Amazing Grace
After roll call and checking their supplies and equipment, Roy and Johnny were on their way to their first assignment of the day, a fire safety presentation to the staff of Palm Gardens Health Care Center.
While waiting at a red light, Roy glanced over at his partner. Johnny was looking out his window and wore a big grin, which Roy was not quite sure why.
"Johnny?" Roy called out.
Turning to look at his partner, Johnny continued to smile.
"Yeah?"
"You DO know where we are going, don't you?"
"Of course I do. We're going to that nursing home over on Glenwood. I know exactly where we're going…that's why I am…uh…feeling happy."
"Happy?" Roy asked, as the traffic light turned green, and he resumed driving.
"Well, yeah. I figure there'll be lots of nurses there…and I haven't met them yet. Why shouldn't I be happy?"
Roy didn't say anything…how could he argue with that kind of logic?
The rest of the short trip was made quietly, as Roy thought about the assignment at hand, while Johnny daydreamed about meeting a new batch of nurses.
Turning into the parking lot at Palm Gardens, the two paramedics took notice of the beautiful building.
The building was a rather large two story pale yellow Mediterranean inspired structure. There were several arches and columns that seemed to wrap around the entire front and sides of the building. The landscaping was beautifully done, lined with many large palm trees, and even had a small pond complete with a running waterfall.
"Would you look at that, Roy? I don't remember any nursing homes ever looking quite this beautiful before."
"I don't either."
Pulling into a parking spot and parking, the two paramedics got out of the squad, and pulled out two of their fire extinguishers and a blanket.
As they made their way to the front entrance, they were both admiring the beauty of the building and its grounds.
"A fish pond, Roy…I believe those are called koi. Look at those amazing colors."
Roy nodded his head. "They are beautiful. I've only seen pictures of them."
Taking a quick glance at his watch, Johnny smiled. "We're right on time. What's the man's name that we're supposed to meet?"
"Mr. Conway. He's the administrator of the facility."
Arriving at the main entrance of the magnificent building, the two paramedics were met by a big archway, and two large white columns…and a set of large automatic glass doors.
Going through the doors, they were warmly greeted by a tall handsome man who looked to be about in his fifties. He had short dark hair and wore a grey suit and blue tie.
"Mr. Conway?" Roy guessed.
Holding out his hand, the man shook both paramedics' hand.
"I sure am. And please…it's Patrick."
"Roy DeSoto." Roy smiled.
"John Gage. You have a beautiful place here, Patrick."
"Thank you. It's only about two years old…state of the art." said the man smiling in appreciation of the compliment. "We have about twenty minutes before you fellas have to start. I'd like to talk to you briefly before though, if you don't mind."
"Lead the way." offered Johnny.
Following the gentleman past the reception area, the two paramedics continued to be mesmerized by the décor of the building.
"Right this way."
Arriving at a large office, Patrick stood off to the side of the doorway, as he motioned for Roy and Johnny to enter.
"Please sit down. Something to drink? Coffee or water?"
"We're fine, Patrick. So what exactly do you want to talk about?" Roy asked curiously, as both he and Johnny took their seats on the oversized leather couch in the office.
"I wanted to tell you the reason why I wanted to do this. While we do have our monthly fire drills here, I wanted a more in-depth presentation of what to do if there was a real emergency. I have a good friend who is an administrator at a similar type facility in Arizona. He had a bad fire there a few weeks ago…from what I understand it was a bad scene. Hearing that, it scared me. I want to make sure that my staff knows…REALLY knows what to do. While of course we would call the fire department right away, I'd like to go over the things that we could all do immediately while waiting for your arrival. I contacted Chief Houts and he gave me your names. He mentioned something about your starring turn on the Tom Jensen show."
Exchanging a quick look, the two paramedics silently chuckled.
"Well, it is our pleasure to be here."
"Thank you, John."
Talking for another few more minutes, Mr. Conway then led the two of them to the big meeting area where their presentation would take place.
While they were being introduced to both the Maintenance Director and the Director of Nursing, Johnny's eyes wandered the room, settling on a very pretty brunette in the corner.
