World War Flu by:  Sage Rory Monday morning at Station 51: Ah-choo! AH-CHOOO! "What did you say Chet?" "Oh, shud up Dage!" "Whassa matter....did mmmss catch a cold!" "I'm warndin du Dage!  I'm in do mood for...." "For what?" interrupted Cap as he entered the kitchen for his morning cup of coffee. "For me," Johnny answered him, smiling a taunting grin.  "It seems Chester B. here has caught himself a little bug." "It's nodding compared to da bug sidding next to me.  DA ONE I'M ABOUD DO SQUASH IN DA MINUTE!" "Down Chet," Cap intervened, "You ok enough to work today Pal?" "Do problem Cap.  It's jus da sndiffles." "All right, but if it starts to turn into something more than that, let me know, and I'll call in a replacement." "Good luck on that," Johnny scoffed, "Everybody's gettin Chet's bug.  I just got done filling in for Dwyer yesterday." "You filled in for Dwyer?  Now that's a switch," Roy teased as he joined the rest of the A-shift in the kitchen.  Johnny glared at him in return, through his narrowed, brown little eyes.  "A joke, Johnny, you know, a joke?"  John replied with a singular, cold, "Ha." Ah-CHOO! "You should send him home Cap, we're all gonna get the flu," Marco complained from somewhere underneath Henry. "It's not da flu Marco.  It's just a little coa-CHOO." "It is too the flu.  Everybody's getting it.  Half of 47's is out.  They nearly had to close down 36's.  Johnny and I had to fill in for a couple of guys on C shift yesterday.  Now Chet is going to give it to all of us.  Send him home Cap" "No," Roy shook his head.  "Sorry Marco, I'm sure you've already been exposed way beyond that doing any good.  Just try to keep from spreading it around, huh Chet?" "Oh, like what," Chet answered snidely. "Well, you know, wash your hands a lot.  Use tissues instead of a hanky." "I'll break out the Lysol," offered Mike, digging under the sink. "I HADE the smell of Lysol," Chet complained. "You can't smell anything right now anyway," Johnny told him.  He took the can from Mike, and began to spray it, rather liberally, all over the room. Marco got up from the couch, and with all his strength, managed to pick up Henry.  "Over here too Johnny, get the couch," he groaned as Henry started to wash his face for him.  "Ah Henry....yuck." "Now you got doggie germs," Johnny laughed as he painted the couch with his Lysol. "Better doggie germs than Chet germs," muttered Marco under his breath, but a bit too loudly. "If you dwo don't lay off, I'm going do come over dare and sndeeze on the pair of ya." "Sneeze away Chet," John snickered, "It won't do you any good." "Oh, and I suppose your immune to da flu.....not dat it is da flu." "No, I'm not immune to it....exactly." "Well what are you, exactly," Roy asked, interested in his partner's odd sense of logic, as the mornings entertainment. "Well, I just drink a lot of orange juice, you see.  No big secret there.  Everyone knows orange juice has vitamin C, and vitamin C keeps you from getting sick." Johnny opened the fridge with a flourish, pulled out, and then presented the carton of orange juice to the rest of the crew, as if presenting a trophy.  Mike grabbed the carton and emptied its contents into a large glass while Marco tried desperately to put down Henry, without getting the dogs floppy ears caught on his badge.  By the time he reached the counter, Mike's glass was half-empty. "Hey Mike, that's not fair.  You're taller than I am." "What?" cried Cap, laughing. "His head is way up there, while mine is way down here....closer to Chet's germs," he explained while shooting Chet a dirty look. "Has he been hanging out with Johnny more lately?" Cap whispered to Roy, seemingly his only levelheaded man at the moment.  He had also felt Mike was another of his level-headed men, but started to have doubts as he watched Mike hold his glass above his head, out of Marco's reach.  "Who's cooking today?" "I am Cap.  I figured I'd swing by the grocery and get something after Johnny and I pick up supplies," Roy told him. "Good, good......and when you do." "Get orange juice...lot's of orange," Roy finished for him.  "Hey Johnny, come on." "In a minute Roy.  I'm watching this........come on Marco, you can get it." "Gage, now.  Marco, get off the chair.  Mike, finish your orange juice and get on those hoses.  Chet......use a Kleenex for........" "We don't have any more." "ROY!"  