To Buy Or Not To Buy Part II Otherwise Entitled:  You Bought What? By: Sage Rory Johnny entered the locker room with a smile of excitement bursting from his face.  He stared at his partners back, watching him pull on his boots, and adjust his name tag.  The smile faded into a look of determination as he managed to remember his task at hand.      "Mornin Roy," Johnny exclaimed cheerfully as he pulled open his locker and began to change.      Roy glanced up at him wearily, his low mood reflected in his eyes.  "Mornin Johnny."      For a brief moment, Johnny considered asking Roy what was on his mind, but paused before the question escaped his opened mouth.  He figured the best thing to do would be to change the subject, whatever that was, in Roy's thoughts; besides, in his own mind, he didn't have that much time.      "Say Roy..."      "What?" Roy asked tiredly.      "Uh...nothin...never mind."      Roy counted his blessings and escaped from the room.      "What's on YOUR mind Gage?" Chet taunted from his own locker.      "What?" Johnny asked.      "You looked like the cat that swallowed the canary when you came in here, what's up?"      Johnny giggled, "Wouldn't you like to know!"      "Sure I'd like to know, that's why I asked!"      "Uh uh Chester B, you're just gonna hafta wait," Johnny told him as they made their way from the locker room to the dayroom.      "Wait for what?"      "Ah...ah...aaah...if I tell you, it may not happen!"      "What won't happen?"      "Forget it Chet."  John plopped into a chair beside Roy, and started to tug gently at the corner of a newspaper that was in Mike's hands.       "MINE," Mike said slapping the hand away.      Johnny pouted, "Well...let me have it next, all right?"      "Hey, I already called it," Marco burst out from the couch.      "Well...I'm after Marco!"      "Sure," Mike agreed moving to the sofa, kicking back, and taking a relaxed sip of coffee as he lazily turned the page.      "Aw MAN, you read like a turtle!"      "I read...to enjoy."     "It's the sports section Mike, you check the scores and you're done with it."      Mike settled even deeper into the sofa, and adjusted the paper to completely block out his view of Johnny.      "I swear...you're worse than Roy."      "Hey!"      "Uh...I mean...I...didn't mean anything," he added with an innocence-pleading grin.      Roy shot him a dirty look, then got up to ransack the fridge.  Finding nothing, he sat back down and reached for his coffee, coming back with a handful of air.  He watched in dismay as Johnny took a sip, only to spit it back out into the cup.      "Jeez Roy, how much sugar you put in there?"      "It's MY coffee, and I'll put as much in it as I want to!"      "Ah…well...here," Johnny said nervously offering the cup back to Roy.  Roy glared back, not reaching for it.  "I'll...uh...poor you another cup, ok?  I'll just--" Johnny jumped up and quickly rinsed the cup and filled it again.  Reaching for the spoon in the sugar bowl, he paused.  "Uh Roy?  How many spoonfuls, eight...nine...I'll just...bring you the bowl.  There you go, okay?  Would you...would you like some cookies too?"  Johnny asked, opening and closing every cupboard door in sight.      "There aren't any more," Chet informed him.      "No?  Not even Mike's stash?" Johnny asked as he stood on his tiptoes and struggled to reach the top shelf of the far right cupboard.  He was rewarded with an unopened bag of Chocolate Chip Delight.      "Eat my cookies and I'll eat your fingers," Mike mumbled from behind his paper.      "Aw come on Mike, they're not for me, they're for Roy.  You know, good old Roy..."      "I don't WANT any cookies, Johnny."  Roy informed him.      "Oh...yeah...I guess not with all the sugar you put in your...." he faltered as he received yet another glare.      "Oh good, cookies," Cap sang as he entered the room and snatched the bag out of Johnny's hands.  Marco shook his head at him.  "Oh, Mike's stash huh?"  Marco nodded.  "Oh well," he sighed tossing them back up onto their shelf and closing the cupboard door.  "When am I gonna remember to bring a stash?"      "You got one," Chet blurted out before thinking.      "I HAVE one!  Where?"      "Uh...better get at that latrine."      "Get back here Kelly...KELLY...WHERE IS IT?"      "Left bottom drawer behind the divider," Mike mumbled again from behind his paper.      "WHAT is it?"  Mike dug slowly into his breast pocket, and tossed something to Cap.  "Mini Snickers Bar...I love these.  Can't believe I forgot about 'em?  Waaait a minute, what were you doing in my drawers' Mike?"  Johnny giggled from the table.  "Stifle it you twit, Mike?"      "Getting you some more roll call sheets."      "Oh, well...how come you can get into my stash, but no one can get into yours?"      "One, because I remember where I put it.  Two, because I always remember to replace what I take, AND, I ALWAYS REPLACE IT WITH THE SAME THING I TOOK...AND NOT WITH TWINKIES," he added loudly.      Chet, mop in hand, popped his head through the door.  "Look Mike, it's not my fault you don't like Twinkies."      "I HATE Twinkies!"      "So...I'll pay you back."      "Right now you owe me two bags of Butter Crunch, one bag of Chocolate Chip..."      "You've GOT Chocolate Chip right now!"      "...and one bag of Chocolate Mint Thins."      "Aw Mike," Johnny whined, "If you're going to sit there and talk about cookies, the least you could do is share yours."      "All right," Mike said firmly, "you can have one cookie..."  Johnny's face split from ear to ear as he leapt up to get the bag.  "...for a quarter."      "For a quarter?"      "Take it or leave it."      "How about two for a quarter."      "Fine, two for a quarter."       Chet dug into his pocket, pulled out fifty cents, ripped the bag from Johnny's hands, and retreated protectively with it into a corner before Johnny could even quit smiling.      "Hey!  Give it back Chet...what'd ya doing?"      "Makin sure I get the four biggest," he exclaimed spinning around to surrender the bag while keeping his other hand safely behind his back.      "You know somethin Chet.  You're crazy!"      "No, I'm shrewd.  Look, if I'm going to pay fifty cents on cookies, I'm gonna make sure they're good."      Johnny pulled out two cookies, paid up, and handed the bag to Mike.  Cap then sat down next to Mike and presented his own quarter.  Mike gave up two more cookies, then peered into the bag, as if to take inventory of what was left.  Moving to the table, he slid two cookies over to Marco.       "Hey wait a minute, how come HE doesn't have to pay," Johnny challenged.       "Because, he's the only one of you guys who never steals my stash."      "That's not true," Roy slipped out.  Marco threw him a dirty look and Roy shrugged back apologetically.      "What's not true?" Mike asked.  Marco squirmed in his seat as Mike stared him down expectantly.      "I was starving I swear, it was only a bag of Cheetos!"      "The TWO POUND bag of Cheetos?  I thought Johnny ate those."      "ME?  I haven't had Cheetos in months."      "Then what were you stuffing under your pillow last shift, with your fingers all orange?"      "Cheese Puffs, Mike, Puffs...and I only hid them cause I thought you were Chet."      "Why were you hiding them from ME?" Chet cried indignantly.      "Cause I was hungry and you'd already cleaned out Roy's Graham Crackers!"      "Chet ate my Graham Crackers?  That's a relief.  When they were gone, I couldn't remember having them...thought maybe I'd started sleep eating at night."      "There's no way YOU could sleep eat...with all that MUNCH MUNCH..." Johnny proclaimed.      "Getting back to the Cheetos," Mike interrupted, eyeing his formerly trusted friend.      "Tell you what, I'll give you the bag of pretzels in my locker."      "What KIND of pretzels?"      "The big fat curly ones like this.  I've only eaten one."      "Deal," Mike agreed.  The two headed toward the locker room to finish the transaction, Marco stuffing the cookies into his mouth as they went.      "Hey I like pretzels," Chet remarked loudly a he trailed after them like a small puppy dog.      "Forget it Chet," Marco shouted back.      Cap opened the fridge, then gave a sigh as he closed it again.  "Anybody want a ketchup sandwich for breakfast?" he joked.      "There isn't any bread," Roy answered flatly.      "Well who's cooking today?" Johnny asked.      "I am," Cap replied.  "I'll tell you what, if you guys pick up the groceries, I'll let you pick what we have."      "Stoker's Chicken!" Johnny exclaimed excitedly.      "Do I look like Stoker?" Cap asked annoyed.      "Uh, well, no sir, but...couldn't you use his recipe?"      "You got a problem with MY cooking Gage?"      "No sir, I'm just hungry for Stoker's Chicken," Johnny grinned innocently, "...and mashed potato's, and corn on the cob, and fresh rolls, and broccoli, and--"      "We are NOT having broccoli," Chet said firmly as he reentered the kitchen, munching on a pretzel.      "Are you telling me what to cook Kelly?" Cap asked.      "No, just hate broccoli...Cap."      "Sounds good Gage, what do you figure, four each?" he asked reaching for his wallet.  "And get something for breakfast, I'm starving," he added, forking over another two dollars with his dinner four.      Johnny gave Chet a nudge, holding out his hand expectantly.  Chet grinned back and shook Johnny's hand.  "How you doing Gage?"      "Money," Johnny said quietly.      "What was that?" Chet asked cupping his ear.      "Pay in you twit," Cap said shortly, "the sooner they go, the sooner they'll get back...unless you want to live on pretzels and cookies all day."  Chet reluctantly opened his wallet, as Johnny tried to peer inside.  Turning abruptly away, he nearly smacked him in the chin with his shoulder.      "Touchy touchy..."      Chet turned back and handed over a five.      "It's six."      "SIX!"      "Breakfast."      Chet again opened his wallet.  "All I have is another five and a te--"      "That'll do," Johnny replied, snatching the five and rushing out the door.      "JOHNNY!"      "Hey Mike, Chet told me to pick you up a few bags of cookies to pay back the ones he owes you, didn't cha Chet," he added stopping abruptly in the Bay and causing Chet to run into him in his hot pursuit.      "That's great Chet," Mike exclaimed, throwing Johnny a knowing smile.  "I always knew you were a good guy!"      "I uh...sure Mike.  You know me," he said, retreating back into the kitchen to sulk.      "How did you manage that?" Mike asked.      "Quick reflexes!"      "You're lucky you didn't loose a hand."      "To Chet?!  He moves like a snail.  So, what'll it be?" he grinned waving Chet's proffered money.      "Ummm, one Butter Crunch, one Chocolate Mint, and get something for yourself."      "Gee thanks Mike."      "Collector's fee," Mike smiled patting him on the back.  Johnny grinned back, holding out his hand.  "What?"      "Pay in--for today."      "How much?"      "Six."      "Six?"      "...cludes breakfast."      "Oh, good.  I'm starving."      Johnny heard his partner's door close on the squad.  "Come on Johnny!" he yelled through the window.      "I'm comin, I'm comin, don't rush me."  Johnny got in and quietly closed his door.  "WAIT!" Johnny shouted as Roy began to pull out.  Roy took a sharp breath, blinked his eyes, and tried to swallow his heart back down to where it belonged.      "WHAT?" he shouted back after a moment.      "Sorry," Johnny giggled.  "Did you ah...did you get Marco?"      "Yes!  Can we go now?"      "Of course"      "Thank you!"      "Squad 51, heart attack victim, one fourteen Woolton, cross street Shrivers.  Time out nine oh seven."  A collective groan erupted from Station 51; breakfast would be even longer.                                                  ~*~*~*~*~*~* The Squad pulled up to a nice looking white house with green shutters.  A grey-haired lady in a yellow summer dress stood on the top step.  "Mam," Roy asked as he got out of the squad, "did you call..."      "I called for an ambulance, not firemen," she said anxiously, "we don't have a fire...he's having a heart attack!"      "Mam, we're Paramedics, we'll be able to help you."      "Para...." she started doubtfully.  "In here," she added with more confidence as Johnny rounded the corner of the squad with drug box and biophone in hand.       Lying on the floor was a very obese man.  He rolled back and forth, alternating between pounding on, and clutching at his chest.      "Sir...sir?  Can you hear me?" Roy asked, checking the man's breathing.      "Tight," the man complained.      "Your chest?"  The man nodded.  "Sir, do you have any pain in your arms?" Johnny asked.      "No you fool, my chest!" he wheezed back.      "Yes sir, I know your chest hurts, and we're here to help you, but I need to know if you have any pain in your arms at...."  The man let out a window-rattling burp.  Both Paramedics pulled back, and Johnny waved his hand uselessly back and forth in front of his face.      "Ahhh," the man sighed.  "I don't know what you guys did," he said patting the blood pressure cup dangling from his arm, "but it sure worked!"      "Do you feel better now sir?" Johnny asked.      "You bet!"      "Let's just...let's just get another set of vitals on you now, ok?" Roy asked, trying to catch the swinging bulb while he coaxed the man into lying back down.      "What fur!  I feel great!"      "Yes sir, we can see that, but well...we'll get into trouble if we don't, ok?" Johnny smiled.      "Oh I see! Got to please them bosses huh?"      "Yeah, gotta please them bosses."      Roy called in the information they gathered, and the man was advised to see his own doctor for a check up.      "That's it?" the woman complained.      "Yes ma'am," Roy told her.      "You mean to tell me that he was rolling around on the floor, like he was in the last throws of death, over gas?"      "Uh...well..."      "I'm never going to live this down," she said as she peeked out of a window at her neighbors accumulating on her front lawn.  "Couldn't you at least let the ambulance take him to the hospital?"      "Well ma'am," Johnny tried to explain, "if we did that, and then someone else really..."      "I know, I know, but you don't have to live here!"      "Sorry ma'am," Roy said pushing his partner through the front door.  As they walked to the squad, they felt the stare of a hundred eyes following there every move.  Johnny tried his best smile, but no one smiled back.  He hurriedly put the equipment away, and jumped in next to Roy.       "Man, that was weird.  What was with those people?" Johnny asked once they were safely on their way.   "Roy?"      "Huh," Roy answered gruffly.      "That was almost like the Twilight Zone, those people."  Roy didn't answer.  "Roy?  You just passed the grocery."      "How can you think about eating after that?" Roy snapped back.      "Well...even if I had lost my appetite, there are still four other guys back at the station who'll want to know where the food is."  Roy angrily flicked on his signal, and turned to go back around the block.  "Look, what is with you today?"      "Nothin."      "NOTHING?  You've been a grouch all morning...so what is it?"      "You don't want to know."      "Sure I want to know.  You can tell me, I'm your best friend."      "Sometimes I wonder," Roy muttered.      "What is that suppose to mean?"      "You want to know what's bothering me?"      "Yes."      "You REALLY want to know what's bothering me?"      "YES!"      "For the last seven days off, SEVEN, I have done nothing but look at houses, make bids on houses, take measurements of rooms in houses, examine the foundation on houses…thanks to YOU, now Joanne is convinced we can't afford NOT to buy a house.  She's done all the figuring, and we HAVE to buy a house.  So now my life consists of NOTHING but finding the perfect house!"      "THAT'S GREAT!"      "WHAT?"      "You should buy my house!"      "Your house!"      "Yeah, ya see, I found this other place near the city limits, but I can't buy it until I'm out from under the first place."      "Well, and what makes you think I still want it?"      "Huh?"      "What's wrong with it?"      "Nothin's wrong with it."      "Then why do you want to sell it all of the sudden?  Three weeks ago, all you'd do is squirm every time I tried to get you to sell it to me."      "I was…thinking about it.  I never said no.  Maybe that's why I kept looking even.  I mean…this is great for both of us, don't cha think?"      "I don't know."      "Oh come on Roy, you've already seen it.  You like it, right?  And so does Joanne.  Think of all the bedrooms."      "I don't know, business deals between friends…"      "Think of the big yard for the kids…"      "Having to rake that big of a yard."      "NOT THAT AGAIN!  Okay, think of the den…THINK OF THE WORKSHOP!"  Roy turned away, smiling out of his window as he parked the squad in the parking lot of the grocery.  "And what would you plan on selling it to me for?"      "Um…I'll…sell it to you for what I paid for it…okay?"      "Hmm," Roy hummed, pretending to think deeply as he stroked his chin to cover up his smile.      "Now what?"      "Well…I was just picturing that front gutter, could cost a lot of money to pay someone to replace that whole…."      "PAY!  Look, I'll help you put up a new one, part of the deal."      "This time of year…that'll be awfully hot work…"      "I'll bring a six pack for us…it'll be okay…okay?"      "Well…I'll have to talk to Joanne first but…I'll give you a tentative okay."      "Oh man…this is GREAT!  You wouldn't believe this place I've found."      "Really," Roy answered quite happily.      "It's got 30 acres."      "That's a lot of work…"      "Not really.  It's mostly trees and rocks, and a lot of it's on an incline, no good for crops, but not too bad for horses."      "You're gonna have horses?"      "Yeah, I'm gonna have horses…a few anyway.  I may even start to breed 'em."  Roy laughed as he closed his squad door, and Johnny trailed after him inside.  "But the land's not the the best part.  Wait till you see the house Roy.  It's fantastic!"      "I'll bet."      "It has all hard wood floors…an old ranch style.  It's two stories and the top story is like a loft, but it's big, and it has three bedrooms.  The master bedroom has sliding glass doors, so you can walk out onto the roof of the rest of the house…like a deck."      "Huh…I'm sure you'll like that.  Hand me the chicken…"      "Oh yeah, and there's a bathroom just off the bedroom with two doors, one into the bedroom and the other into the hall…"      "That would be great with kids…."      "Kids?  And the walls, Roy, all solid wood.  They've got cheap paneling up right now, but I could tell."      "Yeah, there's real wood in my new…I mean you're old…I mean…"      "And downstairs, huge, HUGE living room, opens right up into the kitchen which is under the loft part of the house, ya see?"      "Yeah, I see.  You gonna hand me the potato's and the…"      "The kitchen is great, all wood cupboards, wood coffee mug rack, spice rack, all built in…"      "Corn Johnny…hand me the…"      "…and there's a bathroom downstairs too, of course…"      "Of course."      "…right off that is a laundry room, and get this, the laundry room door opens to the outside, isn't that cool?"      "Yeah…um, no den or workroom though, right?"      "Nn…no…well…out in the barn, there's a hobby room where it looks like some guy was into making baskets or something.  Must have spent hours out there.  He's got a bed, a TV, a little fridge…must not have go on with the wife sometimes, why?"      "So, the work room is way out in the barn…ah, wait a minute, bet it smells bad in there huh."      "Nope, he has the door facing northwest, and it closes up tight if the wind changes, regular little clubhouse really…"      "Yeah…"      "Don't know what I'll do with it though, the tack room is my work room."      "No den though, right?"      "Huh?  Roy, with a living room that big, who needs a den?"      "But it doesn't have one, right?"      "No."      "Hand me…hand me the broccoli.  So…how much they want for it?"      "Fifty thousand."      "Fifty?  That's all?"      "Yeah!  The bank owns it, and they want to get rid if it.  They just dropped the price down from sixty-five.  That's why I've got to act fast."      "With all that property…"      "Yeah, I'm getting it for the old mortgage and back taxes.  Isn't it great?"      "You bought that other house for sixty, right?"      "Yeah…"      "How did you find this again?"      "Oh…well, see the people that owned it moved away years ago, but kept paying on it, then, all of the sudden, the payments just stopped, so the bank foreclosed.  They had it for long time, but they said they decided to liquidate some of their properties and whalla, I get a great deal, but I have to act fast so someone doesn't…ah…"      "Buy it out from under you?"      "Ah…"      "Fifty thousand right?"      "Now Roy, look, I found it."      "Tell me about that work room again…way out in the barn, way away from the noises of the house."      "Now what do you need with a barn!"      "What did you need with a den and a work room?"      "Oh come on Roy."      "Fifty thousand?"      "That's just great!"      "Cookies."      "What?"      "Didn't you tell Mike you were buying him cookies?"      "Yeah I told him!  That's what friends are for!"      "Look Johnny, I have a family to take care of.  You can't blame me for wanting to at least see the place first, can you?"      "I…oh whatever."      "Look at it this way, you've already found two great places…you must have a knack for it.  You can find another…"      "Yeah…maybe…but I want THIS place."      "Mmm…chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob…this was a great idea Johnny," Roy stroked as they emptied their cart to be checked out.  "I can't wait for dinner."  Johnny stared down at his shoes, not even noticing the pretty checkout girl trying to flirt with him.  "But of course we have eggs and bacon and toast for breakfast first.  I'm starving…aren't you?"      "I've lost my appetite," Johnny mumbled as he picked up one of the paper bags and headed out to the squad.  Roy quickly paid the lady, and hurried after him.      "It's only a house Johnny, come on."      "Was the one I, accidentally, bought from under you only a house?"      "No…but I got over it."      "Yeah, you were really over it this morning."      "I was only grumpy cause I was tired of looking."      The entire drive back to the station was made in silence.  As soon as they arrived, Johnny jumped out, slamming the door and heading straight for the locker room.  Roy picked up both of the bags off of the seat, and took them into the kitchen.      "Food…Real food!" Cap happily howled.      "What took you guys so long?  We heard you cancel the ambulance an hour ago," Chet whined, digging into the bags and coming out with a bag of Chocolate Mint cookies.  Feeling something hot blowing his hair, he turned to find his nose only an inch away from Mike's chest.      "Thanks Chet," Mike said, holding out his hand.      "No problem Mike, I was just…"      "Getting them for me…I know, and if you're a good boy, I might let you have one after dinner."      "But only if he eats all of his veggies first…right Mike?" Marco said with an evil grin as he pulled out the broccoli.      "Oh keep 'em," Chet muttered at the floor as he left the room in a pout.      "Kelly," Cap shouted calling him back.      "Yeah?"      "Take these to Gage," he said throwing him Johnny's bag of cookies, compliments of Mike.      "Sure Cap."      "Kelly."      "Yeah?"      "There better not be any holes in that bag when he gets it, understand?"      "Aw Cap, he won't mind if…"      "Move it Kelly."  Chet left, again in a pout.  Roy happily picked up the phone, and dialed his home number.      "Hi hon, it's me.  Guess what, Johnny's gonna sell that house…calm down…wait a minute, guess why…guess why…Joanne…he went and found another really great house for fifty thousand…no I don't know where it is…no I don't know how close to the schools it is…no I haven't seen the foundation…nn…no I haven't measured…but Joanne…Joanne…It's fifty thousand…"      Chet came back into the kitchen, munching on some cookies as he helped himself to some coffee.      "Chet!" Cap shouted glancing up from the scrambled eggs he was cooking, "I told you to give those to Gage!"      "He gave them to me Cap."      "More like you hounded him to death for them," Marco commented from the sofa.  Mike shook his head in disgust.       "I didn't hound him, I just asked him…I swear."  The doubtful stare of his comrades let him know they didn't believe a word.      "Where is he now?" Cap asked.      "In the bunk room."      "What's he doing?"      "Laying on his bunk, facing the wall.  I don't know what Roy did to him but…"      "Chet," Roy whispered loudly, holding his hand over the receiver, "I'm on the…"      "…I think he's crying."      "Oh he is not," Roy balked, then shook his head grinning at the phone.  "Yeah I agree with you, it is the perfect house for us….I'm excited too, that den and that work room are going to be great, besides, even if it wasn't perfect, I don't think ten grand would come close to buying another Johnny.  I'm gonna tell him right now.  Love you too…bye."       "Well," Cap asked perplexed, "you look happy."      "If you think that I'M happy, wait a couple of minutes," he chuckled, heading for the bunkroom.     Cap shrugged and followed slowly behind, trailed closely by the rest of his men.      "REALLY ROY?" they heard Johnny shout.  "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"      Cap stopped short, unsure if he should intrude, only to have the others run into him, propelling him through the door, just as Johnny planted a solid kiss on Roy's cheek.  Roy blushed deep red, but Johnny was too ecstatic to care.       "I'm getting my ranch, I'm getting my ranch, I'm getting my ranch," he chanted as he bounced around the room.  "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you," he continued, now bouncing with his arm around Roy.  Roy managed to free himself, so Johnny started bouncing over toward Chet, who held up the bag of cookies in self-defense.  Johnny plunged his hand into the bag, and stuffed some cookies into his mouth, muffling, though not stopping, his voice for a moment.      "He uh…I uh…he's happy," Roy took the opportunity to explain.      "No kidding," Mike uttered quietly from the doorway.      "Well Johnny, if you can bounce you're way into the kitchen, we'll have some breakfast."      "Great!  I'm starving!" he agreed as he virtually skipped his way past Mike, out of the door.      "Am I gonna need a rope to tie him to his chair?" Cap asked Roy as they followed the others to the kitchen.      "Nah, rope will never hold him, maybe super glue."      "Food, food, food," Johnny chirped, serving himself up a plate and digging in.      "So Gage, you gonna clue us in?" Cap inquired.      "To what?" Johnny asked, chomping on a piece of toast.      Cap rolled his eyes and Mike shook his head.       "To what!  To whatever it is you're so happy about," Chet filled in.      "Oh that.  Well Chester B, I am about to be the proud owner of one incredible ranch."      "Ranch?"      "Ranch."      "Like with horses?"      "Yeah like with horses!  Well, I don't have the horses yet.  I'll have to fix up the barn first.  Then I'll…oh man!  I've got to call the Realtor."  Johnny bounced over to the phone, patting at his pockets along the way, and frowning when he came up empty.  Glancing up, he noticed all eyes on him.  He pasted on his best puppy dog look and held out his hand, "Anybody got a dime I can borrow?"      "You're priceless Gage," Chet answered digging in his pocket, "you're buying a house, but you can't afford a phone call."      "That's WHY he can't afford a phone call," Mike filled in with sober experience.      "Tell me about it," Cap agreed strongly.      "Shhhhh," Johnny hissed with his ear to the phone.      "You're shushing your Captain?" Cap asked in mock disbelief.      "Uh, no sir I, no ma'am, I wasn't talking to you, I'm, NO I mean, I'm talking to you now, I mean, actually, I'm calling for my Realtor."      "He shushed his Captain!" Cap again stated to anyone still listening to him.      "I'm sorry sir, I...no ma'am, not you my....NO THIS ISN'T A PRANK CALL, I CAN TELL YOU'RE A WOMAN....Oh you're a man?  No...no...Please don't hang up.  AHH!  Roy?  Roy, come here.  Look, call this number again and just ask for Sarah Parker...got that, Sarah Parker."      "Tarah Sparkler?"      "Sarah Parker."      "Terry Marker?"      "SA-RAH PAR....oh cut it out Roy!  Dial."  Roy squinted comically at the small piece of paper Johnny handed him with the phone number on it.  "Look, I'll dial okay? You just talk."      "To Casandra Meeker."      "SARAH PARKER...just ask for Sarah Parker."      "Hello ma'am, how are you today?" Roy spoke cheerfully into the phone.      "The secretary's a man, weren't you paying attention?" Johnny hissed.      "Tell me about it, he said a few choice words and hung up on me."      "Oh ROY!"      "Can't you two tell the difference between a man and a woman?" Chet laughed.      "That SOUNDED like a woman," Roy replied sitting down.       "Look, it's ringing again," Johnny, pleaded, "Chet could you..."      "Not a chance pal, I don't make prank phone calls."      "It's NOT, uh, yes," Johnny, said clearing his throat and trying to make his voice sound deeper to disguise it, "could I please speak with Sarah Parker, please?  Nn..NO," Johnny added in his normal voice, "I'm not trying to make fun of you, I just, look, my name is John Gage and I..."      "He makes a prank phone call and he gives his name?" Cap remarked out loud.      "He's not good at this at all," Marco acknowledged as Mike shook his head is disappointment.      "Pleeeeeese don't hang--" Johnny whined, then quickly pulled the receiver away from his ear as the phone on the other end came crashing down on him again.  "THANKS ALOT GUYS!"       Johnny nearly jumped to the ceiling as the phone rang directly behind his head.  "Hello?" he squeaked while giving his chest a couple of thumps to get his heart going again.  "Sarah!  Thank god, I was just trying to call you!  Nn...no, no problem.  I just ah...well the guys here were...never mind all that.  I was calling to tell you I found a guy to buy that house, so I can get the ranch, so, don't go selling it to anyone else before tomorrow, okay.  I'M buying it.  Mm...I'll ask.  No don't hang up, he's right here.  Roy, do you have a loan approved yet?"      "I don't think so, maybe.  I don't think she's got that far yet."      "Oh...well...do you think you and Joanne and me and Sarah and the bank could all get together tomorrow and start shifting all the paper work around?"      "Tomorrow?  I...."      "Yeah, we'll be there first thing eight o'clock.  Oh you don't?   Oh, well nine then.  Okay, thanks a lot Sarah.  Bye Bye.  Ahhhh, this is great!"      "You sure all this isn't just to try to get a date?"      "Chet, what are you talking about?"      "This Sarah chick."      "This Sarah...chick...as you called her, is sixty-some years old with I don't know how many grandchildren, and...."      "Boy you ARE hard up." `    Cap laughed into his coffee, causing it to splash up into his face.  "Kelly, I swear, I'm going ta...."      "Wasn't my fault Cap.  I can't help it if Gage has developed a thing for older woman."      "Kelly I oughtta..."      "Down John," Cap interrupted, "me first."      "Engine 51, brushfire, 414 McKenzie Road, 414 McKenzie Road, cross street Millman, time out 11:17."      "Engine 51, KMG365."  The engine crew quickly headed out.      "Oh man," Johnny smiled as he tiredly dropped his head into his arms, resting on the table, "I finally get a break."      "So is she pretty?" Roy asked.      "Who?"      "Sarah."      "Oh SHUT UP."                                                 ~*~*~*~*~*~ "So Johnny, you coming over tomorrow to help us move?"      "Actually Roy, it took so long to get everything arranged, I kinda wanted to move, myself, tomorrow."      "How long does it take to throw some paper plates and your dirty socks into a box Gage," Chet provoked as he entered the locker room and caught part of the conversation.      "Still," Roy pushed, "I ah, I could help you move tomorrow morning, then maybe you could help us in the afternoon.  Ya see...I already rented the moving van for tomorrow."      "I don't know Roy, even with you helping, it will still take more than three or four hours to move me, despite what Chet says."      "Not if you use the van!  You could do it all in one trip.  It would save you a lot of going back and forth with your Rover," Roy said slowly and temptingly.      "Well...."      "Don't be stupid John, the boxes of his kids toys alone could throw your back out and put you in traction for a week, not to mention all the furniture, dishes, clothes..."      Roy seized Chet by the shirt and marched him out of the room.  "I'll throw in dinner, what ever you want."      "My shoes," Chet wailed.  Roy picked them up, and chucked blindly through the door.      "How about Stuffed Cabbage, Green Peas still in the pod, smothered with butter, fresh home made rolls, still hot from the oven, followed by a strawberry pie with whipped cream."      Johnny grinned, "boy that sounds good."      "It is good...very, very good."      "All right Roy, you got a deal."      "Sucker!" Chet shouted from the bay.                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~      As soon as their shift ended the next morning, John and Roy had Joanne drive them over to pick up the moving van.  Between the two of them, and with Johnny's scarce belongings, they had everything packed into the van in under two hours.      "Wait till you see it Roy," Johnny bounced in the passenger seat.     "I can hardly wait," Roy, answered, Johnny's enthusiasm being contagious.      "The first thing I'm gonna do is fix up the barn, that's the first thing.  I want to get some horses in there before Christmas.  Wouldn't it be cool if it snowed?  I could get a sleigh and give sleigh rides."      "Johnny, you're living in LA now, remember?  Snow is not likely."      "I know it's not likely, but it's not impossible either.  Besides, I only asked, wouldn't it be cool?"      "I guess it would have to be, otherwise the snow would melt before you could get the sleigh hooked up to the horses.  Where would you get one anyway?"      "Oh, I put in a bid at a silent auction."      "FOR A SLEIGH!"      "NO, for the horses.  That's why I've got to get moved in and get working at that barn."      Roy shook his head, smiling at the confusion.      "Here!  Here Roy!  Turn here!"      "Where?" Roy asked, scanning in front of them for a road.      "Right...you just passed it Roy!"      "Passed what!  There's no road there!"      "Not a road, the driveway."      Roy looked in his side mirror as he pulled the van to a stop, and gawked in disbelief at the potholed stretch of dirt Johnny was pointing at.  "That's a driveway!"      "Yes that's the driveway.  It needs a little work is all?  I'll get to it eventually."      "Where's the house?"      "Down the driveway," Johnny answered, rather annoyed with Roy's tone.  "Behind the trees," he added more softly as he realized you could not see any part of the house or the barn from the road.      "It's a good thing you own a Land Rover," Roy muttered as he backed up and turned onto the packed earth.  "Johnny, I don't know if we should be doing this," Roy said nervously, the hair standing up on the back of his neck as he listened to the sounds of metal banging and grinding against metal as he moved the van down the very uneven path.      "Just go slow, it'll be fine."      "This isn't OUR van you know."      "I know, try to stay to the left more."      "I AM trying."  Roy cringed as yet another loud crunch shuddered beneath them.  "Johnny I swear, if we get a flat tire, I...."      "Look...look...there it is!"  Johnny leaped from the vehicle and began to run toward the house like a little kid.  Half way there, he apparently changed his mind, and curved off in the direction of the barn.  Changing his mind again, he curved back toward the van, and yanked open the passenger door just as Roy managed to pull up to the front of the house.  No longer having to focus directly on the road and the wheels, Roy got his first look around.      "Come on Roy, I'll show you the barn!"  Roy, however, could not seem to pull his eyes away from the house.  "What, you want to see the house first...come on!  Watch your step," Johnny warned as he lead the way up on to the porch that ran the entire length of the front of the house.  Roy stumbled, but caught his balance as he crept carefully along, trying to keep up his friend.      "Johnny."      Johnny patted his pockets frowning.  "Oh man!  I forgot to get the key!"  He tried the door and grinned like a fiend when it opened.  "There it is," he laughed as he scooped a large, skeleton key up off the floor from just inside the door.  "It fits into both sides, isn't that cool?" he asked, placing the key in the hole on the inside of the door.      "Johnny."      "Well," Johnny said proudly, "this is the living room, I told you it was big; and back here is the kitchen!"  Johnny hurried to the back of the house, and turned the water on in the kitchen sink.  The pipes groaned, and the faucet sent out short blasts of reddish brown water.  "Guess I'll have to fix that," he mumbled as he quickly shut it off.      "Johnny."      "Oh check this out," Johnny hooted as he opened the door to the bathroom.  "Have you ever scene one of those before, a footed bathtub?"      "Yes, once but, Johnny..."      "I haven't had a bath in years but that's okay.  I'm going to knock out that closet and put in a shower too, so I'll have both.  Once I start working with the horses again, I might want to soak in a hot tub from time to time.  Don't tell Chet though, okay."      "No I won't tell Chet, but Johnny..."      "Oh, come check out the upstairs."      "Johnny..."      "The bedroom is sooo cool, it has..."      "JOHNNY!"      "What?"      "What were you THINKING?"      "What are you talking about?"      "This...place...is...a dump!"      "It's not a dump."      "The wiring is coming out of the walls, there are holes in the plaster, the carpeting is rotten, the..."      "That can all be fixed."      "Johnny!  IT HAS NO ROOF!"      "Roy, you have no imagination!  You're only seeing what's not here, I'm seeing what is here."      "Johnny..."      "The roof can be fixed."      "You only borrowed ten thousand beyond the cost of the house.  Do you know what paying someone to fix this place is going...."      "PAY someone.  Roy, you're missing the point.  I'm going to fix it up myself."      "You're crazy!"      "Look, I've helped you with tons of stuff around your place, not to mention Cap, and Mike, and Marco's grandmother, and a hundred other people I could mention."      "There's a BIG difference between helping me paint, or helping Cap build a deck, and doing what is going to have to be done to this place.  You don't know how to..."      "SO, I can learn!  I didn't know how to replace a doorknob until Mrs. Lopez couldn't get a hold of Marco and wanted it done before it got dark outside.  I got a book from the library and got it done."      "If I remember right, you didn't get it in correctly until one in the morning...after you called me at midnight to ask if you could borrow my little screw driver."      "I still did it."      "Look," Roy said, trying to calm down and take the preachy tone out of his voice, "be reasonable.  Even if this thing doesn't blow away tonight, you are never going to be able to fix it up by yourself.  It is going to be a huge project.  One that will take a LONG time.  One that will cost a LOT of money.  Let's face it Johnny.  You're excited about this now, but what about next week, or the following week.  You don't stay interested in things that long.  Maybe you can still get out of this.  Maybe you could...."      "I don't WANT to get out of this.  Besides, I already closed.  It's mine Roy, and I'm glad to have it!  Now if you can't be happy for me...."      "All right, all right.  Look, where do you want to put your stuff?"      "Well," Johnny said looking around, "anywhere I guess.  Do you want to see the upstairs before we unload?"      "I can see it from here," Roy answered, looking through where the roof should have been, to the top landing.      "You can't see the...oh just forget it!  Let's get my stuff."      They unloaded the van, piling its contents into the middle of the huge living room, making Johnny's meager belongings look even more pathetic than the dilapidated room.      "You just gonna leave this here to get wet?" Roy asked.      "I think there's some plastic in the barn," Johnny grumbled back, stomping out of the house toward that direction, face cast unhappily toward the ground.  