"Roy…John, this is Craig Scott…our Maintenance Director…and Tracy McGrath, our Nursing Director."
Shaking hands with both directors, the paramedics continued to be impressed by Mr. Conway's entire operation.
"Well…I guess we better get started, gentlemen. I'm sure you're very busy."
Roy and Johnny took their places at the front of the room, and waited as Mr. Conway introduced them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, first I am glad that you are all here for this presentation. I know you will find it both interesting and informative. These two men are firefighter/ paramedics from the L.A. County Fire Department. Please welcome Roy DeSoto and John Gage…gentlemen."
Nodding in appreciation, the two of them waited for the applause to die down before starting.
They started talking about their duties as a firefighter and as a paramedic, then proceeded to get into the meat of their presentation…fire safety, including demonstrations on how to properly use a fire extinguisher.
After almost forty minutes, they were finished.
They fielded a few questions, and then were invited for some light refreshments.
As they mingled with some of the staff members, Johnny asked Craig about the attractive brunette that he had had his eye on.
Pulling him off to the side, Johnny spoke very softly.
"Craig, mind if I ask you a question?"
"Sure, go ahead, John."
Motioning with his head in the direction of the mystery girl, Johnny asked his question.
"That pretty brunette in the corner…what's her name?"
Looking at who Johnny was motioning to, Craig smiled.
"Oh…that's Stephanie. She's the Recreation Director here. Would you like to meet her?"
Repeating the question, Johnny grinned. "Would I like to meet her? Just tell me one thing…is she…"
"Single?" Craig offered.
"Yeah…single."
"Yep… she's single. Come on and I'll introduce you to her."
Putting his cup of coffee down on a nearby table, Johnny followed Craig to where Stephanie was standing.
Softly tapping her shoulder, Craig got Stephanie's attention.
"Steph, this is…"
"John Gage." The young woman answered with a smile. "I WAS paying attention, Craig. Mr. Gage, it's nice to meet you."
"Please, it's John." Johnny replied with a grin of his own.
Giving Johnny a quick wink, Craig was off to talk to someone else.
"So…I hear you're the Recreation Director. You must have an interesting job."
"I do…it's definitely never boring. Planning and running the various programs here for the residents, is a lot of work, but I really enjoy it. How about you, John? Being a firefighter/paramedic must be quite exciting."
"It is." Johnny replied with a smile. "And like your job…never boring. Say, I was kind of wondering…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Stephanie looked at her watch.
"I'm sorry, John. I really need to get going. I have to get ready for our morning discussion group."
Looking at her curiously, Johnny asked, "What's this morning's topic?"
"Sex."
Hearing her response, Johnny nearly started to choke. "Sex?"
Grinning, she let him off the hook. "Well…sex in the media and what not. How today's standards differ from those of their generation's back in their day. We actually have several very outspoken folks here. If you'd ever like to volunteer here…come see me. You have the number…call me. Thank you for a wonderful presentation, John. I hope to hear from you soon."
Walking away, Stephanie left Johnny to ponder a few things.
Noting the time on his watch, Roy knew that the two of them needed to get going and put themselves back in service.
"Patrick, thank you for your hospitality. Your staff is wonderful. I believe that your residents here at Palm Gardens are in very good hands. If you ever have any other questions or things we can help you with, please call us at Station 51."
"I will. You and your partner were wonderful presenters."
Getting Johnny's attention, Roy motioned for him to come over.
"Johnny, I was just telling Patrick about how wonderful his staff was…and how we'd help him with any other future questions he may have."
Johnny nodded his head in agreement. "I agree…100%...a wonderful staff."
"Well, I suppose we should get going now. I'm sure our Captain has some things for us to do back at the station."
"I'm sure he does." Patrick replied with a knowing grin. "Allow me to walk you gentlemen out."
Picking up their two fire extinguishers, the paramedics followed the administrator through the various hallways, and back to the main lobby area.
"Gentlemen…it was a real pleasure."
"Thank you, sir." Johnny replied.
Again shaking hands, Roy and Johnny went through the large automatic glass doors, and made their way back to the squad.
Noting how quiet his partner was, Roy was the first one to open the conversation.