Cap shouted after his retreating back. "Kleenex....I know...I know." "Good man, Roy, at least I have one." ********************************************************************************************** A short time later, at a local grocery: "Hey Roy?" "Yeah?" "What are you making?" "Food." "Oh yeah...is that what you call it?" Roy rolled his eyes as he reached for a large bottle of Hershey's chocolate syrup. "What's that for?" "You'll see.  I found a new recipe I want to try.  The picture looks really good." "Let's just hope the picture doesn't taste better than what you make.  Or is that what the chocolate syrup is for.  When your attempt goes down the toilet, you just pour the chocolate syrup over the picture, and tell us to just imagine what it tastes like." "Keep it up Junior, and I won't let you have any....and you will regret it." "We'll see.....Hey Roy, you forgot the orange juice." "Yeah fine, I'll go grab some.  You go get in the check out line so we're not here all day." *********************************************************************************************** Back at 51: "Well that was fast," Cap told Roy as he nonchalantly tried to peek into the brown paper bag in Roy's arms. "Yeah, very little traffic today......well....guess I might as well get started." "Already?  It's a little early, isn't it?" "Yeah....well....no...not really," Roy answered as a rare, mischievous look passed over his face, causing the hair to stand up on Cap's neck. "Roy?" "Yeah?" "What are you making?" "ROY!" Johnny shouted from the kitchen, causing Roy to turn and leave without answering the casual question. "Oh, I see," muttered Cap to himself.  "They are in it together.  No....no, not Roy.  It's the little twit's fault he didn't answer my question.  I love the guy, but sometimes........" "What is this?" Johnny asked Roy as the latter entered the kitchen.  He held a glass as far away from his body as his long arm would allow.  Roy glanced at it as he hurried to place his paper bag on the table.  "Orange juice.  What does it look like?" "Orange juice?  ORANGE juice!  This has stuff swimming around in it." "It's called pulp Johnny." "I KNOW what it's called.  It's disgusting.  You KNOW I hate pulp." "Yeah, I know, I know, I guess I forgot.  That is the kind we get for home." "Your kids drink this?!" "NO!  Joanne buys them some other stuff."  Then added under his breath, "probably the same stuff you drink." "Then why do you guys buy this stuff?" "Because Joanne and I like it, OKAY?" "If you say so.  Well, lets go back and get the normal stuff." "John-nie!" Roy said in exasperation.  "I'm trying to get part of dinner going here." "You've got plenty of time for dinner." "Not for what I'M making.  Just go get it." "You know I can't go unless you go, we have to stay available.  You know that." "Yeah, I know that." "Then come on.  It will only take a couple of minutes." "I'm busy." "Hey man," Marco said as he entered the kitchen and helped himself to the glass that John had, by then, set down.  "What happened to the orange juice?" he asked with a turned up nose. "It's PULP," Roy answered angrily. "Oh," Marco replied, then quickly emptied the glass as John watched in disgust. "Eeeewwwww!  Marco!  That's gross.  How can you do that, with all that pulp in it?" "Hey, I'll do anything to fend off the Chet germs.  Pulp is nothing.  My mama Rosita makes a cold cure that would curl the hair on your chest." "If he had any," Roy added, gleefully happy to get in a dig at his annoying partner, despite the fact that his comment went completely ignored. "It tastes like garlic and horseradish," continued Marco, "but I guarantee you, you won't have a stuffy nose for at least a year, if you can drink a glass of it." "Horseradish?  How can you drink that without....you know....throwing....." "That is why I said IF." "Eeeewwwwwww!" Johnny exclaimed as he retreated from the kitchen. Marco threw Roy a smile.  "Sometimes it's too easy." "Thanks Marco, and I thought Chet was the only one who could needle Johnny like that." "No, it's easy, Johnny is such an innocent, an open book, you know.  The best part is how he never really gets mad." "Never?" "Well, hardly ever.  Chet has to get pretty bad for that to happen.  What are you making anyway?" "Cheesecake!"  Roy said proudly as he handed over the pictured recipe. "Eeeewwwwww, Roy?  Cheesecake?" "Yeah, what's wrong with that.  It looks good, doesn't it?" "Roy, Cheese and Cake?  They just don't go together man!" "It's good Marco.  It doesn't taste like cheese at all.  You mean to tell me you have never had cheesecake?" "No way man.  I don't eat anything that can't make up its mind to what it is.  