'm sorry.  My mistake.  I knew that one too.  Sorry." "It's okay." "I'm afraid the seats aren't very big," she grinned as he made an attempt to sit down. "I'll ah...I just stand here and lean, if that's all right," he joked. "That's perfectly fine.  Now, what I'd like to do, with your permission of course, is place Coty in advanced reading." "Huh?" "It will mean he has to read more books than is usually expected at his age, but I honestly think he can handle it.  Of course we always check with the parents first, so they don't suddenly wonder why their kid has to do more homework than another kid in their grade.  If he doesn't do well, we can always place him back in the regular class, but we do ask that the parent give it a full six weeks before doing so.  That way it won't mess up our grading." "So you're saying he can read?" "Yes, he tests at a fifth grade level, and I think the books we are reading in class are a little boring for him.  In the library, for free reading, he always picks out slightly older books.  Actually they teach the advanced reading in the library during our regular reading classes.  What they do is let the children pick from a set group of books, and read at their own pace.  Then they test them on it, and the children get together and tell each other about the books they read.  They do the same with our slower readers, which takes place at the same time.  It helps children achieve at their own pace, and it helps them get some extra help in the areas they need it.  For Coty, the only problem would be the group parts, but I've talked to the lady who teaches it, and she's all for getting him in there.  It's all about getting the kids to do things at their own pace, so as far as talking about the books he's read...she hopes to get him into that as he's able.  Is he uh...able?" "Uhhhh...the doc said...I mean, his doctor told me he couldn't find any physical reason he doesn't talk but..." "I understand...well, what do you think?" "He really reads at a fifth grade level?" "Yep." "I...how did that happen?" "I don't know...he's not...that's the other thing I need to mention.  He does fine in history, spelling, art, and science, but in math...he really needs work.  He doesn't even know his numbers.  It's strange actually.  You can ask him to hand you a certain number of objects, and he can do it.  You show him a number spelled out, and he can do it again.  You show him a card with a number on it, and nothing.  You show him cards with numbers and ask him to hand you a certain number, and nothing again." "So someone taught him to read, but they never taught him the simplest math." "Looks that way." "So what does that mean, you want to put him in the slow math class?" "There isn't such a thing.  Actually, if you can work with him at home, maybe we could get him up to speed by the end of the year." "So forget reading to him, and get flashcards." "Exactly." "Eight years of living, and I don't know hardly a thing about him," Johnny muttered to himself. "Pardon?" "Nothing, I'll work with him.  You have my word."                       ~/~/~/~/~ Johnny was a mixture of emotions as he filled the DeSoto's in on the latest development at their kitchen table for dinner that Sunday.  On one hand, he finally had some good news about his boy, on the other was so much more.  In the living room, Jenny was still trying to teach the Coty how to play with her Barbie Dolls. "Here," she told him, "you have to hold her like this, see?" she instructed, making the doll walk.  She made another doll knock on the Barbie Dream House door. "Oh hi Susie," Jenny said in a high pitched voice. "Hi Barbie," she made Susie reply.  "I'm having a birthday party and you're invited." "Oh thank you Susie, I'll be right over," Barbie answered. "Okay, now you have to change her clothes," Jenny instructed.  "Put this on her while I dress Susie." "Oh my," Jenny as Susie spoke, "I do believe I've gained some weight, no more fudge brownie sundaes for me!" Finishing with Susie, Jenny noticed Coty hadn't touched the doll or the dress. "Can't you get her clothes off?" Jenny asked getting annoyed.  "Give it here stupid, I'll do it." From where he sat in the kitchen, Roy couldn't hear the exchange.  All he knew was one second the two children appeared to be playing, and the next second, the dark-haired monster had slapped his daughter across the face so hard, he knocked her over.  Roy jumped up and scooped his screaming little girl into his arms, carrying her to the bathroom.  "What happened?" Joanne shouted after him. "Get some ice!" Roy shouted back angrily. Johnny followed them into the bathroom.  "What happened?  Is she okay?" "Your son just hit her." "What?" "He just smacked her one with everything he had." "But...Jenny honey, I'm so sorry.  He didn't--" "The hell he didn't!" "Roy, language." Joanne warned. "I saw it Johnny!  He just hauled off and hit her." "I'm really sorry Roy." "Johnny..." Joanne tried to soothe. "I'm sorry too," Roy said a little sarcastically, cutting her off. "Roy I..." Roy turned his back toward him, focusing his attention on his weeping little girl.  Johnny sighed, and went in search of the errant child.  His heart dropped to his stomach when he found the living room empty, and the front door open. "Oh man," he whispered rushing out the door.  "Chris!" he shouted seeing the boy coming up the sidewalk, "did you see Coty?" "Who?" "Coty!  Did you see--" "No, not since I left!  Why?" "Never mind," Johnny hissed quietly to himself.  "Coty!  Coty!  Where are you?  Coty?" "What's the matter?" Joanne asked coming to the door and seeing her husband's best friend wandering around her yard, looking under bushes, and up and down the sidewalk. "He's gone." "Coty?" "Yeah, the door was open, and he's gone." "Oh God...well don't panic.  He couldn't have gotten far." "He didn't," Roy informed them coming up behind her. "What do you mean?" Johnny demanded. Roy motioned at them both with his finger to follow him.  Once in the house, he pointed to the crawl space cover under the stairs that wasn't quite in place. "You sure?" Johnny asked. "Takes me fifteen minutes to get that door to fit in there properly, and the kids aren't allowed to touch it.  He's in there." Johnny pulled back the cover and tried to look inside.  "There a light in here?" "No," Joanne told him, "I'll get you a flashlight." At first the light revealed only boxes of holiday decorations and some fishing gear.  Far, far back up under the stairs, Johnny made out the shape of his boy. "Shit," he whispered.  The boy had squeezed himself underneath the lowest step.  Even if Johnny emptied the entire space, he'd never be able to reach him, it was just too low. "Roy, I hate to ask, but do you have a crowbar?" "Why," Roy wanted to know.  