Trouble Storywriter 51 Johnny came into the kitchen whistling a happy tune and rubbing his hands together. "You sure seem happy this morning, partner.  Did you have a good vacation?" Roy asked, as he picked up a magazine from the table. Johnny strolled over to the cabinet and reached for a cup.  He set it down, turned around and looked at Roy, as Chet strutted into the room. Johnny smiled and said, "I did have a good vacation.  And, as a matter of fact, I am very happy. I solved the problem I had, trying to figure out what to get my Aunt for her birthday."  He picked up the coffeepot and poured himself a cup of steaming, black coffee, and began whistling once again.  "Where did you go?" Roy asked nonchalantly, without taking his eyes off of the magazine. "I went to the beach and…" "Well, so am I happy. Isn't anyone going to ask me about it?" Chet interrupted.  He nudged Johnny with his shoulder.  With a slight smirk on his face, he stood up as straight as he could beside the paramedic. "What's wrong with you Chet? Why'd ya push me? You almost made me spill my coffee."   Johnny backed away from him.  Chet stood simpering. "Go ahead, somebody ask me why I'm happy." "Alright, I'll ask you. Why are you so happy?"  Johnny inquired, as he walked over to the couch to pet Henry. "You tell me why you're happy first, then I'll tell you my good news!" Chet beamed, as he got a cup from the cabinet and picked up the coffeepot. Johnny shook his head and grumbled, "I should have known." He walked over to the table with his cup in hand and sat down beside Roy, who seemed to be enthralled in the article that he was reading. Johnny gently punched him on the arm and quietly said, "Well, aren't you going to ask me?" With a halfway interested look, Roy asked, "Huh? Ask you what?" "Why I'm so happy!" Johnny exclaimed, a bit perturbed that Roy didn't give him his full attention. Hank, Marco, and Mike walked into the room. The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee filled the air. Marco walked to the counter and set a box down and announced, "Good morning. I have some donuts for everyone. There is a choice of either jelly or glazed." Mike immediately headed to the donut box. He opened it, reached inside, and grabbed a glazed one. Then he walked over to the cabinet and took down a cup.  Marco snatched it and said, "Thanks!"  Mike shook his head and got another cup. After taking the coffeepot off the stove, he poured Marco, as well as himself, a cup of the brewed beverage. "Want a cup of Java, Cap?" Marco asked. Cap sat down in front of Roy and placed a small black notebook onto the table. "Don't mind if I do. And would you also bring me a glazed donut on your way over?" "Sure thing, Cap." "What ya reading?" Hank moved the magazine slightly, to enable him to see the front cover. He saw the words, Wildlife Today. "I'm reading an interesting article about bears," Roy said. "They're very crafty."   Chet cleared his throat loudly, as if trying to get Roy's attention. He snickered and asked loudly, "you mean 'crafty as a fox'?"  Roy still intent on reading the rest of the article, mumbled, "uh huh." "The saying is 'sly as a fox', " Marco informed him. Roy and Johnny both took a sip of coffee. Johnny leaned back and his chair and stared in Henry's direction. He smiled at the dog lying on his back, sound asleep. His thoughts seemed to wander as he gazed at the pooch.  Marco poured Hank a cup of coffee. He put a glazed donut onto a plate and set it down in front of him.  "Thanks, pal."  Marco pulled a chair out at the front of the table and sat down, bumping the table a bit. "What's with the notebook?" Mike asked, sitting down beside Cap. He picked up his donut and took a bite.  "It's notes on some houses that my wife and I are looking at in the area."  "When JoAnn and I went looking at houses, I was a wreck.  It's not an easy job trying to decide what house to buy, is it?"  Roy mentioned, while continuing to read. Chet stood leaning against the counter with a look of pride on his face, as Hank replied to Roy. "House hunting is not one of my favorite things to do, that's for sure."   It didn't take the captain long to notice that there was something different about Chet. With his head turned in his direction, he studied him for a moment and said, "Chet, you've gotten taller haven't you?" Flashing him a quick, confident grin, as he stood up straight, he said, "Do you think so Cap?"  Everyone immediately diverted attention to him. Smugly he announced, "As a matter of fact, I have gotten taller."  "How?" Marco asked suspiciously. Marco stood up and walked over to Chet. Putting his hand up above his own head, then holding it out in front of him, he tried to determine if indeed, his friend was any taller.  Johnny glanced toward Chet's feet, got up from his chair, and walked over to him. Lifting Chet's pant leg up about five inches, he remarked, "Look, he's wearing elevator shoes!" Everyone laughed except Hank. " I don't believe that elevator shoes are regulation." "Awe Cap, you sound like Brice," Chet whined.  He pouted, as Johnny let loose of his pant leg. "I'm sorry pal, but the shoes have to go!" Cap emphasized. Chet complained in a squeaky voice, "But Cap, I didn't bring any other shoes with me and besides…" Hank interrupted him by saying, "I don't care what you did or didn't bring, you can't wear those shoes while on duty!" In a somber tone, Chet said, "All right Cap.  