"That was a great experience. I wish all people were as pro-active in these situations as Mr. Conway is."
Looking up after helping to put away the two fire extinguishers, Johnny wore a slightly confused look on his face. "Huh?"
"I said…"
"Yeah, I heard ya. You were talking about Mr. Conway. Yes, it was a great thing he did…calling to have someone from the Department come to talk to these folks."
Climbing into the squad's cab, Johnny lifted up the radio mike. "L.A., Squad 51 available from Palm Gardens Health Care Center."
"Ten-four, 51." came the dispatcher's reply.
Starting up the squad, Roy backed out of the parking space, as Johnny replaced the radio microphone back into its holder.
As Roy pulled out of the parking lot, he turned to look at his partner.
"Johnny?" When he got no answer from his partner, he called his name a second time. "Johnny…"
Finally acknowledging his partner, Johnny sighed contentedly.
"The brunette?" Roy asked.
"Yep. Her name is Stephanie, and she is incredible. She's got these amazing green eyes, and her voice…I don't know it's strong but soft too. I started to ask her out, but she had to leave. She suggested that I call her to set up a time for me to come volunteer there."
"And are you?" Roy curiously.
"Gonna call? Of course I am. Doing a bit of volunteering there might even be kinda fun. I'm sure those folks have some amazing stories to tell."
"All this for a girl, Johnny?"
"No, not JUST for a girl. I'd be doing it for me, too. My folks are always telling me that I should get involved with a few other things besides just work, and camping or hiking. This could be that something else."
"You would really go through with this?" Roy asked with a certain amount of disbelief.
"Of course, I would, Roy. You're acting like doing something like this is beneath me. I'll remind you that in the Indian culture, the elders are revered. Just do me one thing though…don't say anything about this to Chet. You know how he twists everything I do."
"Mum's the word, Junior."
Settling back in his seat, Johnny continued to have a contented look on his face.
"It was pretty cool that Chief Houts recommended us for the job based on our performance on the Tom Jensen Show."
Roy laughed softly. "A bit ironic if you ask me."
Returning to the station, Roy backed the squad into the vehicle bay, where they were greeted by Captain Stanley.
"Hey fellas. How'd it go?"
Before either paramedic could answer, Chet, who had heard them return and came out to greet them, answered for them.
"Let me guess…the presentation was a dud, and Gage struck out mightily with the female staff members there. Am I right?" Chet answered with a smirk.
Looking on interestedly, Hank waited to hear what their actual response would be.
"No Chet. Our presentation went really well…they loved us." Johnny replied with a smile and playfully puffing out his chest.
"Okay, so that part went well. What about the second part?" Chet continued.
Shooting his partner a look, Johnny implored Roy not to say anything.
"I did fine…let's just leave it at that."
Snickering, Chet shook his head.
"In other words…you struck out."
"I DIDN'T strike out, Chet. In fact, I met someone…a very sweet girl in fact."
"Okay. So what is this alleged girl's name?"
"If you must know, her name is Stephanie. I'll be calling her when we get off duty tomorrow."
Continuing their sparring session, Chet and Johnny walked away, while Roy stayed to talk to Hank, the two of them shaking their head at the other two men's antics.
"So it went well?" Hank asked interestedly.
"Yeah, it went very well. The administrator there, Mr. Conway, is a nice guy…and very pro-active with things. It seems that a good friend of his whom has the same position at a place in Arizona, had a bad fire at his facility. It scared Mr. Conway enough to want to do something to make sure his staff was prepared in an emergency situation."
"And?"
"They were really into it, Cap. I can honestly say that if there was ever a real emergency there, his staff would be ready. I suppose you already knew how Chief Houts had come to pick me and Johnny for the assignment?"
"Actually, no I don't. How did it happen?"
"Would you believe it was based on our appearance on that Tom Jensen TV show a few months ago?"
Hank looked at Roy with great surprise.
"No kidding." Hank said in tone that matched the surprised look on his face.
"No kidding." Roy repeated. "I guess Johnny had a sense of what he was doing when he volunteered us to go on that show."
When Hank and Roy joined the others inside, Chet and Johnny were still going at it.
"So why won't you tell me anything else about this girl, Gage?"