He was more concerned with the bruise he was still tending to on his daughter's face.  The little girl had stopped crying, but Roy had yet to put her down. "The only way I'm going to get him out of there is to pry off your top step." "Just tell him to get out!" "I...that won't work Roy, he's scared." "He's SCARED?  What's he got to be scared of?!" "Roy, I told you--" "Yeah, I know.  But you've really got to start controlling him.  You can't just--" "Can we do this later?  I'd really just like to get him out." "I'll get you a crowbar," Joanne offered, kissing her daughter on the cheek, and hurrying to the garage. Roy ignored them both, and sat down with his daughter on the couch. Johnny walked to the bottom step, and sat down on the floor beside it.  "Coty?  Hon?  It's okay.  I'm not mad." Roy glared at his partner in disbelief.  Johnny, catching the anger in his eyes, looked away. "Coty?  You've really got to listen.  You can't do things like that.  You can't hit people, and you can't bite them." "It's my fault Daddy," Jenny appealed in her father's arms, "I called him stupid!" "That doesn't make it right," Roy told her firmly. "Hurting people is wrong Coty," Johnny continued.  "Even when they hurt you, hurting is wrong.  It's never all right.  There are two kinds of people, people that hurt, and people that help.  It's easy to wanna fight back...but as soon as you do, then you're just like them...you see?  If it's wrong, it's wrong, and nothing makes it okay.  You have to decide how you wanna be.  And I'm not saying it's easy, it isn't.  It's hard.  You're gonna wanna fight back.  You're gonna wanna hurt people before they can hurt you, or because they hurt you.  If you wanna be good, you got to fight that, fight wanting to do that.  I can't decide for you.  You've got to do it.  I want you to be good, but..." "He's not making a bit of sense," Roy told his wife as she came to sit by him after handing Johnny the crowbar. "Yes he is, and he's doing the best he can.  He's only had the kid for a little over a month...you might want to try cutting him a little slack." Roy looked angry.  "A little slack.  Have you looked at your daughter's face?  The only way that kid is going to learn a thing is if he has consequences, and sitting there having to listen to Johnny go on and on isn't one of them." "Lower your voice or he'll hear you." "He should hear me." Johnny had heard, but he ignored the comments.  "It's time to get out now, I'm just getting you out.  Nothing bad's gonna happen.  We're just gonna go home now."  Johnny lifted the step, and pulled out his son, folded up tight, as he knew he would be.  He picked him up, being careful of teeth, and walked toward the still open front door.  "I'm uh...I'm really sorry...I'll uh..." "The step is fine.  It will only take Roy a minute to fix it.  Don't worry about it.  I'll come by tomorrow and--" "It's all right Joanne.  Thanks, but I can't ask you to...I'm sorry.  I appreciate your watching him...but...it's just not gonna work.  If he...Jenny, I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry."  Johnny left, passing Roy's little blond boy on the way.  Johnny looked at the young healthy and happy child in longing.  'If only I'd had him from the start,' he thought sadly of his own boy, 'If only.'                         ~/~/~/~/~ Roy hadn't heard from Johnny again during their long weekend.  Joanne had tried to call him about what had happened, but she couldn't get an answer.  Roy half expected to find himself working with Dwyer again or worse yet, with Brice.  However, bright and early Thursday morning, he found Johnny by his locker, changing into his uniform. "Hey," Roy said trying to sound casual and up beat. 'Hey," Johnny answered quietly. "How's it going?" "Uh, fine I guess." "Good...good...you uh..." "What?" "Uh...forgot.  You ever do that, forget what you're going to say just as you're going to say it?" "No."  Johnny closed his locker and started to leave. "You take Coty to school this morning?" "Yeah." "If you still need Joanne to pick him up--" "No.  I made other arrangements." "What kind of other arrangements?" "I hired someone from a Nanny service." "Nanny?" Johnny looked away and started to leave. "Hey Johnny...I uh..." "It's okay Roy, really.  Don't worry about it.  I wish it had gone differently.  It's no ones fault.  It...don't worry about it." "Look...I--" "I know what you're thinking.  I should have spanked him.  But Roy...I can't.  First...man...you didn't see the pictures.  That kid...no way...never.  I don't care what he does.  Roy...you just didn't see...  Besides, I honestly don't believe in it.  I believe what I told him.  Hitting is wrong, and you can't teach that by hitting yourself.  All that teaches is it's okay if you're the bigger one...or the grown up...or...no...wrong is wrong.  Teach by example.  If I never hit, maybe he'll pick up on that.  If I never bite...  I know you think that's wrong, but...I don't.  So..." "Look, as I was starting to say...I don't know how you should teach a kid like that." "Like what?" "Johnny, you have no idea what's going on in that kid's head.  After all they did to him...it's got to mess with the mind." "What do you know about it?" "Nothing, that's the point, and neither do you!  Sex can be a complicated thing for adults...see Jenny told me...he hit her when she called him stupid for not taking the dolls clothes off...I uh...for her...it's done in perfect innocence, but for him...  I was thinking about it, and...I think you should look into getting him some professional help.  I talked to Dr. Brackett, and--" "You talked to Dr. Brackett!" "Yeah." "About me!" "Yeah, I was thinking what I might do in your place, and--" "What gave you the right to do that?" "What?" "I know you think you're Mister Perfect father, but you're not the only person in the world that can be one, you know!" "I never said--" "So what's the solution oh wise one!  Oh that's right...get his head shrunk.  Just hand him over to some doctor and--" "Since when don't you believe in doctors?" "I do believe in doctors, but--" "Then what's the problem?" "I don't think he needs a doctor Roy.  What he needs is someone to trust, and that someone needs to be me!  If I take him to a shrink...to a doctor...that's like telling him he's wrong...I mean...there's something wrong with him!  Here doc, some people messed up my kid, fix him for me, will ya?  No!" "Johnny, it wouldn't be like that.  They help kids.  They're professionally trained to--" "He doesn't trust ME yet, what do you think some doctors gonna do?" "Help him." "I'm helping him!" "You don't know what you're doing!  I can't tell you how to handle him, cause I don't know either!  Maybe spanking him so he learns there are consequences would be the right thing to do...or maybe it's the wrong thing to do.  