I think I have an old pair of shoes in my locker that I can wear today."  After putting his hands in his pockets, he slowly started to walk out of the room mumbling, "A guy just can't have any fun around here." "Be careful not to fall of your shoes on the way to your locker," Marco sneered. Everyone laughed. Marco reached for a donut and stuck it in his mouth to hold, while he closed the box. Johnny shook his head and walked back to the table and sat down again.  "Nice try, but shoes aren't the answer." He picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip. "Hey Marco, bring me a jelly donut will you?" Roy turned his head toward Johnny and laid his magazine down. "What do you mean, shoes aren't the answer. Answer to what?" Johnny set his cup on the table and extended his right hand toward Roy. He moved it in an up and down motion. "Look Roy…"  Marco brought a jelly donut on a plate to the table.  "Here's your donut, Johnny!" "Uh, yeah, thanks." Johnny picked it up and took a bite. "Look Roy," Johnny said, while chewing, "All I'm trying to say is that shoes don't make a man taller."  Mike chimed in and said, "I thought that he looked taller.  Didn't you Cap?" "Yeah Mike, he looked taller to me all right." "Johnny, make your point," Roy said. "Are you saying that he didn't look taller?"   Johnny swallowed the remainder of the bite of donut he had been chewing and took another bite. "Well, no, that's not what I'm saying.  I admit he did look taller. I guess he was actually taller, but all I'm saying is that a man is only as tall as he feels." "He seemed to look like he felt pretty tall to me. Besides, isn't that suppose to be, 'you're as young as you feel'?" Marco questioned. "Very funny, Marco," Johnny replied. "You know what I mean, don't you Roy?" Roy patted Johnny on the shoulder. "Yeah, I guess I do at that."  Smiling, Roy added, "So, what you are saying is that because he felt taller, that he actually was taller? Johnny shook his head. "Roy, he looked taller, but he really wasn't.  I mean without those shoes, he's the same size as he was." Roy, Marco, Mike, and Cap stared at Johnny. "Oh never mind!" Johnny said loudly. "You're trying to confuse me." "You're doing a good job of confusing yourself, if you ask me," Mike said. "You sure don't need any help from us." Everyone chuckled and Hank picked up his notebook. "All right let's…" The claxon sounded before he could finish. "Squad 51, man injured from a fall, 1238 Altoona Drive, One, Two, Three, Eight Altoona Drive, cross street, West Alameda. Time out: eight thirty five." Captain Stanley had already keyed the mic and was about to say ten-four, as Johnny and Roy shut the doors to the squad. The two paramedics donned their helmets. Roy reached for the paper and passed it to Johnny, who already had his green pen in hand, having anticipated his partner's actions. Roy put the siren and lights in motion. He blew the horn as he drove down the drive and looked both ways into the street.  A speeding car appeared at the last minute and screeched to a halt within a few inches of colliding with the squad as it pulled away from the station. "Crazy drivers!" Johnny shouted, as he looked over at Roy. Roy shook his head. "Drivers need to be more aware of the speed limit and what's going on in front of them. That was a little too close."  Part 2 Soon the squad arrived in front of a large, white house with black shutters.  A white fence surrounded the well-kept yard. A woman who appeared to be in her early sixties came hurrying out to meet them. "It's my husband. He fell." Roy and Johnny gathered their equipment and Johnny said, "Ma'am, show us where he is." "Right back here. I just don't know what happened. I called an ambulance a few minutes after I called the fire department," Clara said, as she led them along the side of the house and through an open gate into the back yard. The man lay on his back on the ground.  He moaned a bit. "Sir, just lie still," Johnny told the man as he set the equipment down and knelt beside of him. "I'm John Gage and this is my partner, Roy DeSoto. We're paramedics." Johnny removed his helmet and placed it beside the trauma box. "Can you tell me where you're hurt?" "Of course I can, young man!  I can talk! I didn't hurt my vocal chords when I fell!" "Yes sir. How did you fall exactly?" "Clara, I told you that I'd be able to get up in a little bit, not to call anyone." "I'm sorry George. I thought it would be best if I…" "Now, see what you've done. This fireman is asking me all kinds of preposterous questions!" Johnny seemed frustrated. "Sir, could you just calm down? Your wife is concerned and just trying to help..."  George interrupted him, "She's always trying to help me, confound it!" He attempted to get into a sitting position. Johnny gently held his shoulders down. "It's not a good idea for you to move, you could be injured, Mr. uh…" "It's Wheeling, but call him George. I'm Clara," Clara said, as she kneeled beside her husband. George shouted, "Clara, help me up!" Roy removed his helmet and began setting up the biophone. "Settle down!" Johnny said in a demanding tone. "Need help partner?" Roy asked, as he removed the stethoscope from the black box and placed it around his neck. "Not yet. I think I got it."  