I'd rather drink mama Rosita's cold cure," he added before making a break from the room and the ingredients for the offending cheesecake.  Roy shook his head in disbelief and sighed; resigning to the fact that Marco would not be having any.  With much work, a little confusion, and a phone call to his wife, Roy managed to place a perfect cheesecake into the oven.  He found himself with some time on his hands before he would have to start lunch, so he went to see what the other guys were doing.  As he wandered through the station he could hear Cap muttering loudly to himself, as he dealt with his unending paperwork.  He saw Mike happily polishing away at the engine, whistling quietly.  Marco and Johnny had gotten up a game of Horse, with the basketball.  They were already on ‘R', so Roy felt it was too late for him to join in.  As he wandered on, he found Chet laying on his bunk, with a bunch of Kleenex, wadded up in his fist.  He was awake, so Roy decided to talk to him. "Hey, how are you feeling?" "Bedder actually, I juss can't breade tru my dose to good.  Odder than dat, I'm fine!" "Good!  Guess what I made for lunch." "Whad?" "Cheesecake!" "Deesecake?  Really?  I love Deesecake!" "I know!  So does Johnny, and Cap, and Mike......just found out Marco doesn't though....but, that's why I made it." "Couldn't du have made id  on a day I might have actually been dable to daste it?" "I'm sorry Chet....I planned this before....I mean....well, I didn't think of that." "For-ged it Roy.  Jus make id again sometime, huh?" "Make it again?"  Roy repeated incredulously.  He had found the recipe a bit more work than he had anticipated, and had already vowed to never attempt it again.  The day had been incredibly quiet, without one call.  He had counted his blessings for that fact, and realized a normal shift would have made the recipe impossible.  "Sure, Chet, we'll see."  Roy backed out of the room before he made a promise to the man he might live to regret. "You Cheated!" Johnny shouted at Marco. "I did not, I can make the shot from anywhere I want." "It's not fair to shoot from under the hose tower when you can stand up straight to shoot, and I have to try to do it crouched down." "Oh yeah, it's just as fair as your being closer to the basket with every other shot." "I can't help it that I'm taller than you Marco." "And I can't help it that I'm shorter than you," Marco smiled as he walked under the hose tower without having to duck. "Mike," Johnny pleaded, looking for a referee.  "You saw what he did, do you think that's fair" "No, not really." "WHAT?  How can you say that?" Marco shouted, rather surprised. "Well, the way I see it, no matter where John shoots from, you can still stand up.  If you shoot from under the tower, Johnny hasn't got a chance." "That's just what I was telling him." "But he is taller than me that makes every other shot not fair." "So stand on a box Marco," Johnny laughed. Marco threw the ball down and stormed off, "Chet!" "Whad?" Chet asked from the doorway to the lockeroom. "Tell them it's not cheating to shoot from under the hose tower." "Id is nod cheadin to.....whad?" "Shoot from under the hose tower." "Shood from under da hose tower.  You shod from under da hose tower?  Why didn I ever think of dat.  Man, dat is good." "Thank you Chet.  Gentlemen, I rest my case." "You are basing your case on the say so of a germ factory?" John asked. Chet picked up the ball and wondered over underneath the hose tower, where he easily made a shot.  "Wow Marco, dat's great, but it would kind dof be cheading doing dat against Dage, wouldn't it?" he asked as he tried to hand the ball to Marco. "I'm not touching that now." "I'll get the Lysol," John stated as he headed for the kitchen. "Oh come on do guys, don't du think you are going a liddle overboard?  I don even feel sick, I jus have a stuffy dose." "A stuffy whad Ched?" Johnny asked, returning with Lysol in hand.  He then proceeded to coat the basketball with the germ killing spray.  "Dat stuff sdincks." "I like the way it smells," Mike said. "So do I!" John said, happily. "You doo are duts," Chet said as he started for the kitchen. John held out the can.  "Hey, take this back with you." Chet looked at Johnny, then at the can, then back to Johnny.  "Sid on it, Dage." "He's watching too much 'Happy Days'," Mike whispered to John. "Definitely."  John noticed Roy watching from the sidelines.  "Hey Roy, you and me against Mike and Marco." "Maybe later, gotta start lunch soon." He mumbled and followed Chet into the kitchen. "Aw, man," cried Chet.  "Who is da idiot who bought orange juice wid pulp in it." "I DID, why?  Don't tell me you got a thing against pulp too." "Doe, I like pulp jus fine.....but do du have any idea whad it does to a guys mustache?"  Chet set his glass down and sadly walked away.  "You guys could strain it you know."  Roy shouted, only to have Henry respond by turning his back to his shouting.  "Oh shut up, you don't even drink orange juice....do you?" "What is that?  What is that I smell.....?" "It's cheesecake Cap," Roy answered, his spirits much raised by the happy tone in his Captains voice as he coasted into the kitchen.  He had been beginning to wonder if he hadn't wasted his time all morning.  First Marco, then Chet....  Finally, here was someone who would appreciate his hard work.  "Really?" Cap asked, peeking into the oven.  "That looks great DeSoto.  That is for dinner then right, cause it has to cool?" "That 's right Cap."  True appreciation.  He was afraid the guys would whine about not having it for lunch, but Cap understood.  He'd make sure Johnny would keep his paws off of it until it was time. "What is for lunch then?" "I just picked up some cold cuts and stuff for sandwiches.  Dinner will be chicken, potatoes, broccoli, and....." "The cheesecake." "Yeah." "Well, you about ready to feed the mob their sandwiches?" "Give me ten minutes to get everything out, and hide the cheesecake where it can cool in peace."  "Understood," Cap told him, giving him a pat on the back. ************************************************************************************************ Ten minutes later.  The kitchen was flooded with hungry firemen.  "Cold Cuts!  You were in here all morning for cold cuts?" Marco complained. "I....I was working on something else....." "Oh yeah, the Cheese-Cake....crazy...crazy," Marco muttered to himself. "So where is it?" Johnny asked. "It's cooling.  It's for dinner." "Dinner!" "It has to cool Johnny." "So stick it in the freezer for a couple." "Look Johnny, I am following the recipe, NO SHORT CUTS, Got it?  That way it will actually turn out the way it's supposed to.  Unlike your last fiasco." "Touchy, touchy....fine, I was just asking.  You don't have to bite my head off you know." "I didn't bite your head off, I was just explaining it to you.  What to you want to drink." "Anything but orange juice." ********************************************************************************************** Later, that afternoon: "Man, I can't believe dis day, nod one call so far, nod one." "Tell me about it, I'm so bored I could bust," Mike said quietly.  He wasn't the only one.  The inactivity was causing tensions to increase steadily throughout the day.  The men's main vents, were each other. "We're getting no calls cause everyone is home sick with the flu.  How much trouble can you get into in your own bed?" Marco questioned.  All eyes turned to Gage, who turned as red as orange juice was orange.  "Man," he told them, "you guys have dirty minds." "We're not the one who is blushing Pal," Cap teased him, but patted him on the back, trying to ease the young mans obvious embarrassment. "He idn't blushing Cap, he has a fever.  My bugs are working dare powers on him," Chet added as he waved his hands toward Johnny, as if casting a magical spell.  "I told you Chet.  I don't get sick, because I eat right, keep myself clean, and drink plenty of orange juice when the bugs start crawling." "That's nod whad I heard." "What is not what you heard?" "I read somewhere dat Indians are more susceptible to white men's diseases because their immunity to them doesn't go back as far.  That a lot of them died when da settlers first came over because of da sicknesses dey brought...something like dat anyway." Johnny turned white, clenched his fists, and left the room without so much as a glance at anyone.  The rest stood in stunned silence for several minutes.  "CHET!" Cap finally erupted. "Whad?" Chet asked in a barely audible voice. "What are you doing, you twit?" "I didn't dow he would react like dat...It was just a joke....du know....he keeps gong on about how I'm sick and he's dot....and I just thought I'd tell him he is actually more likely to get sick than da rest of us....and...." "And DIE?" Marco shouted at him.  "That is a joke?" "It didn't come oud right....see...my ancestors came over on da boats...right....full of diseases...only da strong survived...da know....I'm from strong stock....I guess I should d'ave started with dat....I didn't think...." "And that is the problem Kelly,  you didn't think!" "Cap....I'm sorry....I" "Man," Mike whispered to himself as he turned to face the counter, "I can't believe you said that." "Oh like you've dever teased anyone.  I seem to remember du lording over da orange juice dis morning while poor Marco here was begging du..." "Poor Marco who needed it more cause he is native to this land Chet?" Marco asked. "That is not what he is trying to say Marco," Mike countered. "Oh, now you're defending him?" "I'm not defending him." "That's was nod whad I was saying at all!" "What do you know about it anyway, Mike?" Marco asked angrily. "I know plenty, my ancestors came over on the boats too, and many of them died." "Whoa, whoa guys, no one meant any slight on anyone, let's just calm down here." Cap shouted over the rest. "But Cap...." "That is it Marco, I want you all to find something to do, or I will find you all something to do.  Got it?  This topic is closed.......Marco?" "Fine Cap, they don't know nothing anyway," he mumbled angrily as he left the kitchen.  Mike, Chet and Roy just stared at the floor as a disturbing quiet fell over them. "Roy, maybe you better...." "I'm going to give him a few more minutes, ya know?" "Yeah, good idea Roy." Cap told him, then headed for his office.  "If we don't get a run soon......." Cap spoke to himself as he closed his door. ************************************************************************************************ That evening: "Dinner," shouted Roy into the bay.  Normally he would be run over in a mad rush, but a continued lack of calls slowed everyone's pace a bit.  Everyone's, except Cap's, who was still anticipating Roy's cheesecake.  While the others sat down, and gradually dug in, Roy noticed John was absent.  Annoyed as he had been at him earlier, Roy still went to find him.  He was just where he knew he would be, on top of the hose tower.  Without a word, Roy climbed up and settled in next to him.  He prepared himself to wait for Johnny to make the first move, even if it meant his own dinner would be cold.  After only a couple of minutes, Johnny looked at him, and tried for a smile.  He didn't quite make it.  "Hey you," Roy said giving him a gentle nudge, "my dinner is getting cold.  It tastes better when it's hot, ya know."  John answered by managing a half-hearted, but real smile, and resting his forehead on the cool railing.  "I made a cheesecake.....," Roy added in a tempting tone. "Did you put pulp in it?" "Tons of it.....just for you.  Now get down there and eat." "I don't know if I'm hungry." "Chet can barely breathe right now......much less eat, breath, and talk at the same time.  If he says one word to you, I'll shove the whole cheesecake, right in his face." "You'd do that for me, after you spent half the day on it?" "Well.....no.  But I promise a happy alternative.  Deal?" Roy said offering his hand. "Deal," John replied giving it a friendly shake. The two came down to find their dinner warm, due to someone tucking a couple of plates into the oven.  They didn't bother questioning whom.  Cap waited impatiently for Roy and John to finish.  Roy sensed his impatience, and decided to take his time, moving more and more slowly until Cap caught onto his joke. "Enough DeSoto, get that cake out here, NOW." "All right, all right.  Ta da......" "Wow!", was Johnny's only comment. "That looks great Roy," added Mike grabbing the dessert plates. "It's just like da picture, I've dever seen anything come out looking just like da picture," Chet oozed, fully impressed. "It does Look good, but Cheese-Cake?" "Cap?" Roy asked noticing his obviously surprised face.  "Something wrong?" "What did you do to it?" "What?" "There is brown stuff all over it." Roy smiled.  "That's chocolate syrup Cap." "Chocolate?" "Yeah," Roy answered, confused by his Caps less than thrilled tone. "On cheesecake?" "Yeah Cap, my wife made this last week.  I'd thought I'd try it myself today." "But Roy, strawberries go on cheesecake, not....chocolate." "Chocolate on cheese?", Marco whispered to himself, shaking his head. "You can put chocolate on cheesecake Cap...Try it.  It's really good." "It's good," mumbled Cap as he stared at the plate that was handed to him.  "This from a man who likes pulp." "Chocolate on Cheese on Cake....I'm not eating that," Marco said pushing his plate away. "I will," Johnny exclaimed happily reaching for the plate; his hand tied with Mike's.  John squinted at his rival.  "I'll play you a game of horse for it." "Ping Pong." "No way, Ping Pong." "Don worry bout me, it's nod like I could daste id anyway," Chet whined as he slowly worked through his slice, enjoying it as much as he could through his stuffed nose. "You don't have to fight over it," Roy intervened between Mike and Johnny, "There is more in the fridge.  I made two, cause I figured for seconds.  Guess I didn't need to." "We spilt the rest, even steven." "Deal," Mike said, shaking Johnny's hand.  "What about Roy?" "He can make another one," Johnny countered, glancing at Roy, expecting a good-natured response to his good-natured teasing.  "Are you at least going to try it, Cap?", Roy asked. "Come on Roy, Chocolate?" "WELL SCRAPE IT OFF IF IT'S A PROBLEM, THAT'S WHAT MY SIX YEAR OLD WOULD DO!" "Roy," John shouted at him in a whispered voice. "ALL I'VE HEARD TODAY IS WHINING.  I DON'T LIKE PULP, I DON'T LIKE CHOCOLATE, I DON'T LIKE, I DON'T LIKE.    IF I WANTED TO HEAR THAT ALL DAY...I'D STAY HOME.  WHY DON'T YOU GUYS GROW UP!"  Roy banged his fist into the table then headed out the door.  Cap was too stunned to react.  "It's probably the flu cap." "Yeah cap, it's gotta be the flu." "SHUT UP GAGE!" Cap shouted at him, as he was the last to speak.  "Clean up this mess, NOW!"  While the others busied themselves, Johnny dug into the dishes.  Guilt washed over him, after all, what had Johnny done.  "Chet, get over there and help him."  He watched as Johnny's body tensed when Chet joined him at the sink.  Marco glared at Chet's back, while Mike kept his back to the others, pretending to straighten the magazines.  "They have got to let off some steam," Cap told himself as he left them to their silence, and headed once again to his office.  ********************************************************************************************** 10:30PM  in the kitchen: "What are you guys doing in here," Cap asked with a yawn as he walked in.  Four bodies jumped, and eight eyes stared. "Nothing," one of them managed to answer, but he couldn't be sure which one.  He was too distracted by the fact that there was one body, and two eyes short; Roys.  "What are you guys eating?" "Ah, cheesecake," Johnny answered as he slouched further into his seat.  Cap shook his head and sighed.  The scene with Roy haunted him.  The worst part was Roy was right.  He should have at least tried it....but chocolate?.....on cheesecake...?  Marco brought him back from his thoughts.  "You're eating it too Marco?" "Sure Cap.  It's good, tastes just like a candy bar.  A really good candy bar." "I thought you wouldn't touch the stuff." "Well I wouldn't, but Johnny tricked me." "How did he do that?" "He said 'here, try this new candy bar'.  I said it was good, he said it was cheesecake." "You didn't get mad?" "Noooo, it is too good to get mad."  Johnny sat back up straight in his chair and smiled.  "You want to try it Cap?" "You guys are trying to trick me, aren't you." "No, Cap it's good see, watch," Marco said, then took a bite off of Chet's plate, as his own was scraped clean. "Hey!", Chet said, swatting at his hand. "You can't taste it anyway." "I can doo, if I eat id slow." Cap took a deep breath and sat down.  Mike slid him a plate, but Cap made no move toward it.  After a seeming eternity, Cap pulled his plate over, closed his eyes, and took a bite, chewing slowly.  "It's....like...." "A really good candy bar." "I don't know about a candy bar, but it sure is good," Cap answered digging in.  After enjoying his cheesecake, followed by a cup of coffee, Cap told his boys, "Let's hit the sack."  They filed into the bunkroom.  Cap was surprised to find Roy was not in his bunk.  "Roy?", he called out.  Johnny did an about face and started through the door.  "I'll get 'im." "No, Johnny, I'll do it.  You settle in." Cap walked back into the apparatus bay and looked around.  Each of his men had a place they would retreat to from time to time.  His own was his office, the perks of being a Captain.  Mike sat in the engine, that he knew.  Chet would get himself latrine duty, and stay in there for hours.  He'd seen Marco, duck inside his locker a couple of time at least, but he was small.  The locker would be a little cramped for Roy.  Johnny usually went to the hose tower.  Roy.....he had to admit he wasn't sure.  He thought he might check the latrine, or the squad....no...the hose tower.  His paramedics were tight.  They went on runs the rest would never see.  Some on them quite bad, and he had seen Roy up there before, albeit always with Johnny.  