What I'm saying is you don't know how to teach a boy like that right from wrong anymore than I do!  You should take him to the professionals and get some help!" "I not turning my kid over to anyone.  What he needs is someone to trust.  I'm his father, it has to be me!" "Johnny--" "NO!" Johnny shouted loud enough for anyone in the building to hear.  To prove the conversation was over, Johnny left the room.  Mike Stoker quietly closed his locker, and left by the bunkroom door.                    ~/~/~/~/~ Twenty minutes later, an egg sandwich and a carton of milk in hand, Johnny climbed up the hose tower in order to sit on the high brick wall and have a quiet breakfast.  While Mike had definitely been on the wall before, Johnny was surprised to find him already sitting there now. "Oh, sorry," Johnny apologized as he began to climb back down. "It's all right, come on up," Mike told him, patting at a place for him to sit on the wall. "Nah, that's okay Mike, you can have--" "Please?" Johnny climbed up and settled himself in.  "You want half," Johnny offered before taking a bite of his sandwich. "No...thanks, Beth already fed me." "Yeah," Johnny laughed, wondering what it would be like to have someone do things like that for him from time to time. "How ah...how's Coty doin?" Johnny stopped midbite to look at him, the placed the sandwich in his lap. "Roy told ya, huh." "Told me what?" "How he smacked Jenny the other day?" "No, actually, I didn't know that." "Oh...well...he did." "To be honest, I heard you and Roy talking about how to handle a kid--" "Look Mike, I'm doing the best I can!  I can't just..." "I think you're doin' fine." Johnny stopped, a little thrown.  "Really?" "Yeah, that part where you told him you didn't want to take the kid to a doctor cause he'd think you were saying he was broken in some way...no kid wants to feel like people think there's something wrong with him.  And I think you're right, what he needs is to learn to trust someone, and you are the first person that should be." "Well...thanks Mike but..." "In the end, what you think about him is going to matter to him more than anything else, it probably already does." "Yeah...thanks for the support Mike," Johnny said, starting to climb down. "Wait a minute.  I'm not just talking here...I'm telling you, I really think the way you're handling things is right.  If you still can't get anywhere with him later, you can always choose to take him to a professional LATER.  But if you were to do it now...the damage is done, and the choice is gone...do you see what I'm saying?" "Kinda," Johnny answered, sitting down again.  He waited to Mike to continue, since there appeared to be more on his mind. Mike saw his expectant expression, and grew shy.  "I ah...no one knows this but...a long time ago...I was at camp.  My dad was in the Military...so I didn't see him much at the time.  My counselor...he seemed like a really nice guy, he seemed like he liked me...so I hung around him a lot, kinda extra.  I'd help him bring in the equipment, put the canoes away...stuff like that.  Then...one time in the equipment shed...he said he needed to show me something.  Well I just went...what did I know.  He started talking to me about sex and all of that, telling me that since my dad wasn't around, and he was my counselor, it was his job to make sure I was NORMAL for my age.  So he started asking me about...whether I...I was fourteen so...then he said he wanted to check and..."  Mike shook his head, embarrassed again at something that had happened years ago.  "By the time I realized what he was really doing, my shorts were down and I didn't want to yell, cause I didn't want anyone to come see me like that.  So I kept my mouth shut.  I avoided the guy for the rest of the session, but when I got home, it took my mom all of three seconds to notice something was wrong.  She kept at me, and I eventually told her.  So she wrote my dad, and he came home on emergency leave.  God only knows what he told them.  And bless his heart Johnny, he didn't have a clue what to do.  I was getting into trouble, lashing out at everything, so first he punished me, then he took me to a shrink.  The last thing you want is to be expected to tell some bald guy, wreaking of peppermint, sitting there with his ugly blue pen hovering above his notepad, what some jerk did to you during the summer.  All I wanted was for my dad to tell me it wasn't me.  It wasn't something I had done, but was done to me...and that I was still just me, and that I was okay.  Being turned over to some shrink was the last thing I needed.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my dad, and he did the best he knew how...but I would have died to have had a father like you back then." Johnny sat quietly, letting Mike settle back, and pull himself together.  Mike didn't ask him not to tell anyone, he knew he wouldn't.  Five years ago Johnny would have been one of the last people he would have told, but in five years, Johnny had done a lot of maturing.  Mike knew he'd never tell Roy, cause Roy would be too embarrassed himself to hear it.  He had never actually told anyone before, aside from his mother, but under the circumstances, he had no regrets. "Does Beth know?" Johnny asked quietly. "No...I just didn't want too many of other people's opinions to make you feel like you're doing something wrong.  There'll be hundreds of people who'd agree with Roy, but there are hundreds more that'd think you're handling things just right.  I wanted you to hear from the other half." "Thanks Mike." "There's somethin else." "What?" "Maybe you should stop hanging around home, waiting for him to get used to you, and get back to doing the things you like.  I don't know if you can see it, but he's just like you.  He's dying to be outside.  He want's to run in the grass, feel the wind on his face, smell the flowers...that's what those birds were all about...maybe the window too." "He fell." "Maybe he jumped.  Every time I've seen him, the only time he's looking up, is when he's outside...think about it." "What should I do, take him camping...what if he runs away and hides?" "Call me and I'll help you find him...just a thought.  You're the one that has to do it...you're the father." "I'll think about it." Johnny did think, and in the end, he traded to get his next Saturday off, and wound up scheduled to work both the Monday and Tuesday following.  It meant forty-eight hours on, but if Mike was right, he figured it might be worth it.                       ~/~/~/~/~ Bright and early Saturday morning, Johnny packed up the Rover and his son, and they headed out.  As they left the city, Coty became more and more anxious.  Once parked in the woods, his eyes never left the man.  Johnny noticed him watching him constantly, as if thinking the time had come, and waiting for him to make his move.  