Roy followed quietly behind, in case he needed help with it.  As he grew closer, Johnny lifted his eyes and was immediately happy once again.  "Look Roy, they already dropped it off!"  A large pile of lumber lay beside the barn, which didn't appear to Roy to be in much better shape than the house.  Johnny scampered over and opened a box of heavy nails, fingering them like a three year old with a brand new shiny whistle.      "What is all this?"      "Lumber, to fix up the barn!"      "The barn?  What about the house?"      "I have to get the barn fixed first.  I told you I have a bid in on some horses.  If I get them, they'll need a place to sleep."      "What about YOU?"      "What about me?"      "Where are YOU gonna sleep?"      "Well I've got the tent for now, then when I get the barn fixed..."      "You're gonna live in the barn?"      "Look Roy, you're such a city boy you think you can't live without your frilly sheets and your ironed pajamas, but I have lived quite well with a whole lot less that this...a LOT less.  I'll be just fine."      "Okay, okay.  I don't want to fight with you.  If you're happy, I'm happy, but we better find that plastic and get moving or Joanne will think we left her with all the work.  Okay?"      "Yeah," Johnny agreed, reluctantly putting the nails back in their box.  "Let's go."                                                 ~*~*~*~*~*~ "You can't believe this place," Roy told the men of Station 51 gathered around the table, "I don't know what he's thinking.  He's really done it this time. "      "Is it really that bad?" Cap asked.      "Worse, the place is falling down, and he's more worried about that stupid barn than the house.  He's either gonna live in that barn for the rest of his life, or be bankrupt in a year trying to fix up that house.  Either way, it looks like one big mess."      "I'm sure it'll be all right Roy.  Maybe we can all pitch in and help him a bit."      "That's what I'm afraid of.  There won't be no "a bit" about this thing, and I don't relish spending all my time off trying to help him bail himself out of this.  I can barely keep up with my own home and family, ya know."      A smile fell from Johnny's face as he walked toward the kitchen, and overheard the last part of the conversation.  He paused and looked behind him, as if trying to figure out what to do.  Taking a deep, stabilizing breath, he continued into the kitchen.  "Mornin," he said flatly, though politely.  He walked straight to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee, drinking it without turning around to face the men he knew were staring at his back; thanks to Roy.      "So Gage, Roy tells us you've bought a real disaster.  A real..." he stopped as Roy kicked his leg under the table and glared at him.      "It isn't," Johnny replied emptying the rest of his coffee into the sink, then tuning around.  "Roy I'm going to go check the equipment," he spoke softly before heading out of the room, into the bay.      "Well," Cap said with a clap of his hand, "I suggest we all follow suite and get at our morning duties."      Roy walked to the bay closet to retrieve a mop and bucket.  There he found Johnny checking the oxygen tanks.  "So Johnny, how's it coming so far?" Roy asked, feeling a little guilty, but peeved at his partner at the same time.      "Huh?" Johnny asked.      "The house, how's it coming."      "Told you, the barn is first."      "Well, how's the barn coming?"      "Fine!"      "Fine huh."      "Just fine, so...how's your house."      "It's great!  Just great.  The kids love their rooms.  Joanne wants to do a little redecorating here and there, and there are a few things that need fixing...and there is still some unpacking to do, but it's all coming together."      "Good, that's good to hear."      "Yeah...so ahhh.."      "Roy, could I borrow your lawnmower?"      "Huh?  Yeah, sure, anytime.  What's mine is yours.  Anything you need, just help yourself, course you'll have to find the right box," Roy laughed.      "You put your lawn mower in a box?"      "Nn...no...I mean...anything else you might need."      "Oh, well...thanks.  I appreciate it."     "Sure.  Listen...uh...Johnny...if you--"      "Who's cookin today?" Johnny asked, changing the subject.      "Uh, Marco...why?"      "Just glad it's not Chet," Johnny added loudly.      "I heard that," Chet shouted back from the kitchen.      Roy smiled at the joke; though it was more than obvious Johnny's heart hadn't been in it.                                                     ~*~*~*~*~      True to himself, Johnny put every spare moment into his new home, leaving absolutely no time for anything else.  Roy had no idea what he was up to, and anytime he approached the subject, Johnny changed it.  In two's and three's, Roys tools would disappear, only to be returned while others would then disappear.  Exactly when or how Johnny was borrowing them, he didn't know; for aside from at work, he never saw him.  The tools didn't bother Roy; after all, he had told Johnny he could borrow them.  It had been eight weeks since they had moved in to their respective homes.  Roy's family was long since unpacked, and settled in.  They threw a party to celebrate, but Johnny did not attend; something to do about concrete arriving that day.  Without Johnny's abundant energy, the party seemed to fizzle.  The barbeque was fine, but not what the rest of them had come to be used to.  Even the sounds of Roy's and Mike's children playing together seemed quiet without Johnny jumping into the middle of their games from time to time.  Despite seeing him at work, Roy missed his friend.      "Hi Johnny," Roy grinned as he entered the locker room the morning after the party.      "Mornin," Johnny responded in a distracted manner.      "Everything all right?"      "Yeah, course."      "We missed you at the party yesterday."      "Oh, sorry about that but..."      "That's okay.  You can make it up to me tomorrow," Roy grinned as he put on his uniform shirt.  He had a plan.  Sure it was a little low, but...      "What's tomorrow?"      "I'm uh, replacing that front gutter tomorrow."      "And?"     "And! You said you'd help me replace it, remember, part of the sales deal.  Don't worry about the beer though, I'll take care of that, okay?"      "Roy...I--"        "Joanne bought some hamburgers and..."      "Look, I can't do it tomorrow.  We have the two days after this shift, the day after tomorrow, okay?"      "Uh...sure, okay.  You want to..."      "Station 51, brush fire, Old Mill Road, near Lexington Incorporated.  127 North Freemont Drive, 127 North Freemont Drive.  Time out 8:04.      Johnny quickly shut his locker door, and shot out of the room.  Roy blinked in surprise for a second, and immediately followed, buttoning his shirt along the way.      The paramedics jumped into their squad and led the way, sirens wailing, to the Old Mill Road.  Lexington Incorporated made wooden furniture.  By the time they arrived, flames were licking at the outside walls of the main building.  They pulled two inch and a half's, but the walls of the building itself were made of wood, and the entire west side of the structure soon became involved.  Johnny led the way through one wall where the fire had burnt through, with Roy backing him up.  Smoke inhibited their vision of the interior.  Johnny crept closer and closer to the fire as it raged forward ahead of them.  They could no longer see Chet and Marco on the other hose, and figured Cap had pulled them back to approach the fire from another angle.  Through the haze, Johnny could just make out the letters on several barrels that the flames had just begun to consume.  "Sawdust," he screamed as he pushed back into Roy.  Roy did not expect his partner to back into him, and tripped over the hose.  Johnny grabbed him by the arm, abandoning the hose, and pushed him full force, out the way they came in.  The two tumbled to their knees into the sunlight.       "What?" Roy yelled as he pulled off his mask.  Johnny pulled Roy again to his feet, and prodded him along quickly toward their captain.      "Cap," Johnny shouted, "there are probably fifty barrels of sawdust in there.  You need to get Chet and--"      An explosion sent the top of the building skyrocketing to their left.      "Chet, come in," Cap said calmly into his handie talkie.  "Marco?  Chet, Marco...are you all right?"  Static was his only response.  Johnny pulled his mask back over his face, and fixed his helmet determinedly on his head as he began to follow Chet and Marco's hose into the building; Roy only a pace behind him.  Cap called in a second and third alarm, and a Code I times two.      The smoke made their visibility zero.  Roy placed his hand on Johnny's shoulder so they would not become separated.  With every other step he made sure his foot touched the hose, just as he knew Johnny was doing.  This was the thing he hated most about his job, working blind, especially when the lives of his friends were at stake.  A small shudder overtook him, but as usual, he shook it off.  He gave the thin shoulder in front of him a slight squeeze, to reassure himself of its presence, to help sink home that he wasn't alone.  He felt the shoulder move toward the ground as Johnny crouched.  He let go of the shoulder as he sensed his friend heave the heavy body of one of their station mates over his shoulder.  Roy felt around in the blackness for the other, and discovered a booted foot beneath his hands.  Following the foot up, he grabbed the man's arms and managed to lift him over his own shoulder.  In order to scan the ground with his hands, he had to step around Johnny.  His foot was still able to locate the hose, but he'd lost his sense of direction, and had no idea which way to follow it.  The hair stood up on the back of his neck.  This was what he hated.  This was what he hated more than anything.  It was so easy to become disoriented in a fire like this, so very easy.  He swung a free arm out, but felt nothing in front of him.  Again he swung his arm.  This time he felt something hit his hand, then come back and grabbed his wrist.  He grabbed Johnny's wrist back, then followed his arm back up to his shoulder.  Together, they eased their way out of the burning building.  