Johnny attempted to take the man's pulse. He touched George's wrist and he jerked it away.  "Sir, please, let us do our job. We are trying to help you." Clara shook her finger in George's face. "George, you listen to me, and you listen good. You let these men help you or I'll…" "You'll what?" George interrupted in a snippy tone. "I'll throw those Apple pies away that I made this morning," Clara said sternly, as if talking to a child. "You wouldn't. Would you?" George asked sheepishly. "I will! I'll do it right now, if you don't behave," Clara responded.     "Oh, all right. I'll be good," George said reluctantly. He looked at Johnny. "Apple's my favorite, you know." "I like Apple pie, myself.  Now, can you tell me where you are hurting?" George ignored the question and looked away. "I'm fine, really, you're wasting your time here." Johnny reached into his holster, took out his penlight, and checked George's pupil reaction. "Well, we'll just check you over then, and let you know if we find anything." George grunted a bit with disappointment. "Equal and reactive," Johnny told Roy. Roy was in the process of getting George's pulse and respiration rate, while Johnny checked his head for injuries. George moaned slightly as Roy placed the blood pressure cuff around his arm. "Does your arm hurt?" Roy asked. "No! No, it doesn't. I don't know what all the fuss is about," George complained. "Did you hit your head?" Johnny questioned. "My head? Why are you asking me all these ridiculous questions?" "George, the sooner you co-operate, the sooner they'll leave," Clara remarked.   "We have to ask you certain questions, to know how we can best treat you," Roy explained. "Did you trip in a hole or trip over something?" Johnny asked, as he checked George's spine. George mumbled, "No, I didn't trip in a hole, and no, I didn't fall over something." Johnny thought for a second and asked, "Then how did you end up on the ground like this?"  He looked away, avoiding the question. Johnny looked toward Clara for a possible answer. "He wouldn't tell me how he did it. I came outside to work in the flower garden and I found him lying here. He just told me that he fell is all."  Johnny looked toward Roy.  "No apparent spine injury, but just to be on the safe side, I'd feel better if we used a back board when we transport." "I agree."  The ambulance could now be heard in the distance.    "Nothing wrong with me, except I got the wind knocked out of me."  "I want you to just lie still, until I finish checking you," Johnny explained.  Johnny checked his right arm and leg. Then he moved over to the opposite side and checked his left arm and leg. He suddenly heard, "OW! That's my sore ankle!" "I need to know how you fell George," Johnny said, as he removed his hands from George's ankle. Clara gave him a discerning look as he glanced upwards toward the trampoline. "Oh George, you didn't!"   His face a bit flushed, George told Johnny, "We got it last week for the grandkids. I thought I'd try it out and jump on it a couple times. I did pretty fair the first time. But that second time, I come down like a ton of bricks and bounced off of it. It's not very high off the ground, you know. I can't be hurt very badly." Johnny pointed upwards. "You mean that you fell off of that trampoline?" Johnny asked in a very perplexed tone of voice.  "Of course I fell off of that trampoline young feller. You don't see another one around here anywhere, do you?" George said impudently. Johnny ignored his tone of voice and said,  "I think you may have a fractured ankle." "Broken ankle? No, it's fine. A little sore is all," George insisted, as he flexed his right leg. "I think it would be best if we took you into Rampart and let the doctor check you. He'll get an x-ray of it." "No sir!" George exclaimed, as Johnny reached for a splint. "I had a physical three months ago. I'm as healthy as a horse."  Clara stood up and put her hands on her hips.  She looked directly at her husband and said,  "You're going to the hospital, and that's final. It's a good thing it's not your leg that's broken, Mister healthy as a horse, or they'd have to shoot you!"  "Yes dear," George said with a sigh. Roy and Johnny grinned at Clara's comment. "Oh dear! I didn't mean it that way. I meant if he were a horse and had a broken leg that…" Embarrassed, Clara stopped speaking in mid sentence.   "They know, Clara, don't worry about it.  I'll go to the hospital if it will make you happy. My ankle does hurt a bit." "You know that I just want what's best for you." She leaned over and patted his hand. "Hey fellows, do you suppose I could have something for this headache?" George inquired. Johnny and Roy exchanged glances before Roy spoke. "Do you know whether or not you hit your head when you hit the ground?" "It happened so fast. I landed on my back. I don't remember hitting my head."  "I didn't find any obvious head injury, Roy," Johnny stated. "We'll alert the hospital and the doctor will take care of your headache," Roy responded.     The two paramedics finished splinting his ankle.  