He knew no words were going to convince the boy otherwise, so he set about making up camp.  Since he had Coty's unending attention, Johnny talked to him about everything he could think of.  He showed him the red wood cones, and the acorns from the oak.  He showed him how to spin the seeds from a maple to make them fly, and how to blow the seeds in a milkweed to do the same.  As Johnny freed the seeds from the first pod, and they spread out upon the breeze, such a smile spread across the young boy's face that it could only be compared to the sun.  Mike could not have been more right.  This child ate up every ray of light, every flower petal, every berry, every leaf. Just like his father, this was a child of the earth. Despite the numerous steps forward they made during the day, the night brought back renewed apprehension, but Johnny was ready for it.  He'd made his pile of firewood high and plentiful, and kept the fire burning bright all night.  While he dozed off, he knew the boy wouldn't, so come morning, he respectfully kept his distance when the sunlight gave the boy enough peace to slip off for a while. 'Sooner or later he's gonna know,' Johnny told himself, 'sooner or later he's gonna trust me...man I hope it's sooner.' Once the boy woke, Johnny began again.  He showed him fire precaution, and how to make sure the campfire was out.  Then, figuring why not, he taught him how he had made the fire the day before.  After preparing the wood and the sticks underneath, he called the boy over, and handed him the matches.  His heart swelled as the boy took them, and following close instruction, learned how to strike them without burning his fingers.  Together they crouched down, and Coty blew on the twigs as softly as his father.  When the wood caught the flame, Johnny was rewarded with another smile, just as bright as the dancing orange heat beside him that had caused it. By the end of the day he drove them home, both very tired, but feeling great.  Come the next morning, the man had work and the boy had school, but the weekend they'd spent together could sustain them both for a month.                         ~/~/~/~/~ Even though the Monday shift had been a busy one, Johnny waited impatiently for the guys on his regular shift to show up.  He crouched by his locker, rocking back and on his heals, whistling a tuneless song as he waited for one of the men in particular.  Finally the man arrived and Johnny jumped to his feet, dragging him outside before he could start to change. "Guess what," Johnny sang as he climbed half way up the hose tower and jumped back down. "What?" "You were right." "I was?" "Yep, took him camping and we had a blast.  He LOVES it out there.  Thanks, I really owe you one." Roy paused in his car as he saw his best friend chattering away like a happy chipmunk...with Mike Stoker. Roy pasted on a smile and walked toward them, hoping to find out what had changed his partner's mood of late. "Hi Johnny," he laughed as Mike patted his partner heartily on the back with a smile just as broad. "Oh hi Roy," Johnny answered a bit absent-mindedly. "What's up?" Roy asked as the tones sounded, covering up his words. Johnny bolted for the door, leaving Mike and Roy standing by themselves in the parking lot. "What put him in such a good mood?" Roy asked. "Huh, oh uh...Coty.  Johnny took him camping, and when he showed him how milkweed floats in the air, he smiled." "Uh huh...and?" "That's it." "Oh.  Well...that's good.  That's good." Mike glanced at Roy from the corner of his eye.  "All things considered, it's pretty great." "Yeah..yeah," Roy agreed, covering for his lack of enthusiasm the moment before. Mike headed for the door, Roy trailing behind him, suddenly feeling self-conscious.                         ~/~/~/~/~ "Chet, get off the phone," Johnny whined for the third time that afternoon. "Ah wait your turn." "I've been waiting for fifteen minutes!" "Look, I've been tryin for a week to get a date with this chick, if you think I'm gonna hang up on her while she's got me on hold, you're--" "SHE'S GOT YOU ON HOLD?" "Yeah...why--" "What makes you think she's comin back?" "Cause she likes me.  She's at work is all.  She said she'd get back to me as soon as she could." "How long ago was that?" "I don't know...couple minutes." "Chet, I haven't heard you say a word into that phone since I've been standing here!" "So, just goes to show your you're a jinx!" "A jinx?" "Yeah, every time she tries to get back to me, she gets another call, and can't!" "What's that got to do with me?" "Well, you said yourself she hasn't been able to talk to me since you've been standing there!" "Chet.  You...you're...oh forget it.  I'll use the phone in the Day Room." "Good idea," Chet agreed emphatically, making shooing motions with his hand. "Scuse me," Johnny whispered as he pushed on Roy's chair, trying to squeeze past it on his way to the phone. "Sorry," Roy answered, scooting it in better.  "Who ya callin?" "His kid," Mike answered for him as Johnny seemed to be too absorbed in dialing to hear the question. "Oh the phone?" "Yeah." Roy started to speak, but snapped his mouth shut before he let anything slip out. "Hi Lori, how's it going?" Johnny asked into the receiver. Roy grinned, and was about to give Mike a kick and a knowing smile when Mike mouthed the word "Nanny," causing the smirk to fall from his face. "That's good," Johnny spoke again, "can you put him on?  Hey Coty, just calling to check in again.  Lets see...I don't know about you, but I think from the smell in here, we're having chili for dinner, is that right Marco?" Marco nodded, smiling and holding up a spoonful. "Marco makes the best chili.  Nice and spicy.  Think we're also having some hot baked ro--" "Grrr chhss" Johnny froze.  "Uh...what uh...wh--" "We're having grilled cheese." Johnny covered his open mouth with his hand, rocking back and forth, trying for all he was worth not to scream. "Grilled cheese huh...I like mine with soup." "Yeah...tomato." "Yeah, me too.  You got to have crackers though.  There are some in the pantry next to the fridge." "Oh.  'kay." "You like crackers in it?" "Yeah." The tones sounded calling out the squad. "Oh, hey, I just got toned out.  I got to go.  I'll call you later...soon as I can...okay..........okay?" "Yeah." "Bye bye, I'll talk to you later." "Um..bye." Johnny slapped the wall as he heard the click on the other end, then raced to the squad.  As he ran, he noticed all eyes were on him.  "He talked to me," he explained bubbling all over, "just...boop...started talkin!" "Go go go," Cap urged him as he handed the call slip to Roy through the open driver's side window. Johnny leaped in and snatched the slip before Roy even had a chance to put the squad into drive.                          ~/~/~/~/~ For the next several shifts, Johnny was persistently on the phone between the hours of 4 and 8pm.  With as much as he was calling, Roy had to wonder how the kid managed to get any homework done.  As the days passed, their friendship had returned to normal, though Roy saw little of his friend outside of work. "Excuse me," an elderly woman spoke as she came through the open bay doors late one afternoon while the squad was on a run. "Yes Mam," Cap. Stanley greeted, jumping down from where he'd been cleaning one of the engine's mirrors.  "What can I do for you?" "Is John here?" "John?" "Yes, John Ga--" "Johnny!  Oh yeah...I mean no.  He works here yeah, but he's on a--" "Can you get a hold of him?" "I...he'll be back here eventually, what exactly is it--" The woman stepped aside, revealing Johnny's son behind her. "I have to drop him off.  I hate to do it, but my sister broke her hip in Kansas, and I'm leaving out of LAX in forty-five minutes.  Tell him I'm sorry, and he doesn't have to pay me for the last week.  I know he's been having a hard time coming up with the money anyway." "Wait a minute!" Cap hollered as she started to return to her car.  "You can't just...this is a fire station!  If we get a...can't you wait till--" "I'm sorry, but I really have to go now!" Cap looked at the boy as she drove away.  He looked about as happy about the situation as Cap was. "Hey Cap, we need more--" Chet began as he came in from the locker room.  "Oh oh, what's he doing here?" "From the looks of things, he'll be visiting for a while.  Chet, why don't you--" "Uh uh, no way.  You're not sticking me with him.  Not after he--" "Oh that's right, he bit you first, didn't he?" "And how!  He nearly took a finger off!" Coty's face tilted even further toward the ground. "Enough Chet.  See if you can...MARCO!" "Yeah Cap," he answered, coming in from the back where he'd been scrubbing hoses. "How good are you with kids?" "Me?  I'm great with..." Marco trailed off as he spotted Johnny's look alike.  "Uh...not so good.  Kids I know...you know, that grew up in my family...but kids I don't..." Mike walked in from the kitchen and saw the uncomfortable boy being stared at by his station mates as if he were a car wreck waiting to happen.  Ignoring them, he approached the boy and dropped to one knee. "Watch it Mike." "Shut up Chet.  Hey there Coty." The boy refused to raise his head.  Mike stood and walked over to his Captain. "What's going on?" "Some lady just dropped him off!" "Oh...did she say why?" "Something about having to catch a plane." "So Johnny don't know." "No, didn't sound that way." Mike went back to the boy, just a clueless as the others about what to do.  Coty couldn't have looked more miserable. "Cookies," Chet shouted out as if he'd just had a revelation. "What?" Cap asked. "Cookies, we should give him milk and cookies.  It's after school isn't it?" "Good idea Chet.  Would you...would you like to come into the kitchen and have some milk and cookies?" The child didn't budge, but remained standing in the middle of the driveway. "Come on, let's go into the kitchen," Mike spoke in a firm tone.  The other men's jaws dropped as the boy followed him.  Mike pulled out a chair, and the boy sat down.  Chet scrambled as fast as he could to deliver the promised cookies and milk, but the boy showed no interest once they sat before him. "TV," Chet spoke, inspired once again, "all kids like to watch TV!  I bet there's some cartoons on!"  He flipped through the channels until he found Bugs Bunny and soon slid onto the couch next to Henry to watch it himself. "Well, we got one child entertained," Cap said as his attention returned to the boy.  Coty now sat with his head resting on the table, but his face pointing the wrong way to see the television.  "Any other ideas?" he asked the other two. "Maybe he just wants to eat a real dinner," Marco offered. "A kid passing up cookies and milk cause he wants dinner first," Cap raised his eyebrows skeptically.  "Well, it's worth a shot." "Great!" Marco smiled, happy that he'd had an approved idea. "You're cooking today, right?" Cap reminded him. The smile fell from Marco's face.  "Oh...right, what should I make?" "I don't know!" "Well, he's Johnny's kid...hamburgers and french fries?" Cap snapped his fingers.  "Bingo." Marco cooked up an early dinner while the tones went off, sending the squad on another run from the hospital.   Cap groaned audibly, and Marco served up the food.  While the others ate heartily despite the early hour, Coty again ignored his plate.  Once the food was well beyond eating, Marco reluctantly cleared it away.  The tree men sat uncomfortably waiting for the father as the squad was sent out again and again.  Hours later, nearing 11:30 that night, they finally returned.  Roy and Johnny backed in, wondering why the lights were all still on, and figuring Chet had talked the others into staying up with him to watch a scary movie. Both were very hungry when they headed into the kitchen to see what they could find.  Before them, just as they thought, Chet sat glued to a scary picture on the television.  Mike lay stretched out next to him, sound asleep.  Marco's head was back, snoring in his chair, and their Captain was just as asleep with his head in his arms at the table. "What are you guys doing?" Johnny giggled. "What?" Cap asked, lifting his head. "What are you guys--" "Oh there you are.  What time is it?" "Goin on midnight Cap," Roy offered as the man blinked blurry eyed at his watch. "Man, really?  I was going to try to call in a replacement around nine to see if they'd be able to meet up with you somewhere." "Why," Roy asked with wide worried eyes. "Not you, him," Cap filled in with a gesture toward Johnny. "Me?  Why?" "That nanny of your dropped you kid off at about 4 o'clock this afternoon." "My wha...she wha--" "She just dropped him off.  She did say don't worry about paying her for the last week.  She had to leave in a hurry.  Oh I remember now...her sister broke her hip.  Guess she had to go stay with her for a while." "Well where is he?" "Huh?" "Where's--" "He's right...well he was right...he was right in that chair!" "How long--" "Chet?" Cap asked loudly. "Don't look at me Cap, I didn't see him leave.  He couldn't have gone far, could he?" "Oh that's just great!" Johnny cursed softly, darting out to have a look around the Bay.  As the others scattered to help, Johnny paused and returned to the Day Room.  "Where's Henry?" he asked the now empty room.  "Henry?"  Johnny looked under the chair and then under the couch.  Two sets of sad brown eyes looked back at him.  Johnny sighed in relief.  "That's Henry," he told the boy.  "He's not quite as small as Bu, but he's soft too...huh." Coty rested his head against the dog's fur.  