"Because…because it's none of your business, Chet. Cap, can you please make him shut up?" Johnny asked looking hopefully at his captain.
"Chet…be quiet. I don't think the rest of us want to hear any more of your arguing. The important thing is that their presentation was successful and might…just might one day save a life." Hank said, effectively putting an end to their bickering.
Turning around from his lunch preparations, Marco smiled. "Amen."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The afternoon turned out to be pretty slow. After eating a delicious lunch of stir-fry chicken and vegetables over rice, prepared by Marco, the men set about working on various station chores.
Chet was washing the dishes, Hank was in the office working on some paperwork, Marco was emptying the trash cans, and Mike, Johnny and Roy were in the vehicle bay checking over their vehicles and equipment.
As Mike was checking over the gauges on the side of the engine, he nonchalantly asked his friend about the girl in question.
"So Johnny, tell me about Stephanie."
"You too, Mike?" Johnny asked, shaking his head.
"Just curious. You don't have to tell me, but I know you're going to." Mike added with a grin and a wink.
Turning around and sitting on the squad's passenger side running board, Johnny couldn't help but to smile.
"She seems really down to earth, and has the most amazing green eyes. We really didn't have much of a chance to talk, as she had to get back to work. She suggested that I call her some time to set up a time to meet…and maybe talk about volunteering there at the home."
"That might be a good idea to volunteer, Johnny. My grandmother was in a nursing home. I know they're always looking for folks to help out. Stephanie doesn't sound like she's a nurse. What exactly does she do there?"
"She is the Recreation Director… she's really something. Do me a favor Mike, don't say anything about this to Chet. He'd only ruin everything for me."
"My lips are sealed." Mike replied, buttoning his lips with his fingers.
Before Johnny could return to his equipment check or make any other comments, the alarm sounded.
"Squad 51, man down, Anderson Park, 19101 Wilmington Avenue…timeout 1337…"
Getting on the radio, Roy responded, and off they went.
Arriving at the park, they were met by Police Officer Adam Porter, a friend of Johnny's.
"Hey there." Adam greeted as the two paramedics pulled up and were getting out of their squad.
"What do we have Adam?"
"Nothing too serious, Roy…roller skating victim. A man was skating on one of the paths when he veered off to the side and wrenched his leg. He seems to be in some considerable pain though."
Gathering their supplies and the bio-phone, Roy and Johnny followed Adam to where their victim lay on the ground, grimacing in pain.
When they got to the downed man, both sets of eyes went immediately not to him, but to the young woman squatting on the ground beside him. She was a very attractive blonde, with a rather large chest, and wearing a halter top and a pair of short denim shorts.
"Can you help him?" The young woman asked worriedly.
"Uh…yeah…yeah, we can help him." Johnny was able to stumble out. "What exactly happened?"
"It was all my own fault." commented the injured man. "I…I wasn't paying attention to where I was going…oww…it really hurts."
Setting their equipment down on the ground, Roy started to ask the man more questions.
"What's your name, sir?"
"It's Mitch…Mitch Powers."
"Okay, Mitch. I just want you to relax. My partner and I are going to check out your leg, and we'll get you to the hospital."
Shaking her head, the young woman sighed loudly. "I knew it was a dumb idea to do this, Mitch."
"Honey, it wasn't a bad idea at all. I told you, it was my own fault this happened, not yours."
Johnny went about examining the leg. "Does this hurt?" He asked, as he manipulated the leg carefully one way and then another.
"Yeah…oh, it really hurts."
"How about your ankle? Did you hurt your ankle too?"
Trying to move it, Mitch realized that his ankle was not exactly pain free.
"Yeah, I guess I did."
Getting on the bio-phone, Roy gave Rampart all their gathered information.
Johnny carefully splinted Mitch's right knee and ankle then Roy gave him a shot for the pain.
The ambulance that Adam had called for had arrived shortly thereafter and the two attendants had made their way to where the paramedics and victim were.
After helping to lift Mitch up and onto the stretcher, Johnny turned to face the young woman.
"Miss, you have a ride to the hospital?"