Johnny got up and headed to the squad to get the backboard. Roy retrieved the notebook, where he had written the vital signs, from his pocket.  He walked a couple steps to the biophone. "Rampart, this is squad fifty-one, how do you read?" "Squad fifty-one, we read you loud and clear, go ahead," Doctor Early answered. Roy held his pen and looked at his notebook as he spoke.  "Rampart, we have a sixty…" Clara wanted his age to be correct. She smiled and proudly stated, "sixty-five last month." Roy continued, "Sixty-five year old, conscious male, who has fallen from a trampoline." "Did you say, sixty-five year old fell from a trampoline, fifty-one?" "That's affirmative Rampart." "Can you give me his vitals, fifty-one?" "Rampart, vitals are: pulse, eighty; respirations fourteen; blood pressure one forty eight over eighty-eight; pupils equal and reactive. We have a splint in place on patient's left ankle. There is no apparent back injury, although we will be transporting him on a backboard as a precaution. Patient is in slight amount of pain."  Roy heard the siren of the ambulance growing closer. "Does the patient have a head injury, fifty one?" "No obvious sign of injury. Although, he is complaining of a headache at this time."    "Ten-four fifty-one, bring him on in here as soon as the ambulance arrives and keep me advised," Doctor Early said. "Ten-four Rampart.  I believe the ambulance has arrived." Roy said, as he heard the siren stop.  He placed the biophone into the holder.      The ambulance pulled up into the drive as Johnny was closing a compartment door on the squad. "He's back here, follow me." Johnny led the attendants to the back yard. "I'll go in with him," Roy said, as George was placed on the backboard and stretcher. "Fine," Johnny said, as he picked up the two helmets. "I'll take your helmet for you." "Someone needs to keep him in line. May I go with him?" Clara asked with a slight smile and pleading eyes, looking directly at Johnny. "Sure, you can ride up front," Johnny said. The ambulance attendants carried George to the ambulance while Roy carried the biophone and trauma box. Johnny placed the helmets in his left hand and took Clara's elbow and escorted her to the passenger side of the ambulance. He opened the door for her and helped her up into the seat. As Ted was assisting the other attendant putting George in the back, Johnny looked toward him and said, "Ted, this is Clara, the patient's wife." Johnny shut the door. Ted nodded, as Clara rolled the window down all the way.  Clara reached out of the window and placed her hands on Johnny's arm. "Young man, I want to thank you. George is cantankerous at times, but he's a good man. We've been married for forty-five years and he eventually sees things my way." Johnny looked into Clara's eyes and could tell that she was a kind person who was worried about her husband.       "Yes ma'am," Johnny said with a reassuring smile. "He'll be fine, Mrs. Wheeling. The doctors will take real good care of him at the hospital." Ted got into the driver's side and said, "We're ready to go now, Clara." "Thank you," Clara acknowledged, looking at Ted. She looked at Johnny, "You and your partner come back when George gets home and I'll see to it that you get a big piece of my Apple pie." Johnny's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store, "I'd like that!" Johnny exclaimed, as the ambulance started to pull away.  He watched as she rolled the window up after waving to him. Johnny walked to the squad and opened the driver side door.  As he placed the helmets in their proper places, he thought about how it must feel to be married to someone for forty-five years. "A person probably knows what his spouse's next move is going to be."  Shaking his head, he returned to reality.  He started the squad and drove to Rampart. Part 3 After arriving at Rampart and backing into the parking spot, Johnny walked inside the double doors and looked around.  The hall was relatively quiet. No one was at the nurses' station, so he decided to get a cup of coffee. As he removed a cup from the counter, he glanced down at a note lying on the desk. It was a note from the run that they just had. Scribbled were the words, SQ 51: male, 65, fall…Diverting his eyes away from the note, he poured the coffee.  Lifting the cup and ready to take a sip, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Jerking around to see who was there, he spilled a bit of coffee.  A towel close by came in handy to wipe up the spill. "Let's go, Junior," Roy said, as he turned toward the hallway.  Johnny looked at the Handy Talkie that he held in his hand. "But Roy, I was just about to drink a cup of coffee."  Roy started to quickly walk down the hall. Johnny set the coffee cup down and hurried after him, mumbling, "Roy, wait up, what's your hurry? We didn't get a call."  He scrambled down the hall almost running to keep up the pace, turning around only once on the way out to get a brief look at a new nurse.  Roy got into the squad and shut his door.  Johnny opened the passenger door and climbed into the seat. He closed his door, as he said, "Hey, what's your hurry?" "I'm surprised you're not anxious to find out. Aren't you curious?" Roy asked, as he turned the key in the ignition switch to start the engine. Johnny keyed the mic and said, "Squad fifty-one, clear, returning to quarters." "Ten-four, squad fifty-one," Sam, responded.  "Curious about what?" Johnny asked in a puzzled tone of voice. "The reason that Chet was wearing elevator shoes." "Oh yeah," Johnny said, as he put his hand on his chin. "Do you know why?"  Roy shook his head. "Johnny, if I knew, you'd still be at Rampart drinking that cup of Joe." Johnny laughed. "I guess that's true."   Roy and Johnny talked on the way back to the station about the possible reasons Chet could be wearing the shoes. "Maybe he just wants to be taller, Roy." "But why? There has to be a reason for it. If that were the case, he would have bought the shoes a long time ago." "Well then, maybe, he thought he could climb into the engine easier." "We'll find out soon," Roy said, as he stopped in front of the fire station. After tuning the emergency lights' switch to the on position, he backed into the bay.  Part 4 Roy parked the squad, and turned off the emergency lights. Johnny and Roy noticed that the engine was gone. "Well, imagine that!" Johnny declared. "Chet isn't even here to ask him why he wore those shoes. We hurried back for nothing." They got out of the squad. Johnny shut the door and said, "I sure hope Chet gets back quickly." The bell rang at the front door as they had started to enter the kitchen area. Johnny said, "I'll get it." Roy stopped for a minute, and followed behind him. He was curious to see who was there.  Johnny opened the door to find a very tall, thin, blonde-haired woman in her early thirties, standing in front of him.  She was dressed in a tight, low cut, red dress.  Her high heels and pillbox style hat matched the shade of her dress perfectly.  She smiled as she held her white lace handkerchief in her right hand and her small red purse under her right arm. "Hello, is this a fire station? I don't see a fire truck anywhere. Is it in the garage?" She waved her handkerchief up and down, in a fanning motion, spreading the scent of her sweet smelling perfume everywhere, as she rattled off the two questions quickly. "Yes, this is a fire station. Our engine is on a run. Can I help you?" Johnny asked. "Oh my!" She took a deep breath. "How I wish you could!" Looking at Johnny from head to toe, she exclaimed loudly, "My! My!" Johnny blushed and said, "Do you need help of some kind?"  "Well, what I need is for you to tell me if that darling Chat works here." "Darling Chat? I'm afraid I don't understand who you are talking about, ma'am." She giggled.  "Oh dear, what is his name, Rally, Jelly, or Cally, something like that. He has a moustache and he's kind of tall."  Johnny snickered and said, "Are you are talking about Chet Kelly?" She giggled again and batted her eyes. "I suppose that's his name. Well, is he in there somewhere?" She stretched her neck a bit to in order to peer around Johnny and look inside.  "No, he's not here not right now. Uh, would you like to come inside and wait?" She pinched Johnny's cheek. "Say, you're cute! But, I don't have enough time to come inside, cutie. Hey, you're not that Drier or Dyer guy, who came to my place to fix my hangnail last night, are you?"  She squinted and looked at Johnny. "No ma'am, I'm…" She interrupted him. "I don't have my glasses on right now. But, I can see that you're not him, he has a moustache. Anyway, I just came to tell Chit that I wouldn't be able to go to dinner with him tomorrow night. I got back together with Ralphie. Everything is just fine now. I just couldn't tell Chat that I was breaking our date over the phone now, could I?  Well, I guess I could have. But, then, to tell you the truth, silly little ol' me just now realized that I could have done that." She giggled again. "No one was at the other station that I went to earlier.  I was hoping this was the right one. I was told it that he was at a station numbered 15, 51, 115 or 511 or something like that. I'm not very good with numbers. What's the number of this station anyway? I've forgotten." Johnny cleared his throat ready to tell her the number, but before he could open his mouth, she had already started speaking again. "Well, never mind, I don't really need to know that now, do I?" She sighed.  "Anyway, he'll be heart-broken, don't you think?  I'd hate to be the one to tell him. You understand, don't you? Would you be a dear, and tell Chit, or is it Chat for me?" Johnny swallowed hard, after listening to her rambling. He was almost speechless and a bit mesmerized when he realized that she had finally finished and was expecting an answer. After some hesitation, he answered,  "I uh, guess I can. I mean, yeah, I will. Who should I say broke the date?" She gave Johnny a wicked little smile, wadded her handkerchief up her hand, and brushed her right index finger across his cheek and down his chin. "The name is LaCinda. Remember it, and perhaps the next time I break up with Ralphie, you'll be lucky enough to go out with me. I just adore a man with a moustache. Maybe you'll consider growing one. I'd never break a date with you. You're just so cute in that uniform." She winked. Johnny stammered, "I'll tell Chit, er, Chat, uh, I mean, Chet." "I didn't catch your name," LaCinda said, as she squinted at his nametag. Is it Cage?" "It's Gage, John Gage."   "I like that name.  I won't forget it.  