Henry stretched out to return to his perpetual nap. "Come on Henry," Johnny coaxed, "since when do you get off the couch?" Henry waddled out, and returned to his usual place, the boy following behind. "Oh thank God," Cap puffed as he returned from searching.  "Hey," he shouted out, letting everyone know the boy had been found.  One by one, they returned to look at the boy now sitting on their sofa.  The sounds of the TV began to make their way into everyone's mind.  A woman screamed in horror as Johnny jumped up to snap the power button off, and turned to glare at Chet.  "Now that was really smart Chester!" "It's just a movie." "IT'S JUST A MOVIE?" "Now take it easy Johnny," Cap intervened, "we all--" "Would you let YOUR KIDS watch something like that?" "No, of course not." "Who told you guys he could watch television at all?" "No one, we just thought he might--" "He's not allowed to watch television.  It rots the brain!" "Oh come on Johnny," Chet laughed. "I'm serious!  Unless it's something specific that I feel has some merit, that I also think he might like to watch, the TV stays OFF!  And what's that?" he asked, pointing at the cookies. "What does it look like?" Chet asked defensively as they had been his idea as well. "He's not allowed to have sugar, much less that stuff of yours with all the preservatives and junk." "YOU DON'T LET HIM EAT COOKIES?" Chet hooted, feeling he was now in the right.  "Come on Johnny, YOU eat cookies!" "Not THAT kind...not any more!  He can have sweets once in a while, and only if we bake them ourselves.  I don't buy him a lot of pre-made junk!" "Cap, I think you better call the funny farm, Gage has definitely lost it." "Look Chet," Johnny hissed, stepping well away from the ear shot of his son, "he spent I don't know how many years of his life so far being staved and grossly malnourished.  If I wanna make absolutely sure everything he puts in his mouth from now on is good for him, and is going to make him healthy and help him start growing better again, I will!" "Okay...I'm sorry.  I didn't know." "You could have asked!" "You weren't here!" "All right, enough.  We won't do anything with or for this kid from now on without asking you first.  You have our word.  But now, we have to figure out what we're going to do for the rest of the shift." Both men went to make phone calls, and both came up empty.  Cap could find no one to come in, and Johnny could find no one he trusted to just take the kid for the rest of the night.  Obviously he couldn't just send the kid with anyone, and Cap understood this; though why he didn't call Roy's wife, he didn't know.  After all the mistakes that were made with the kid that night so far, he decided not to ask him.  Johnny laid his son down to sleep on the couch while the others went to bed.  Come morning he counted his blessings they had not been toned out again.                      ~/~/~/~/~ The next shift, Johnny met his Captain at the door. "You're here early," he remarked. "No not really, I just dropped Coty off.  You got a minute?" "Sure, what do you need?" "Well...they sent a few more people over, and...I found one I liked okay but...she can't take him until seven.  So I told him to walk over here...and I thought...since we give kids tours and stuff anyway...that...that might be okay.  Only for a while.  I uh...I'm keeping looking but--" "What if we get a run?" "I...he's pretty mature for his age Cap.  Lot's of kids stay home alone for a while till their parents get home from work.  I'm not really keen on him being out on the ranch all by himself though.  I figured if he just came here, then he probably wouldn't be by himself too much, if at all." "It's against my better judgment John, but for the time being--" "Thanks Cap!  It'll be fine, you'll see!  I'll find something else just as soon as I can, but this'll work for now.  Everything's gonna be fine!" At three thirty that afternoon, Johnny waited on the front sidewalk for his son to arrive.  He didn't want the boy lurking around outside, too shy to come in.  The moment they got in the door, Johnny patted the table and the boy sat down and pulled out his homework.  Cap and Roy looked amazed while Mike smiled. "How did you do that?" Cap whispered as Johnny poured milk into a glass mason jar. "Do what?" "Get him to sit down to do his homework like that." "Like what...he knows he has to do it." "Well so do my kids, but...not in a million years would they ever sit down to do it the moment the came in the door." Johnny shrugged.  "I told you he was a mature for his age." "Two of mine are in high school!" "I just told him after the first day of school that he needs to do his homework, and he does it.  I never need to tell him something more than once." "It must be nice." "Don't expect it to last though Gage," Chet teased, "he's still getting to know you.  Once he figures out what a push over you are, that will all change.  He'll make James Dean look like a choir boy." "Oh what do you know," Johnny said, glancing guiltily at Roy, the lack of punishment he administered when the boy had struck his friends daughter in the face dancing in the air before him. "I don't know about that Chet," Roy jumped in, keeping his eyes on Johnny, "you were a choir boy weren't you?  Seems to me that tells us it's the choir boys that are the real trouble makers." Johnny snorted a high pitched giggle as he measured out chocolate powder into the mason jar, covered it, shook it, poured the milk into a glass, and placed it before his son. "Oh now wait a minute!" Chet shouted, jumping to his feet off the sofa and walking over to the table.  "He can't have cookies, but he can have chocolate milk." "It's Ovaltine Chet." "Yeah, chocolate milk!" "It's good for him." "Good for him?" "Read the contents Chet.  You do remember how to read, don't you?" "Huh," Chet grunted reading the label.  "I had no idea chocolate milk was so good for you." "That stuff YOU buy isn't.  It's nothin BUT sugar." "Oh yeah, I bet this stuff tastes lousy." Johnny grinned as the boy set down an empty glass.  "Well, HE likes it anyway." Chet retreated with the jar of chocolate powder into a corner until all eyes had left him.  As secretly as he could, he poured himself some milk, added the powder, stirred and took a drink.  "Blaaaahhh," he shouted startling everyone. "What is your problem Kelly?" Cap asked. "This stuff is AWFUL...all that junk floating around in it!  You can have it Gage.  I'll stick with my syrup." "Did you shake it?" "Huh?" "Put it in a jar and shake it." "No." "Try that next time, only use your own powder!" Johnny scolded, wrenching the canister out of his hand. Pouring the milk into the jar, Chet did as had been suggested, then drank from the jar instead of pouring it back into his glass.  