"Yes. Our car is in the parking lot." Bending down, she gave Mitch a kiss on the lips. "I'll meet you at the hospital, sweetheart."
Johnny nodded his head. "Rampart General Hospital."
After loading Mitch into the ambulance, Roy went inside with him, while Johnny handed him the bio-phone.
"Meet you at Rampart." said Johnny as he closed the doors and gave them the obligatory two taps.
As he was putting the rest of the equipment away in the squad, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Turning around, he came face to face with the attractive blonde.
"I just wanted to say thank you for helping my husband."
"It's no problem. That's what we're here for." Johnny replied with a smile.
"I better get going to the hospital."
Just like that she was gone.
Standing behind him, Adam grinned.
"Too bad, Johnny…she's married."
Turning around to face his police friend, Johnny shrugged his shoulders.
"That's okay. She's not really my type anyway."
The cop stood there looking at Johnny in disbelief. "Not your type? I thought EVERY pretty face was your type of woman."
Sighing loudly, Johnny merely smiled at his friend.
"Guess I'm maturing in my old age. See ya later, buddy."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Meeting his partner at the hospital, Johnny was all smiles as he continued to think about Stephanie.
Parking by the ER entrance, he got out and went inside, walking over to the base station where he knew Roy would be.
"Hi Johnny." greeted Dixie warmly. "I hear your presentation this morning went well."
"Hey Dix. Yep, it sure did…not that there were any doubts." Johnny added with a typical Gage grin.
Exchanging a look, Roy and Dixie both shook their head.
"No, of course not, Johnny."
"Hey, how's Mitch doing, Roy?"
"Dr. Brackett still has to get x-rays on his knee and ankle, but he doesn't think it's anything more than two really bad sprains."
"That's good. We have time for some coffee?" Johnny asked his partner hopefully.
"Why? I'm sure there's some back at the station."
"That's what I'm afraid of." groaned Johnny.
Shaking his head, Roy looked at his partner with a little confusion.
"Okay, Johnny…I'll bite. Why don't you want to go back to the station?"
"Two words…Chet Kelly."
"Johnny, when are you going to learn to just ignore him? Chet pushes your buttons intentionally because he knows he's going to get a rise out of you. But come to think of it, I really don't even know what you two were going at it about before, anyway."
"He was busting my chops about this morning. He kept insisting that I struck out….and as you know, I DIDN'T strike out."
"And why do you care what he thinks anyway, Johnny? You know the truth."
"Because…because I just do, Roy. And if he ever finds out that I volunteer over at the nursing home…I'll never hear the end of it."
Looking up from the chart that she had started to work on, Dixie smiled. "Johnny…you volunteer at a nursing home?"
"Well, not yet…but I will be."
"What's her name?" Dixie asked with a knowing look.
"Her name?" Johnny repeated.
"Come on, Johnny. I know you have a good heart, but…"
"But what? Maybe I really want to volunteer. Maybe I'll be really good at it." Johnny's tone was that of him being slightly hurt.
"I'm sorry, Johnny. Of course I think you'd be wonderful at it. It's just that I've never heard you express an interest in doing something like that before."
Shrugging his shoulders, Johnny sighed. "It's really no big deal, Dix. I spoke to someone after our presentation this morning, and she suggested that I meet with her on another day to discuss maybe me volunteering. Mike Stoker even told me that places like that are always looking for an extra helping hand."
"Well, I bet you would be great at it, Johnny. The older ladies sure like you." Dixie commented with a sly grin.
"And on that note, I think you might be right, Roy…time to get back to the station."
Roy smiled at Dixie and followed his partner down the hallway.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEE
Returning to the station, both paramedics were grateful to find that the engine was out. Johnny was happy that he wouldn't have to face Chet at the moment, and Roy was just as happy that he wouldn't have to listen to his partner and Chet going at it.
"Roy, you think I should call her?"
Opening his door to get out of the squad, Roy had momentarily forgotten whom he was dealing with.
"Call who?"
"Call who, Roy? Have you not been listening to me for the past few hours?" Johnny asked in frustration.
"Oh…Stephanie. Well, Johnny…you can certainly try to call her. At the very least you can leave her a message."