It fits you perfectly.  I really must be going now, since I'm going to meet Ralphie soon. It was such a pleasure to meet you. Ta! Ta! Ron!" She sauntered off down the sidewalk toward her car, waving her dainty handkerchief up and down. Johnny watched her for a brief moment before closing the door. Her perfume lingered in the area. Johnny gave a long whistle. "MAN! Was she for real?"  Roy, having witnessed the conversation, could not contain his laughter anymore. He let out a guffaw, immediately as Johnny turned around and looked at him. Johnny looked back at the door. He shook his head. "Can you believe her? If she hadn't pinched me, I would have thought that I was dreaming.  She must be at least six-foot tall. And Roy, did you hear…" "I heard her loud and clear.  She called you cute. Now, I really need a cup of coffee after hearing that. Are you coming Ron?"  Roy continued to laugh. "All right Roy, you've had your fun." Roy composed himself a bit. "At least the mystery is solved." "How's that Roy?" Johnny asked, still in a bit of a daze. "I guess we know why Chet was wearing elevator shoes." Johnny shook his head as he and Roy walked into the kitchen area. "Yeah, that's the truth.  But he would need three pair of elevator shoes to be as tall as she is. With those heels on, she's taller than I am." "I wonder where he met her," Roy contemplated, while walking to the kitchen. "Do you suppose he met her at a basketball game?" "I doubt she'd go to a basketball game. Perhaps he met her at a movie.  She sure was something."  Johnny's eyes widened and his tone of voice had a hit of a panic tone. "She didn't ask me for a date, did she?" "I don't think so, Johnny. It was more like she put you on a stand-by list." Roy laughed. "Don't take it so hard. I know that you're disappointed that Chet met her first.  I'll pour you a cup of coffee." Johnny sneered. "Yeah, right Roy, she's not my type." "Obviously, she's Chet's type, or he wouldn't have asked her to go out on a date." Roy said, with a perplexed tone. Johnny said, "I just can't see Chet and her as a couple, can you Roy?" Roy glanced at the clock wondering how much longer it would be before the rest of the crew would return. "I've always heard that opposites attract. She is much taller than he is."   "She may be tall in height, but she's sure short on brains," Johnny said, as he placed his hands on a chair back. Roy laughed. "I'm dying to know how he met her. You've got to admit, she isn't bad looking." "True. She's not bad looking at all. But looks aren't everything.  I bet she doesn't even like to go bowling!" Roy laughed, "I bet you're right about that. By the way Johnny, you never did get a chance to tell me why you were so happy this morning?" Johnny grinned and sat down. "I still am happy."  Roy looked in his co-worker's direction, as he walked to the cabinet, waiting for a reason.  "Well, are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?" Roy collected two cups and poured himself a cup of coffee in the first one. "I have a roommate. She makes me laugh and I enjoy her company."  Roy's ears perked up and he was so surprised to hear this, that he nearly spilled Johnny's coffee as he poured it. "What? Who is she?" Roy walked to the table and set both cups of coffee down. He sat in the chair beside Johnny, preparing to listen intently. Taking a sip of coffee, Johnny announced with much enthusiasm, "Her name is Tiffany." Roy stammered a bit, not quite knowing what to say. "Uh, she's uh, did you say that she's living with you? "That's right, she is." Roy became flustered. "Uh, is she pretty? What's she look like?" Johnny grinned. "She has short, blond hair and hazel eyes."  "How long have you been going out with her?"   "Every day since we met. I take her out a lot. She likes to walk on the beach, go swimming, and jog around the neighborhood with me." "When did you meet her?" "The first day of my vacation. I met her on the beach. You might say, I knew that she was the one I wanted, the first time I laid eyes on her."  "You just met her last week and she's already moved in with you?" "Sure Roy. She's very affectionate. You don't think that I made a mistake do you?"   "It's just that, I wouldn't have thought…"  Johnny interrupted him, "Last night we sat on my bearskin rug in front of the fireplace and I brushed her hair.  Then we took a late evening walk." Roy took a sip of coffee. "It sounds like you're having a lot of fun." Johnny grinned and took another sip of coffee. He sat the cup down, leaned back in the chair, put his arms behind his head and clasped his hands together, as he looked at Roy. He stretched and yawned. "I gave her a bath yesterday. Now that was fun!" Roy's face became as red as a beet, and he nearly choked on his coffee. "Mind if we change the subject, I do believe you are telling me a bit more than I really wanted to know."   Johnny chuckled as he sat up straight and grabbed his coffee cup.  "Well, you asked why I was so happy Roy." "I know I did. I'm sorry about that now." "It's fine, really it is. Her name was Trouble, but I changed it when I got the license." "You changed it when you got the what?"  