He gave the milk a nod of acceptance, and sat down to drink it at the table. "Whatcha doin?" Chet asked the busy little boy across the table. "Leave him alone Chet," Johnny warned. "What, I can't talk to him?" "No!  He's doing his homework.  Now leave him be." "A bit over protective, aren't ya." "Chet," Cap cut in before Johnny could sputter something back, "why don't you go clean the latrine?" "Already did it Cap." "Go do it again." "Aw Cap," Chet whined as he left. "Not only do I have problem children at home, I get to take care of them at work too," Cap muttered to himself. "You ready for your math?" Johnny asked seeing the boy put away the rest of his books. Coty sighed and pushed some flashcards across the table. "Okay, here we go.  What number is this?" Johnny asked pointing to the top digit on an addition card." "Four," the boy whispered. "Good.  What's this one?" he asked, pointing to the bottom number. "Three." "Good, now what's four plus three?" Coty stared at the table. "Ssssss," Roy prompted quietly next to him. "Roy!" Johnny said sharply, "he has to do it himself." Roy shot him a quick apologetic smile, nodding his head to show he agreed not to help. "Okay, like I told you before, it's just pieces of things.  Here, hold up your fingers." The boy stared unhappily at his lap. "Tell you what," Roy soothed, "you get through all these flash cards and you can play with Henry!" "Roy!  I don't bribe my kid!  He does math cause he has to, and the more he does it, the better he'll get.  That's the reward, the fact that it'll get easier the more he does it." "Sorry," Roy offered getting up to stand by the sink and have a cup of coffee. Chet came in and helped himself to a cup of coffee as well, joining Roy by the sink to watch the math lesson.  "Okay, you got four here on this hand, and three here on this hand.  What are they together?" Coty sighed deeply and looked again.  "Seven." "Right!  See?  You can do it!" "Now what's this number?" "Six." "And this one?" "Nine." "Now put them together." "What's he gonna do now," Chet giggled into Roy's ear, "take his shoes off?" Johnny sighed angrily and stood up.  "Come on Coty, let's go into the bunkroom."  Johnny picked up the kids backpack and flashcards and lead the way. "Hey Johnny," Chet started to apologize, but Johnny didn't turn back. Mike shook his head at Marco, and went back to reading his paper. "Ah come on guys, it was just a joke." Roy set down his coffee cup, and went to find his friend.  The math lesson had begun again on Johnny's bunk, so Roy quietly leaned on the wall to watch. Johnny tried to ignore him, but after a few moments sputtered out, "what?" "Nothin, I just wanted to--" "You wanted to what, laugh at me some more?  I know you all think this is some big joke, me being a father, but he's MY kid, and I'm really tired of everybody's opinions on how I raise him." "You seem to be doing all right to ME." "Yeah right, he shouldn't even BE here.  But--" "Parenthood is full of surprises.  You had everything set.  You didn't break that ladies leg, and you didn't tell your nanny to leave.  It's not your fault." "I'm just tired of the audience." "Looks like you're not the only one who's tired," Roy smiled, nodding his head at the boy who appeared to be sleeping.  Johnny smiled, knowing very well, with two men standing by him, he wasn't.  Johnny shook his head, happy at the boys attempt to fake him out.  "Well, we'll just go through them twice tomorrow since he seems to be so tired." Roy nodded, catching on that the boy wasn't really asleep.  "What ah...what happened to his hand?" "Oh he, I don't know, he..."Johnny stopped, noticing Roy was looking at the right hand, and not the left that was still splinted.  Near the sleeve, a long, somewhat thin, bruise ran sideways across the back of it.  "Huh.  I...when did he do that?"  The injury wasn't as severe as the first one, but the similar shape bothered him.  "Coty?  Can you tell me--" Coty turned his face into the pillow. "It's okay, you're not in trouble.  I was just wondering...never mind.  It's just a bruise.  Chet's right, maybe I am getting over protective." "Nah...you're just bein' a father." Johnny grinned.  "Thanks!" "Hey uh..." Roy started nervously, about to ask something Joanne had been urging him to ask for days, "would you...do you...I'm taking Chris camping to work toward getting his Bear badge during spring break, would you and Coty wanna come along?" "Sure!  Yeah!  Does Chris still like scouts?" "Yeah...I guess so.  He likes the camping part anyway." "I wonder if Coty'd like scouts.  Maybe it'd help him make some friends.  Do they go by age, or grade..." "Grade." "So would he be in the same troop with Chris if he joined?" "Den...probably, but...when they go hiking together..." "What?" "Well, he's pretty small.  He would probably have a real hard time keeping up." "Oh I don't know 'bout that.  I've been taking him camping and hiking as much as I can, and he does really good, probably even better than some of those kids in Chris's troop...ah...den.  I mean, you've got that kid with asthma in there right, and that other kid who...well...let's just say his mother would be doing him a big favor to watch what he eats a little better...I'm SURE Coty could keep up with 'em." "Yeah...well...there are other things you could get him into too.  Maybe he wouldn't even like scouts." "What wouldn't he like?" "Oh...ummm...I was just thinking of all the ceremonies and stuff...how they have to get up on a stage...and Coty's still really shy...then the camping in groups...with other people...other fathers around....  Maybe in a couple years--" "Yeah, maybe you're right.  Well, I'll just play it by ear...see how he does, bit by bit." "Good idea." "We'll just start by camping with you and Chris." "Right." "Man...I can't wait!" "Yeah...me either," Roy said far less enthusiastically.                       ~/~/~/~/~ Johnny picked Roy and Chris up at eight sharp the morning of their trip.  Roy had spent the last half-hour, listening to his son whine about Johnny and his son coming along.  While he liked the idea of Johnny joining them, he apparently hadn't realized the boy would be coming along too.  Chris had called the boy a geek and a wimp and his mother had threatened to never let him go camping again if she ever heard him call another person names like that again. Roy opened the passenger door to find the little boy in the seat.  He debated over whether he should get in the back with his son. "Coty," Johnny spoke realizing Roy wasn't going to ask the boy to get into the back himself, "how bout riding in back and letting the old guy have your seat.  I don't think his knees can take riding back there." Roy shot him a look, and felt better when the kid climbed into the back without uttering one whiny word.  Chris turned away from the boy as he joined him on the rear seat, and turned his body to face the window.  