"Maybe. I don't really want to sound too eager though."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
A light evening of runs saw 51's crew relaxing after supper.
While the rest of the guys were watching a movie on TV, Johnny was at the table writing.
"Gage, aren't you going to come watch the movie with us? It's Cool Hand Luke…it doesn't get much better than that."
Johnny waved his friend off. "I'm busy."
Looking up from his seat on the couch next to Henry, Chet shrugged his shoulders.
"What has you so busy that you are passing up a Paul Newman movie?"
"Chet…just please be quiet. Cap, can you shut him up?"
Hank turned in his chair and glanced over at the subject in question.
"Kelly…quiet…please." Hank said in a calm but direct tone.
While the others were watching the movie, Johnny was working on a list of his interests and things that might make good topics of conversations with some of the nursing home residents.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEE
The next morning at the end of the shift, Johnny was in the locker room getting dressed. He was looking forward to going back to the nursing home that day, but didn't know if he was more excited to be going back to see Stephanie or to embark on the new experience of volunteering.
Growing up in Montana on a reservation, he had learned to have great respect for his elders. He had been very close to his grandparents, and was heartbroken the day he had learned that each of them had passed. His grandmother had died from pneumonia, and his grandfather had died in his sleep, presumably from natural causes, a year later. Johnny was actually welcoming the experience of possibly connecting with a resident, though he also understood that too much of an attachment would make "saying good-bye" difficult.
Buttoning up his beige shirt, he paid no attention to Chet who was sitting on the bench watching him.
"What are you up to, Gage?" Chet asked with a raised eyebrow.
Tucking his shirt into his jeans, Johnny turned and smiled at his friend.
"I'm not up to anything, Chet. Have a great couple days off. Roy, I'll call you later."
Roy smiled and waved to his partner.
Johnny picked up his gray duffel bag, slung it over his shoulder, closed his locker, and left the room.
Once he was in the Rover heading home to his apartment, Johnny allowed his mind to think back to his happy childhood, his grandparents having been such a big part of that. His grandfather was a very wise man who had taught Johnny a lot about his Indian heritage, and basically helped shape him into the person that he'd ultimately become. Johnny's grandmother was a very warm and hardworking woman who helped teach her grandson the value of having a good strong work ethic. He had spent a lot of time with both of them. It was a sad time for him when they had died, and he wondered if he was up to going through something like that again, but felt that it would be worth it in the end. After all, being a firefighter and paramedic Johnny was not immune to dealing with death it was just that he had rarely had a personal stake in the victim who did die.
Arriving at his apartment complex parking lot, Johnny pulled into his spot, and got out, grabbing the duffel bag as he was doing so.
When he got inside his apartment, he dropped his bag by the door and went immediately to his kitchen to get a fresh pot of coffee brewing. Once he got chore number one completed, he looked at his watch.
"Eight thirty." Johnny said out loud. "Maybe I'll eat some breakfast and then give Stephanie a call at work."
While waiting for the coffee to finish, Johnny took out two eggs from the refrigerator and carefully placed them on the counter. Pulling out his frying pan from one of the bottom cabinets, he placed it on the front right burner, and turned the gas on low.
As he was making himself some scrambled eggs, he was remembering the many times that his grandmother would make breakfast for him. Both of his parents worked in town, and had to leave the house early in the morning, leaving Johnny's grandparents to watch him. His grandmother was a good cook, and so was his mother, for that matter, but alas Johnny hadn't exactly inherited either women's cooking skills.
Sitting down at the table with his freshly brewed cup of coffee, scrambled eggs, and two pieces of rye toast, Johnny allowed his mind to go back in time to his childhood and think about the wonderful things that he had done with his grandparents. His grandfather had taught him how to fish, and about the stars in the sky. From his grandmother, Johnny learned about compassion and how to be resourceful.
When he was finished eating, he decided that he would take a hot shower to unwind then he would call Stephanie and hopefully set up a time to meet with her that day, but first Johnny would wash the few things in his sink. Getting out his liquid dish detergent, and his dish rag, he turned on the hot water and started to wash the frying pan. As he stood at his sink, he could remember his grandmother doing the very same thing…humming as she was doing so.