Until they were again in the sunlight, Roy had no idea he had grabbed Marco, while Johnny had picked up Chet.  Marco started to squirm, but Chet lay unmoving as Johnny pulled off his mask and air tank.  Roy assisted Marco.  Upon examination, Marco seemed fine, if a little ticked off.  He hated a fire to get the best of him.  Chet remained unconscious until they were loading him into the ambulance.      "I'll go in," Johnny told Roy.      "Okay, give me your helmet.  I'll take it in."      "Here," Johnny replied, handing the helmet over with one hand while running the other through his hair.      "Johnny?"      "Yeah," he answered, as he was about to step into the ambulance.      Roy patted him on the shoulder, unable to say what he wanted to say.  "See you in a bit," he managed to spit out.      "Yeah," he responded, oblivious of his friend's emotion.                                                         ~*~*~*~*~      Two days later the DeSoto's became aware of their front gutter making noises.  "Darn wind," Roy thought to himself as he pulled the pillow down around his ears.  "Good thing Johnny's coming today."  Roy smiled at the idea as he drifted back to sleep.  Fifteen minutes later another loud bang from the gutter awoke him.  "Ahhh," he moaned flipping over onto his stomach, "stupid wind."  Just as he was about to drift off again, an even louder bang kept him from it.  He rolled over onto his back as his wife got out of bed and walked over to the window.  "Did it come loose or something?" Roy asked her.      "Or something," Joanne muttered back.      "Huh?"      "What time did you tell Johnny to come over anyway?"      "I don't remember if we set an exact time, why?"      "Cause he's out there now."      "What?"  Roy jumped out of the bed to peer through the window next to his wife.  Sure enough his partner was balancing on a ladder below them, working on their gutter.  "I don't believe this.  It's 6:30 in the morning!  What's he doing?"      "Honey, I don't..."      Roy pulled some socks out of a drawer and began to get dressed, the occasional bang punctuating his movements.  He seldom got to sleep late.  Johnny knew that. Roy had no idea what Johnny was trying to do, and he was starting to get angry.  He pulled on some jeans and a flannel shirt, and stormed down the stairs.  "What are you doing?" Roy shouted as he burst through his front door.      "Mornin!" Johnny smiled.      "Yes it is morning, very early in the morning!"      "Oh man, I'm sorry!  I just wanted to get an early start.  I uh...well," he said gesturing toward the house, "what do you think?"      Roy's eyes jumped out of his head.  His house now held a brand new, and rather attractively matched front gutter.  "Johnny, how did you...I mean...how did you manage that all by your...."      "Oh, I just used some rope and...." John started to explain as he glanced at his watch.  "Oh, I got to get going.  Just go up and tighten the last two screws, and it should be...It's okay isn't it?" he asked, bewildered at the look on his friends face.      "Yeah Johnny, it's great, but..."      "Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow then," Johnny said as he hurried off to his Rover.  "Bye."      "Wow," Joanne exclaimed as she came out of the house.  "He sure did a good job.  Where is he going?"      "I don't know," Roy muttered half under his breath.  He climbed the ladder, tightened the last two screws as Johnny had advised, then climbed down the ladder and angrily kicked it over to the ground before storming back into the house.      "Roy?"      "I'll put it away later," he gruffly replied before she could say more.                                                         ~*~*~*~*~*~      "Hi Roy," Chet chirped as he arrived to work the following morning.      "Chet," Roy answered grumpily.      "What's the matter with you?  I'm the one that got the bump on the noggin last shift."      "Sorry, how are you feeling anyway?"      "Fine, you know me.  I've got a head of steel."      "A head of stone more like," Johnny laughed as he managed to enter the locker room with perfect timing to get a jab in at Chet.      "Hardy har Gage, don't make me tell you what your head is made of."      "What?"      Chet grinned weakly back, "Give me a minute, I'll think of something."      "Okay Chet, just remember it's only a twenty-four hour shift."      Marco snickered in the back while Roy shut his locker and quietly left.      "Hey Johnny," Marco asked, "What's with him?"      "Huh, I don't know.  Man, I hope I didn't mess up his gutter."      "His what?" Chet asked.      "Never mind," Johnny hissed.      "You broke Roy's brand new house?"      "No I didn't.  It was just...GO AWAY CHET," he ordered with a smile as he found Chet's nose only centimeters away from his ear, as if not wanting to miss a single syllable Johnny spoke.  Chet gave an evil laugh and headed out the door.  "What's the matter with him?" Johnny asked Marco with a grin.      "I've been trying to figure that out for years," Marco answered, tucking in his shirt as he too left the room.  Johnny shook his head, his look turning thoughtful as he closed his locker.  After a moment, he wearily closed he eyes and rested his head against his locker door, jumping when he heard Cap call for roll call out in the other room.  He rubbed his eyes and walked out into Bay to take his place next to Roy.  After throwing him a sheepish grin, he looked confused when Roy did not return it.  Instead he stared straight ahead as if he didn't see Johnny at all.      "Good morning gentlemen," Cap exclaimed energetically, "glad to see you could all make it this fine morning.  Since I have a ton of paperwork to do, I won't keep you in suspense, but get right to the duty roster; Marco hose, Mike bunkroom, Kelly mop down the Bay, Gage you have the latrine.  Snicker again Kelly and I'll have you switch with him.  Roy you're cooking, and maybe you could pick up the Dayroom a bit.  That's it, dismissed."  Cap marched over to his office and gazed at the pile of papers on his desk.  Glancing back, he noticed his men watching him.  He spun around, saluted bravely, and closed the door.  Everyone laughed, and even Roy cracked a smile.  Upon catching sight of his partner still standing beside him, the smile disappeared and he went into the kitchen.       Johnny sighed and walked over to the Bay closet.  Opening the door, he pulled out a bucket, selected a mop, and began to rummage for his preferred cleaner.  Chet pulled out another mop and snatched the bucket.  "I'm using that one Chet.  Use the other one."      "I don't like the other one, it doesn't have a wringer."      "So, I had this one first."      "I'll toss you for it."      "No."      "Oh come on Johnny, the Bay is bigger than the bathroom."      "No, I had it first!"      "GENTLEMEN!" Cap interrupted from his office doorway, "Quiet."      Once Cap closed his door, Chet made a grab for the bucket.  Johnny pulled it away, and hissed at him like a cat.  "You're loosing it Gage.  It's no wonder Roy's ticked at you."       "Oh what do you know?"      "Nothin man, it's not my place to say."      "Say what?"      "I'll tell you what.  If you give me the bucket, I'll tell you all I know."      "Did he say something to you?"      "Is it a deal or not?"      "All right, all right.  It's a deal."      "Okay, about what's the matter with Roy.  All I know is...I don't know nothin."  Kelly took the bucket and hurried out of Johnny's reach.      "Now wait a minute Kelly!"      "A deal's a deal Gage."      "I oughta," Johnny muttered as he poured cleaner into the other bucket.  Marco shook his head as he pulled a hose off of the engine.  "Oh shut up."                                                  ~*~*~*~*~*~ Johnny walked into the kitchen drawing the back of his hand across his sweaty brow.  He dropped tiredly into a chair across from Mike who was drinking a cup of coffee and eating a piece of toast.  Mike raised the pot on the table in offering, but Johnny shook his head.  Roy stood at the counter, apparently paging through a recipe book.  "What are we having?" Johnny asked him.  Roy didn't answer.  "Mike, could you...."       Mike stood.  "Guess I'll go help Marco finish up the hose."  Roy rolled his eyes, but didn't turn around.       Johnny stared at the tabletop.  "Okay, what did I do?"      "Nothin," Roy forced himself to mutter back.      "What?"      "Nothing."      "Then why are you mad at me?  Did I mess up the gutter?  If I did, just tell me.  I can come back and fix it!"      "There is nothing wrong with the gutter, Joanne loves it.  She's never seen one decorated like that before.  She said it matches perfectly."      "Then what?"      "What, what?"      "Why are you mad?"      "Who said that I'm mad?"      "Nobody said it, you're just acting it."      "I don't know what you're talking about."      "Oh for goodness sake Roy, just tell me what I did."      "You didn't DO anything!"      "He sure did something," Cap whispered to himself before retreating back to his office.  He had come out to see what the loud voices were about, but upon seeing it was his two paramedics, decided to stay out of it.      "What is that suppose to mean?  I didn't dooo anything."      "Exactly what I said!"      "But you didn't say anything!"      "You know Johnny, you're nuts."      "Wha...THAT AGAIN!  What makes me nuts!"      "Everything you DO is nuts."      "Like what?"      "Oh how about that script for a game show you were going to do huh, or how about when you decided you were going to be a rodeo star, not to mention that house you just bought!"      "The house, this as all about the house."      "Johnny it's a dump.  It should have been torn down YEARS ago.  No one, and I repeat NO ONE in their right mind would have given them one red cent for that property; much less the amount of money YOU now owe on it.  You got ripped off Johnny.  Big time!  And it doesn't matter how much time and money you spend out there, it's always going to be a dump.  If you had any sense at all, you'd tear everything down and start over.  But of course you don't have the money to start over, do you!"      "You don't know what you're talking about."      "The place is a bottomless pit.  It's completely consumed you.  You don't have time for anything else."      "Look, I replaced your gutter like I said I would.  I didn't argue with you about it.  A deals a deal, I know.  I don't remember there being anything else.  You said to forget the beer.  If there is something else I said I'd fix, tell me and I'll do it!"      "I'm not talking about the gutter!"      "Oh I give up," Johnny spit out angrily.  Throwing up his hands in defeat, he left the room.  Roy turned back to the counter.      "What's going on," Chet dared to ask as he entered the room.      "That hole Johnny bought has eaten him alive, and he doesn't have the brains to know it."      "Well I don't know about that.  I've...."      "Every minute outside of here since he bought that place, he's spent trying to do, who knows what, to it."      "That's not true.  He picked me up from the hospital yesterday morning, and took me fishing at that creek he's got out there."      "He took you..."      "Sure, he still knows how to have fun.  You should have seen the fish he caught.  Don't tell him I told you, but it was a beauty!"      "When did you guy's go?"      "First thing in the morning.  He came and got me, then refused to take me home.  Said my musty apartment would rot my rattled brain.  The next thing I know we were on our way out to his place...and Roy?"  Chet stopped as he realized Roy was too absorbed in thought to hear him anymore.  "Look Roy, why don't you just come right out and tell him."      "Tell him what?"      "That you miss him."      "Miss him?  How can I miss him?  We're stuck together for twenty-four hours at a time!  You don't know what you're talking about."      "Now there's the pot calling the kettle black."      "What?" Roy asked spinning around, but Chet was gone.                                                          ~*~*~*~*~*~      When Cap finally emerged from his office, barring the interruptive routine runs they'd had, he discovered his station was unusually quiet, and from what he could gather, Johnny was the cause.      "John," Cap said after he'd called him into his office, "I don't want to get between you and Roy, but I was thinking, being how I see myself as your friend and not just your Captain, that maybe you could talk things out with me, and see if you can figure out a way to fix things with him."      "What makes you think I'm the one that needs to fix things?"      Cap tossed up his hands in a non-accusing shrug.  "Maybe you're not, but we can still talk, can't we?"      "Look, I don't know what's the matter with him.  I tried for twenty minutes to get him to talk to me this morning, and all he could do was tell me what dummy I am."      "He called you a dummy?"      "Not with that word no, but he thinks it!"      "I don't think he..."      "I mean I know he hates that house.  He doesn't want to work on it, and that's fine.  I was hoping we could do it together, you know, really fix up something that was going to be around for a while, but that's okay.  He's got a family and everything, I understand.  And I haven't asked him once, not once, to do anything out there.  I'm not bothering him with it!  When he reminded me I'd said we'd replace the gutter on his house, I did it!  I didn't complain.  I didn't say a word!  And he said they liked it!  I don't know WHAT his problem is.  And I'm not stupid for buying that place Cap! I'm NOT.  I don't care what he thinks."      "Okay John.  Maybe it's got nothing to do with you.  Maybe it's something from home."      "He sure seems mad at me for something from home."      "I'm sure whatever it is will blow over in time."      "I hope so," Johnny quietly said to himself as he was dismissed.                                                              ~*~*~*~*~ Over the preceding four weeks, the DeSoto yard had grown into a forest.  Johnny had borrowed their mower weeks ago.  No more tools had disappeared since the argument, but none had reappeared either.  At work, Johnny had been giving Roy as much room as possible.      "Just go get it Roy," his wife implored him.  "I can't let the kids play outside until you do, they'll be carted off by wolves."  Roy rolled his eyes; the teasing had no effect.  "Christopher Roy DeSoto..."      "Yes mom?" their son asked, the picture of confusion to what it was he had done.      "Not you sweetie," she said before glaring again at her husband, "YOU!  Go get that mower!"      "He'll bring it back eventually."      "You said that two weeks ago.  I haven't seen a hair on his shaggy head in I don't know how long.  You scared him off, you go get it."      "I didn't scare him off."      "Honey, if you've been looking at him at work with that same face you've been walking around here with lately, you definitely scared him off.  GO...GET...IT!"  Roy stared at the carpet.  "Okay fine.  You either go pick it up, or you use these," she said slapping a pair of hand held edging clippers into his hand.  "Either way you better cut that lawn today."  To prove she had won the argument, she walked away and pretended to fold some laundry, hoping he wouldn't notice the basket in front of her was already folded.     With a sigh of aggravation, Roy scooped the keys to his pickup off their hook, and stormed out of the house.                                                  ~*~*~*~*~*~ On the way, Roy began to wonder if he would be able to find the place again.  He had, after all, only been there the once.  He knew what road it was on, but that so-called driveway, wouldn't be easy to spot.  He drove along angrily, half hoping he wouldn't find it, when something caught his eye.  Along side the road, seemingly out in the middle of nowhere, stood a mailbox.  It was white and made of wood, with hand painted folk art hearts and chickens decorating it on all sides.  The post to the box sat in a clay pot that had colorful flowers planted all around it.  Black painted wooden letters on top of the box read J. Gage.  Roy pulled into the driveway, having difficulty pulling his eyes away from the box.  Though the driveway was still dirt, he found that all of the holes had been filled in.       Once past the trees, he discovered an immaculate yard.  Along the driveway, flowers had been planted, the same kind he'd seen around the mailbox.  The house ahead of him now had two thirds of a roof, with plastic covering the other third.  As he got out, he realized the porch had been rebuilt, and painted white.  He stepped cautiously on to the first step, but found it to be very solid.  The natural colored wooden front door seem to glow with its polish.  Roy wondered at first if this was the same front door he had seen, then realized as he saw the now gleaming brass door knob with the skeleton key sitting in the keyhole, that it was.  The carpet inside had been torn out, and Roy was greeted with shining wooden floors.  In the living room sat a large sectional couch.  It was obviously used and well worn, but with the colorful Indian blankets that covered it, it fit in perfectly.  Past the couch, Roy saw the fireplace on the far side of the room, and his mouth dropped open.  The entire wall was made of red brick; with a mantle made of deep mahogany, so dark you could see your reflection.  On top of the mantle sat a few pictures.  One was an old black and white with the edges faded to brown.  A beautiful woman smiled mischievously at the camera, her dimples and eyes so similar to Johnny's.  Other photographs sparked Roy's curiosity as to who the people in them were, but in two of them, he knew.  One was his family's portrait from the year before that his daughter Jenny insisted that Johnny get a copy of, not that Roy minded.  The other was of the two of them at Johnny's paramedic graduation.  Still another snapshot, slipped inside  one corner of the framed photograph, was of all the guys at one of the Fireman's picnics.  Johnny's arm was around Roy's shoulder as he laughed victoriously at the camera; happy they had won the baseball game that year.  Roy placed the picture carefully back where he had found it, and began to explore again.  "Johnny?" he called out softly, realizing he had not yet announce his presence.  He found the kitchen had been cleaned up, the outlets and switches had been repaired, and the floor and cupboards shined from the same hard work and polish that the rest of the house did.  Roy tapped lightly on the door that he thought he remembered belonging to the bathroom, before opening it.  The antique footed bathtub was once again white, and true to his word, Johnny had torn out the closet.  Raw plumbing now sat in its place, waiting for the rest of the shower to be built.  Closing the door, he decided to look for Johnny upstairs.  Some of the steps had been replaced, but were yet to be stained.  The others reflected the sunlight that showed through the partly plastic covering.  At the top of the steps, all of the doors were closed, and all were made of the same rich, beautiful wood as the front door.  "Johnny," Roy called out, tapping on each door before opening it.  He found two small bedrooms and a bathroom before coming to the master bedroom.  Despite the plastic roof, he found a hand made wooden bed, made from thin logs and rope.  A patchwork quilt covered it, while an Indian rug covered the floor.  A rolled up sleeping bag and tent laid at the foot of the bed, the first thing in the house that Roy recognized from Johnny's old apartment.  Roy pushed a plastic wall out of the way where the sliding glass doors would eventually be, and walked out on to the roof of the rest of the house; raw wood and still needing shingles.  In the distance, he could see the barn was finished except for painting.  A fence had been built, and inside of it, two horses and a pony scampered about.  "The barn," Roy smiled, "of course he's in the barn."  He left the house and walked to the barn, enjoying the smell of cut grass, and giggling a bit at the flowers that seemed to have been planted everywhere.  Pausing to listen for a sign of his friend, he could hear nothing but the horses.  As he rounded a corner, he caught sight of him.  Johnny kneeled at the barn door, stenciling in the same kind of hearts that had decorated the mailbox.  Roy waited silently, not wanting to startle him, and ruin his work.  When Johnny was finished, he cleared his throat.      "ROY!" Johnny smiled, openly pleased.  "What are you doing here?"      Roy blushed, remembering his own behavior the past few weeks.  "Um, Joanne said I needed to come get the lawn mower."      "Oh...yeah," Johnny replied, the smile falling from his face.  "I'm sorry about that.  I'll go put it in your truck."      "What...what are you doing there?"      Now it was Johnny that blushed.  "Oh, nothin I guess.  My mom...uh...well she'd do little things around the house like that.  She was no artist or anything..."just a little color" she'd say, "just a little something".      "It's nice...Joanne would like that."      "Yeah," Johnny responded, still more embarrassed.      "I kinda like it to.  It's pretty."      "Well...it's..."      "It's pretty."      Johnny smiled, "thanks."      "It's ah...it's really coming along out here."      "Yeah, well, long way to go, but...yeah, bit by bit."      "Look, maybe I could..."      "Nah Roy, you don't have to.  I know you don't want to."      "I never said that to you..."      "But you DID say it."      "Yeah I guess I did but..."      "Roy, you don't..."      "I was wrong!"  Silence filled the air for several moments until Roy was able to continue.  "Look, I don't know how to say it.  I want to help you.  I WANT to.  This place is going to be great!" Roy stalled out again, his past words ringing in his ears, as he was sure they were in Johnny's.  "I can't believe that fireplace.  Where did you get all those bricks?"      "Where did I get them?  They were there!  The whole thing was there behind that tacky paneling.  I TRIED to show you but..."      "Yeah," Roy answered quietly after another uncomfortable silence.  "I was wrong.  There's nothing more I can say."      "Would you REALLY want to do some things out here?"      "Yeah!" Roy laughed.       "Well I sure could use a hand getting...."      "Aw man, I can't!"      "You..."      "I promised Joanne I'd mow the lawn today."      "Right," Johnny answered stiffly.      "No, Johnny, seriously.  I'll tell you what.  Why don't you come over and help me tame my lawn.  Then we'll come back here and work on as much as we can.  Okay?  Tell you what, why don't we call some of the guys to..."      "I don't know Roy.  When you said you didn't want to have to spend your days off out here, every one of them agreed with you.  I don't want everybody...."      "Come on Johnny, they didn't mean never.  Besides, if you tell them there'll be food, you won't be able to keep them away.  I'll get Joanne and the kids to come along.  We can make an old fashion barn raising kind of a party out of it and...."      "Roy, slow down.  There isn't that much anyone could do right now.  I'm kind of at a stand still.  I've used everything I had.  I haven't got a spare nail, much less any lumber.  I know you warned me ten thousand wouldn't pay for everything, but..."      "Oh, what do I know?  Okay but how about you just come over and help me out so I can get done quicker.  We still owe you a good meal for the gutter you know...why'd you do that anyway?"      "Do what?"      "Do the gutter by yourself?"      "Oh I didn't WANT to do it by myself, but I didn't think you'd like me waking you up so early."      "But why did you come so early in the first place?"      "Oh that?  Well, I'd forgot I'd promised Chet I'd get him from the hospital, and I was out of grocery money and groceries so I figured I better catch some fish if I was going to have anything to eat for the next few days.  On top of that I found out I was getting the horses and I didn't have the fence done.  But I'd also told you we'd fix the gutter and I didn't want you to think I was trying to get out of it, so...."      "Okay Johnny, okay.  I get the picture, but why didn't you ask me to go fishing too?"      "To be honest I was afraid you'd say something about the creek.  I LIKE the creek, and--"      "I was acting like a real jerk, wasn't I?"      "You were in the middle of moving your whole family and..."      "I acted like a jerk.  Sorry."      "Am I ah...am I gonna need a whip to help you tame your lawn?"      "Whips, chains...everything ya got."                                                         ~*~*~*~*~*~ Roy was broke himself, and none of their friends were rich.  However, Roy began to make phone calls.  He easily talked people into trading objects around their houses that they no longer used, or, for example a surfboard of Chet's, never used.  With a trade here and a trade there, Roy found at the end of the week, he had accumulated quite a stockpile.      "So Johnny, what are you doing today?" Roy asked him, struggling hard not to let on.      "I'm gonna feed the horses and go to bed," Johnny laughed, "you?"      'Busted.'  "Oh you know, this and that.  So you're heading home...right?"      "Yeah, catch you later."      "Bye Johnny."      "If he's going to bed..." Chet said a little to loudly since Johnny hadn't quite made it out of the door.      "Shhhhhh!" Roy hissed clamping his hand over Chet's mouth.      "What?" Johnny called back, turning around to find his partner smothering his nemesis.      "Nothing!" Roy said too loudly, letting Chet go and becoming the picture of innocence.      "Ah hunh" Johnny laughed.  "Well...see you next shift."      "Or a little sooner," Chet couldn't help but whisper loudly.      Roy shoved him behind the engine, so when Johnny turned back, all he saw was Roy grinning madly, nodding goodbye at him once again.  Johnny shook his head and hurried to his truck; definitely a safer place than the station was becoming.  He didn't know what Chet had done, but he wanted to be sure not to do it himself.                                                    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Roy led the way into the less populated part of the area.  Most of the people trailing behind him had never been to Johnny's place.  They pulled in as quietly as possible, under Roy's instructions.  Joanne pulled little Jennifer into her lap, trying to keep her squeals of delight from reaching the house.  It was understandable though; after all, she saw a pony!  Roy shut his door, without latching it, and tiptoed to the house.      "What are you doing," Chet whispered behind him as he walked up the porch.      "I'm going to wake him up," Roy whispered back.      "You're going to what?" Johnny asked just to Roy's left.       Roy felt himself jump out of his socks.  "DON'T DO THAT, what are you DOING here?"      "I LIVE here.  What are the two of YOU doing here?"      "Uh...surprise?"      "Surprise!  What are you talking about?"  Roy led the way down the porch, and around the flower bushes that obstructed the view of the long driveway.  "Oh man.  ROY!  No.  This is too much.  You can't afford..."      "I didn't afford anything."      "But Roy, you guys can't...how did you get all this stuff?"      "He wheeled and deal and..." Chet grinned like a Cheshire cat.      "Really Roy...I can't..."      "You better!" Cap told him firmly as he approached the trio.  "There is nothing else we can do with this stuff, and I'm sure not taking it all back to my house.  The wife would skin me alive!  All right everyone, let's get unloading!"      Johnny was soon surrounded by a bustle of activity as different people approached him to shake his hand, remark on the beauty of the place, and congratulate him.  A short time later, he found himself inundated with questions on which kind of lumber they should use here, and what nails were best there, and how do you do this and that.  The women invaded his kitchen and started on the food they knew their hungry men would be wanting in all to soon of a time.  Many had brought their kids along, and they ran about chasing each other, or stood clucking at the horses.  The house seemed to grow out underneath all the men crawling over it.  Lunch came and went, a very happy get together.  By dark, people were running out of things to do.  Some carried their tired children and their own tired bodies home for dinner and bed, but only after thanking Johnny for the wonderful time they'd had.  Other's still worked, finishing up what little had to be done.  One by one, they joined their children and wives by a large campfire Johnny had built outside.  It was only a week until Christmas, and even the LA air was getting a bit of a chill.      Roy dropped down beside his best friend, who sat roasting marshmallows for the children that remained, and who were too young to roast their own.  Johnny sucked one sticky finger clean, then offered the other to Roy.      "No thanks, you do it."      Johnny giggled as he cleaned his hands with a wet one that one of the many mother's had given him.  "You want one?" Johnny asked of the marshmallows.      "Sure!"      "Browned or blackened?"      "Browned."      "They're better blacked, only the LITTLE kids like them browned."      "Browned!" Roy demanded.      "All right, all right, browned it is."  Johnny soon forked over a perfectly browned marshmallow.  "How's that?" he asked proudly.      "It's all right," Roy told him, acting unimpressed.      "Just all right?" Johnny asked, threatening Roy with the sticky end of the stick.      "Okay, okay, it's delicious."      "Of course it is...for a BROWNED one."      "So Johnny, what do you think?" Roy asked gesturing to the well-lit house behind them.  Johnny stared at the house for several moments, then turned back to stare at the dirt between his feet as a slight look of melancholy drifted across his face.  Roy's smile faded.      "Oh man, I blew it didn't I.  Johnny, I'm sorry.  I should have just left the stuff.  I..."      "No Roy, it's okay.  It's great actually.  I've had my fill of it, believe me, and it's getting cold.  This is great.  Really!  Besides, with a place like this, there will always be things to do."      "You sure?"      "Yeah," Johnny said honestly as he stared down between his feet again.  In the firelight, Roy made out a photograph of an old ranch house, very similar to the one behind him.  A couple with two small children stood grinning at the camera.  The photo was old and faded, it's edges blackened from a fire long ago.  The light finally dawned on Roy.      "So," Roy asked putting his arm around Johnny and giving him a squeeze, "how does it feel to be home?" 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