Cap wander outside, and sure enough, Roy was up the tower.  He, himself, hadn't been up the tower in ages.  He knew he could order him down, but he didn't feel it would be right.  He carefully climbed up the tower in the dark, praying with each step that he wouldn't slip, and be needing his paramedic instead.  Eventually, he sat down with a plop, next to Roy, and right on a paper plate. "Ah, I take you got some of your cheesecake." "Yeah, Johnny......" "Brought you cheesecake …up here?" "Yeah....well...he owed me one." "Oh.......did he tell you he tricked Marco in to eating some?" "Yeah, he told me." "Did he tell you I had some too?" Roy didn't answer. "Well I did.  It takes a man to admit when he's wrong....and I was wrong.  It was delicious.  Different from what I'm used to....in fact, I think I like it better.......NO FOOLIN ROY.  But then you know how good it is, you had some yourself........OK?" Roy was taken aback.  He had expected a severe reprimand, or worse.  He had braced himself for it the moment he saw Cap come out the station door.  Cap didn't know how to interpret Roy's continued silence.  He did not hold a grudge over Roy's little outburst.  In fact he felt even closer to the man for it.  He knew what it was like to have little kids at home, he'd raised a couple himself.  In fact, his own little rug rats had helped to drive him to set his own Captains hat on fire, but that's another story.  "Are we OK Roy?" "Ah, yeah Cap.....sure." "Good, now why don't we head on in.  I'm not too fond of heights.  And not a word about my sitting on your cheesecake." "It was just the plate." "That either," Cap told him as he guided him to the bunkroom with his hand on his back.  "Sleep well DeSoto." "Good night Cap." "What happened?" Johnny whispered from his bunk as Roy began to undress. "Huh?  Ah, nothing." "Nothing?" "We'll....he apologized....I think." "HE apologized.  He said he was sorry?" "No." "Well, what did he say?" "I'm not sure, exactly." "He didn't chew you out." "Nope....he didn't." "So now what?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" "Nothing." "Good night Roy." "Night Johnny." "Yeah, Gooddight Mary Elden and John Doy too, now will du doo go doo sleep?" "Don't sleep too soundly Chet, you might Sndufucate," Johnny giggle from his bunk; his silly giggle causing the bulk of the laughter that then erupted in the bunkroom. "Do, ha ha Dage." ******************************************************************************************* Midnight: "Station 51, respond to an unknown type rescue, three miles off of Corn Products Road.  Three miles off of Corn Products Road.  An informant will meet you there." The grumpy men rolled out of their beds, and headed out into the night.  There was a full moon that night, making it nearly as bright as daylight.  Not a cloud in the sky, got the moon in their eye....(Hey it's late, and I'm trying to write an ending by tomorrow's deadline.  What do you want from me.) "Over here!  Over here!" cried a voice in the night.  A teenage girl stood ahead of them in the road, waving her arms, and jumping up and down.  Roy had to swerve a bit to avoid hitting her, only to have her, run into the squad. "Oww," she muttered. "Are you ok, you hit us kind of hard there," Roy asked "I'm fine, but my boyfriend is in a jam." John looked left and right, but could see no sign of anyone else.  "Well, where is he?" "Huh?", she asked, absently rubbing her knee. "Where is your boyfriend?", Roy prodded. "Oh, he is in that hay stack over there." "Over here?", John asked, gesturing toward the direction he was now walking. "Yeah, that big one right there.  You see, he was serenading me?" "Serenading you!" "Well yeah, see, he plays guitar, and he climbed up there to sing to me, and..." "He fell into the middle," John finished for her. "What have we got guys?" Cap asked. "Well Cap, looks like we have to find a singer in a haystack," John answered with his trademark grin. "A what?" "A singer in a hay stack, Johnny?", Roy giggled. "Well, what would you call it?  HELLO IN THERE!" "HELLO?  Who are you?" "I'm John Gage.  I'm with the fire department." "The FIRE DEPARTMENT?  Oh Man!" "What's your name?" "Does it matter?" "No, not really, but it would be nice if I could call you something." "How about John Doe."  All the men now standing around the haystack snickered.  Cap shot them all a warning look, but ended up giggling himself.  "Hey, how many of there are you?" "Only six." "SIX?" squeaked the young man.  "Oh man, oh man, just leave me here.  If I have to come out, I'll only die of embarrassment." "Come on now, don't be like that, we won't tell anybody.  Will we guys?"  Johnny received a reassuring round of no's and no way's.  "Listen, are you hurt at all?" "Yeah!" "Well, where are you hurt." ".....my pride." "Oh......anything besides that?" "No." "Ok, good, we'll have you out of there in no time." "No hurry." John motioned for the others to join him out of earshot of the haystack.  "Well, any ideas?" "Why don't we just start digging?" Chet asked. "No, no good," replied Roy.  "It's just hay, but if it starts burying him from above, it could get pretty stifling." "Can one of you climb in?" Cap asked. "Again, we could end up burying him." John answered.  "What if, I backed the engine over there, and we extended a ladder out over it.  Then one of you could drop down in there, and we'll pull you up." Everyone stood for a moment mulling the idea over.  "Good idea Mike, let's do it.  I'll go down, unless you want to," John asked Roy. "It's all yours." Soon everything was in place and John was lowered into the haystack.  He placed the belt around the embarrassed teen, and they easily hauled him out.  As soon as he was released from the belt, while balancing on the ladder, he darted off to the side, over the haystack, and slid down to the ground, grabbing his girlfriend's hand and running off, into the night.  His quick, unpredictable movements caused the center of the stack to cave in on top of Johnny.  Roy, Marco, and Chet worked quickly to unbury him. "Hay in there," Chet shouted upon finding him again.  "You ready to come out?" "Very funny Chet, just pull me up." "Come on."  Chet and Roy pulled him up, and off to the side, where he then slid down the side of the stack, as the boy had done.  While Roy and Marco backed across the ladder, Chet stepped out onto the haystack. "Chet, what are ya doing you twit, get down from there," Cap reprimanded. "Aw, Cap, Johnny got ta do it." He said as he slid down the stack before Cap could tell him not to.  "Hey, that was fun."  He turned and started to climb the stack. "You sound better Chet," Marco told him. "Yeah, I think the night air fixed me up." "Down Kelly," Cap told him before he could get to the top of the stack. "Yeah, down Kelly," John said, still sitting where he had landed a couple of minutes earlier, at the foot of the stack.  "You know Gage, you look like a scarecrow, doesn't he Mike?"  "Always," came Mikes answer. "Except for one thing......," continued Chet. "Don't even think about it," Johnny told him.  An obvious dare. Chet pounced on Johnny, trying to stuff hay into his clothing, but not making much headway, as Johnny was equally trying to stuff hay into Chet's mouth.  Mike dove into the fray, giving Chet a hand, after all, Johnny was a scarecrow.  Seeing Johnny sorely outnumbered, and defenseless, Marco too dove in, helping.....to stuff the scarecrow.  At the arrival of his third attacker, John started crying for help, but to no avail.  Cap was too winded from laughing to utter a word in his defense.  Roy simply watched, a small smile on his face, and he was entertained by all of his station mates, acting like, CHILDREN.  "Oh oh," Chet said. "My God Chet, what did you do?" "You were doing it too, Marco." Roy grew pale as he ran to his partner's still form, laying in the hay.  "Johnny?" "GET HIM!" Johnny shouted as they all pinned Roy down and proceeded to make a second scarecrow, which quickly turned into a free for all, every man for himself.  Cap watched happily but did not join in.  'I'm the Captain', he told himself, 'but I'd give just about anything to be just one of the guys for a moment'.  His moment came when he found himself knocked to the ground, and quickly buried in hay.  By the time he unburied himself, all of his men were lined up by the engine, each one, the picture of innocence. "All right guys, let's get out of here." "You know Cap, if we loaded the hay into the back of the engine....." "Forget it Kelly." As they drove off, several voices could be heard singing, "Rollin, Rollin, Rollin, Get them doggies rolling, Raw Hide." *********************************************************************************************** Next Shift, bright and early: Achoo! ACHOO! "Whassa matter Gagiepoo, gotta little cold there?" "Shuttup Ched.  It's from all dat hay from the other night.  I'm neber gonna ged id all oud of my hair." "Sure Johnny, sure." THE END return to main page