Roy wanted to drag him out and give him a lecture he'd never forget, but he ignored him for the time being.  If Johnny had noticed the snub, he didn't say anything.  Knowing Johnny, Roy figured he hadn't seen it. A few hours later, Johnny parked his Rover, and they all dragged their gear out...all except Coty.  Johnny prepared him a light daypack, and carried the boy's sleeping bag himself.  Chris heaved on his full pack, and made a face at the other boy as he passed him to lead the way on the trail.  He wanted to teach the boy a lesson about tagging along on a scout camping trip, so he hiked fast instead of pacing himself.  Johnny and Coty fell behind, and after a while, Chris collapsed into a sweaty heap.  He smiled to himself when the boy was no where in sight.  As he rested, Johnny and Coty caught up.  Coty waited by exploring every sound, every leaf, every flower beside the trail, not the least bit tired or winded.  Chris frowned as he tried to summon up the strength to stand and begin again.  An hour later, he lead them into their camp, beaming that he hadn't gotten lost despite times of poor markings along the way. "Well, now what?" Johnny asked. "It's Chris's trip," Roy told him, "ask Chris." "We set up camp," Chris answered without the question. "What do you want us to do?" Johnny asked, ready to be given his orders from the leader of the day. "First set up your tent, then gather the wood and get a fire going.  I'll set up our tent, then get lunch ready to be cooked." "You're cooking?" Johnny asked. "Yep," Roy informed him proudly, "outdoor cooking, it's in his book." "Well all right, I can hardly wait to taste the Chris cuisine." "Yeah right," Chris laughed, refusing to be teased. Johnny set up his tent with little effort, Coty helping him by holding the poles as needed.  Chris insisted on setting up his and his father's tent completely by himself, so once Johnny had finished, Chris had only just begun. "I'll uh...work on the fire," Johnny giggled into Roy's ear. "Yeah," Roy laughed back as he watched his son struggle with the ropes and the poles, undeterred by the fact that every time he set up one pole, the other fell down. Coty followed his father to the river and back as he fetched a large bucket of water, apparently not wanting to stay behind, alone with the other two campers.  While Johnny gathered firewood nearby, Coty cleaned a respectable circle of all burnable debris for the fire, and dug out a shallow pit.  Next he put a layer of small dry twigs, and covered that with three larger pieces of wood placed loosely above it.  Once he was finished, he trotted over to his knapsack, and brought something back in his hand.  "What do you think you're doing!" Roy shouted, seizing him by the arm and taking the small box from him as he knelt down again by the pit. Coty looked back at him, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise.  Roy released him and gave him an angry look back. "What's the matter?" Johnny asked, coming back into the clearing with another armload of wood. "He had MATCHES in his knapsack!" "Uh huh." "He was getting ready to start the fire!" Johnny looked a little confused, "right." "No, I mean REALLY start it!" "What?" "What do you mean what!" "That's what we're suppose to be--" "NOT HIM!  HE'S EIGHT YEARS OLD!" "So." "SO scouts aren't allowed to start the fires until they are in Boy Scouts!" Johnny gave him a very confused look. "First through fifth are CUB SCOUTS, NOT Boy Scouts.  Only Boy Scouts can--" "All right, I get it.  Take it easy.  He's not even IN scouts, how was HE suppose to know." "He's not even in...JOHNNY!  What do you do, LET him play with matches?" "He wasn't PLAYING with 'em Roy, I taught him how to start the campfire.  He's pretty good at it." Chris's mouth dropped open to the ground as he looked at his father.  For years he'd been told no one was allowed to start fires before the sixth grade. "JOHNNY, HE'S EIGHT YEARS OLD!" "I KNOW HOW OLD HE IS!" Johnny shouted back, though his own voice still reflected no anger. "YOU'RE CRAZY!  You're a fireman, and you let your kid--" "Look, if it bothers you that much, I'LL start the fire." "I don't believe it, I just don't believe it," Roy muttered returning to his tent, and beginning to set it up himself. "DAD!" "What!" "I have to do it!" "Well than DO it!" Roy snapped, dropping the poles and sitting down. "Hey...Roy..." Johnny said to him softly. "What!" "Take it easy." "TAKE IT EASY?  You are the LAST person who should be telling me how to raise my kid!" "Look, it's not that big of a deal!  I knew how to start a fire at his age...we had to light the wood stove every morning!  Just cause your silly scouts--" "IT'S NOT SILLY!  THERE ARE RULES AND THE RULES ARE THERE FOR A REASON!" "Now you sound like Brice." "Johnny!  We're talking about fire here...FIRE!" "I know what we're talking about." "Obviously you don't." "Roy..." "Just drop it." "I..." "Just DROP it." "Fine...fine...would you feel better if YOU started the fire." "Why can't I--" Chris started to ask. "CAUSE YOU'RE NINE YEARS OLD, THAT'S WHY!" Roy shouted back at him. "Roy!" Johnny reminded him. "I'm going for a walk," Roy muttered as he left the clearing. "Whew...man...talk about over reacting," Johnny whispered to himself as he knelt down to start the fire himself. "Yeah," Chris agreed beside him. "Oh now wait Chris...I shouldn't of said that.  I think maybe your dad just got a little spooked is all.  Don't be too hard on him." "Whadda you mean spooked?" "Just...just don't take it personally.  You've got a good dad there...one of the best." "Yeah right," Chris snipped back sarcastically. "No...I mean it.  Just give him a break on this one.  Okay?" "If you say so." "I do.  Now, you gonna cook us up somethin to eat or what?" "Yeah," Chris grinned shyly, and went off to fetch the food. "You okay?" Johnny asked his son.  He could see the boy was shaken, but he hadn't seen Roy grab his arm.  Coty didn't answer him.  He wanted to give the kid a hug, but he knew that he couldn't.  "You wanna roast marshmallows tonight?" he asked, hoping he could come up with something to say that would comfort him instead. Chris knelt down by them, next to the fire, and started to pour some oil into a frying pan. "Put that down!" Roy ordered returning from his walk. "But--" Chris started to say. "You don't cook without me, you know that!" "But Johnny's--" "I'm you're father, not Johnny!  Now get over here and finish putting up you're tent like you're suppose to do!" Chris unhappily rose to his feet and trudged back to his tent. "Look Roy...do you just want to GO?" Johnny asked a little hotly. "Yeah, maybe we--" "No, you know what?  I'm not going to let you spoil OUR trip.  We'll just get outta your hair, how does that sound?" Johnny said taking down his tent.  onto part 6