Roy's face lit up as he had a thought. "You didn't! I mean, you didn't get married did you? Why didn't you tell me? Sure, that's it, isn't it? It all fits, the vacation, you're being happy, knowing she was the one, the name change, the license … he hesitated and then said, Congratulations partner!" Roy extended his hand to Johnny. Johnny burst into laughter. "No Roy, Tiffany is a Labrador Retriever puppy." "A puppy? That's your roommate? Why on earth did you get a puppy?" "There was a woman on the beach.  She was giving puppies away and she had two left. She called this one Trouble, because she was having trouble giving her away. The other one she called Yapper. And you can imagine why she called him that.  I took Trouble, because she was so adorable. I gave her the name Tiffany when I got her dog license. She's five months old. She's not registered, but it's for sure she's a Labrador Retriever." "You wouldn't happen to have a date with that woman on the beach, would you?" Roy asked. Johnny smiled, "Well, as a matter of fact, I do. Saturday, Gina and I are going to have a picnic on the beach and take Tiffany, Yapper, and Tiffany's mom, Gilda with us. Gina is a travel guide. She'll be back then from a trip to New York." "Wait a minute, I thought that your apartment manager wouldn't let you have pets." "Oh, it's all right, Roy.  I cleared that with him. Actually, he's watching Tiffany while I'm at work. My aunt's birthday is in two weeks.  She's coming to visit me on my day off and Tiffany is going to be her birthday present."  "She's a pretty large puppy isn't she?" "Yeah, she's actually too big to live in an apartment, but my Aunt lives out in the country and has an acre of land." Roy looked at Johnny, shook his head, and smiled. "You really had me going, Johnny." Johnny chuckled. "I know I did. Man, you should have seen your face." The phone rang. Johnny got up and answered it. Roy sat at the table and began flipping through Wildlife Today. "Station fifty-one, John Gage speaking." "Johnny, this mutt of yours is causing me to get a headache. She whines constantly." "Yes sir, but she's just a puppy." "She chewed a hole in my slipper." "I'm sorry, but puppies do chew." "She ate a rock too."  "I'm sure she'll be o.k." "She also hit a table with her tail and knocked a lamp over. It shattered." "Let me know how much it cost to replace it and I'll be glad to pay for it." "That's not all.  I sat the vacuum cleaner bag down and turned around and she bit a couple of big holes in it and dirt went everywhere when I picked it up. It took me two hours to clean this place."  "I'm sorry. You have to keep things out of her reach." "Now she just soiled my shoe. What are you going to do about it?  I think that you need to come home and take care of her." "I don't get off until tomorrow morning. I'm really sorry. Tomorrow, I'll try to find someone else to watch her until my aunt comes to get her." "Well, see that you do!"  He slammed the phone down in Johnny's ear. Roy looked in Johnny's direction as Johnny hung the phone on the hook and rubbed his ear. "Who was that?" Johnny shook his head and replied. "My apartment manager. Roy, I don't understand it. He seemed perfectly willing to keep my pup this morning." "What's wrong?" "Roy, remember me telling you that I changed the puppy's name to Tiffany?" "Yeah, I remember. You mean your apartment manager doesn't like her name?" "Johnny shook his head. It seems that I'm going to have to change her name back to Trouble. That name probably fits her a bit better today." Roy grinned. "I see. I wonder if your Aunt is going to like getting Trouble?" "You don't think that she wouldn't do you?" "A puppy is a big responsibility. You probably should check with her before giving her a pet as a present, especially if Trouble lives up to her name."  Johnny frowned.  "What if she doesn't want her? What will I do then? Man, how do I get myself into so much trouble?" Roy laughed. "Just by being you!" "Yeah, trouble just seems to find me sometimes." The doorbell rang again. "You get it this time Roy." "Sure, I'll get it." Roy got up and walked to the door. Johnny got up and poured some more coffee and sat back down. Roy brought in an Apple pie. "Roy, that smells good. Where did you get it?" "Mrs. Wheeling baked two pies and knew that we probably wouldn't have a chance to get back to her house, so she brought one to us.  She told me that George's headache was gone and that he was resting at home with his broken ankle propped up on a pillow. He grumbled and complained the whole time that he was at Rampart." "I'm just glad he wasn't hurt worse. What are we waiting for, let's cut it." Johnny took it from Roy's hands and placed it on the table. He leaned over it and smelled the scent of the cooked apples and cinnamon.  Roy headed to the drawer for a knife and two forks. He got a couple of plates from the cabinet and brought them back to the table. After cutting the pie into six pieces he said, "There, one for each of us." Johnny couldn't wait to dig in. He took a piece and put it on his plate. Roy did the same. Then he put the pie in the refrigerator. "This is excellent pie. It's delicious!" Johnny commented with his mouth full. "That's because it's homemade, Junior."   As they were finishing the pie, they heard the engine returning. "Quiet Roy, not a word about this. I'm going to break the news to Chet about LaCinda and then tell him about Tiffany, or I mean Trouble, just like I told you." Roy shook his head. "I hope it's funnier when I hear it the second time around." They both laughed, as Johnny looked at his watch. Roy shook his head when Chet came through the doorway of the kitchen. Roy stood up and said, "On second thought, I think I'll go polish the squad." As he entered the bay, Mike, Cap, and Marco met him. "You aren't going to believe what happened," Roy said. Cap looked at Roy. "Well, tell us quickly pal, Marco has to start lunch." Roy put his foot on the bumper of the squad and began telling them about LaCinda.   "Hey Johnny, anything exciting happen while we were gone?" Chet asked, as he sat down in a chair. "Well Chet, actually, it did. I got to meet LaCinda." "You did! Where?" "Right here." "Is she still here? What'd she look like? I know that she's tall. What's she like?  Is she pretty? Tell me about her," Chet blurted out without taking a breath.  "Slow down Chet. She left already."  Johnny took a sip of coffee and scooted his chair up closer to the table.  "Do you mean you don't know what she looks like or anything about her?" Chet pulled a chair out and sat next to Johnny.  "No, I don't. Dwyer told me that he met a woman on a run that he found fascinating. He told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend and she was looking for a date for tomorrow night. He said that she liked moustaches, so he thought of me.  All he told me that she was tall and blonde. That's why I bought the shoes last night as soon as Dwyer called me. He set the date up for us. Johnny, come on pal, tell me all about her, don't keep me in suspense." Johnny realized at this point, that Dwyer was playing a trick on Chet. He had been to her house last night to remove a hangnail. "Chet, All I can say is, I hope that you can return those elevator shoes." "Why?" Chet uttered. "Are you trying to tell me that she's not tall at all, that she's actually short? Was Dwyer lying to me?" "No, she's tall Chet, really tall. But let's just say that you're very lucky that she stopped by and you weren't here." "Why is that Johnny? Is she ugly?" "She's actually rather beau… uh, she's not bad looking. Chet, I don't know how to tell you this, other than just say it. She got back together with her boyfriend and she came here to tell you that she couldn't go out with you tomorrow night."  "Do you mean to tell me that after buying those elevator shoes and getting into trouble for wearing them that she broke her date with me?" Johnny nodded. "I'm afraid so Chet, but I think it might be for the best. She just doesn't seem like your type."   "I don't believe it. Johnny, what did you say to her? You didn't tell her that I didn't want to go did you? She didn't think that you were her date, did she? Because if you told her…" Johnny interrupted him. "Now hold on Chet. She didn't think that I was you. And, I didn't say anything, honest. I could barely get a word in edgewise. She was so talkative that I really couldn't understand her at times. You know how that is don't you?" Chet settled down a bit and realized that Johnny was telling the truth. "You know something Johnny, trying to do something for a female can sure land a guy into a heap of trouble." Johnny mumbled to himself, "You can say that again." "How's that?" Chet looked quite disappointed. "Well, I'm sure that she meant well. She did at least want to tell you that she couldn't go. She could have just stood you up," Johnny remarked, trying to cheer Chet up a bit.   "Awe gee, you're right, she must really think a lot of me. I mean she went out of her way and made a special trip here, just to try to tell me in person. She could have used the phone. She must be something else.  What do you think?" "Well, you could say that. She was sure something else all right!" "Tell me Johnny, what was your overall impression of her? Be honest!" "Let's just say that from the few minutes I spent with her, I've come to the conclusion that LaCinda was…" Johnny hesitated, as he searched for the right words. "Was what?  Tell me." Chet asked impatiently. "Uh, she was unique and uh, a bit scatter-brained." "She was nice though, wasn't she?  Do you think she would have liked me?" "Yeah, she was nice, I guess. And I'm sure that she would have liked you. After all, she was really concerned about letting you down easy." Chet looked at Johnny with a bit of sadness and smiled slightly. "All I've thought about all morning is, what a good time I was going to have at dinner tomorrow night. I was even planning on taking her dancing afterwards." Johnny put his hand on his co-worker's shoulder and said, "Let me pour you a cup of coffee. And how about a delicious piece of homemade Apple pie, that a patient's wife brought to us." "Pie? Sure I'd love to have a piece of Apple pie.  Thanks Johnny. You're a true friend." As Johnny got up from his chair to go to the refrigerator to get the pie, he felt that it was best to tell Chet about Trouble another time.  The End author's note: I would like to thank Janet for putting my stories on her web site for everyone to read. She puts a lot of work and effort into her site and it brings a lot of enjoyment to so many Randy fans. feedback goes right here! return to main menu