It was Friday April 7, 2017. The "garage" style apparatus doors were open for fresh air.

Otis saw him first. An elderly white man carrying an overnight bag. He walked right up to the truck and kept walking in. Otis said "Can I help you?" in a friendly voice.

The man turned and Otis saw all the wrinkles of his face up close. "Fireman Gillingham. I'm detailed to Truck 81 today."

"Unh-hunh. Where are you detailed from?"

"Truck 64."

Lieutenant Casey was walking over so Otis turned the matter over to him. "Lieutenant. This is Firefighter Gillingham. He's detailed to us today."

Giles snapped to attention and respectfully said "Reporting for duty, Lieutenant."

Casey looked him over briefly. "They didn't tell me you were coming today." He thought briefly "You know how the department is full of foul ups. Let's go check in the Chief's office."

They walked off. Mouch came over and asked curiously. "He seems familiar. Who did he say he was?"

"Firefighter Gillingham."

Mouch looked at the old man and stared. "Gilly. Boy did he get old."

Mouch went over to the office and listened. Chief Boden and his administrative aid Connie were with the old man. Connie was writing down on a sheet of paper.

Boden said, in a friendly fashion "Full name?"

"David Louis Gillingham." The old man responded.

"Badge number?"

"3014."

"Date you were sworn in?"

"April 7, 1954."

"Connie. Call payroll."

Connie nodded. "I'll be sure they know he's here."

They both left Boden's real meaning unspoken. Run him on the internet and get him back to where he was supposed to be.

Soon the phone in Boden's private office rang and he went to answer it.

The old man wandered out. So Mouch, who'd been listening in nearby came over and intercepted him.

"Gilly. I heard you talking to the chief. April 7th. That's today."

"Yeah. My anniversary with the department."

"How many years has it been?"

"Twenty-four." Then Gilly added. "I didn't catch your name."

"I rode with you a few times. Randy McHolland. But they just call me Mouch now."

"Randy Mcholland? But he's that snot nosed skinny candidate. Kid got so excited at his first real fire last week he didn't connect his air tank to his mask. Captain sent him out. The guys come out a few minutes later, poor kid's still coughing away, trying to clear his lungs."

Mouch heard chuckles and looked over to see Casey, Kidd, Otis, Hermann, Dawson and Brett nearby. Dawson asked "Did you see it?"

"No, but the guys on his shift told us all about it when we came in the next morning."

They chuckled again. Mouch said "That's my nephew. He's a slow learner." Mouch then decided to keep Gilly busy. "You and me, we got brass duty today. While they're on floors. Let's get the stuff." He led Gilly to the kitchen and got cleaning supplies.

Soon Mouch and Gilly were polishing all the brass in the firehouse. While Kidd and Otis swept and mopped the floor. Gilly did ask Mouch once "Isn't Casey a bit young for a lieutenant?"

Mouch replied "Yeah, but Hermann and I got him broken in good."

Gilly nodded. Gilly eventually went into the bathroom. He stayed in there a long time. Mouch checked, heard snoring and walked out.

Mouch did overhear Connie explaining to Boden "He's not on any social media. P. D. says they have no missing persons report. You want me to call every nursing home in the Greater Chicago area?"

Then the alert tones came over the radio. All units in this firehouse and some in nearby firehouses were sent to a fire alarm at Ben Franklin Storage. Mouch ran to the Truck and got into his turnout gear with practiced ease. Soon all five of them were in and they drove to the scene lights and sirens.

Units from different firehouses arrived at nearly the same time at a five-story building. An excited clerk met them up front. "I think everyone's out of the building. Smoke detectors are going crazy on the second floor."

Boden questioned him briefly. Then ordered Truck 73 to the roof to stand by for ventilation orders. Truck 81 and Squad 3 were sent to find the fire on second floor. Squad 3 went up the west stairs, Truck 81 the east stairs. Ambulances were on standby. Engine 51 readied an attack line. Engine 64 lined up on a hydrant to supply Engine 51 when its' 500 gallon tank (1892 liters) ran out.

Casey led. Hermann followed with the Halligan tool. Otis followed with a fire ax. Kidd followed with the big 5 gallon extinguisher. Mouch followed with a pike pole. Since he was entering a building of storage lockers he also took a bolt cutter.

On the floor Casey yelled "Fire Department! Call Out!" No answer. There was some light smoke. They walked, searching for the source. Mouch turned and saw another firefighter following him. Probably some candidate who lost his crew.

As they approached a hot zone they dropped to a crawl. Casey waved his arms at one of the lockers that had the most smoke, not trying to talk with his mask on. Hermann moved in. Mouch leaned the pike pole against the wall and shouldered Hermann out of the way because the bolt cutters were the right tool. Mouch snapped the curve of the cheap storage lock and pulled the door open.

Smoke and heat billowed out. But neither were too bad for veteran firefighters like them. Casey and Kidd crawled in. Kidd began to spray the extinguisher at the flames. She methodically moved over the flames in slow passes till all the flames were out.

Casey was on the radio "Truck 81 to Battalion 25. Fire is out. Checking for extensions."

Otis began opening windows in the hallway outside the lockers. The smoke began to dissipate. The heat was already fading.

The storage locker came into focus as the smoke faded. There was a sign "Smoking Club." Also a lot of tobacco paraphernalia. A wastebasket and a couch had burned. (Perhaps from throwing a not yet extinguished butt into a full wastebasket.)

Sign of the times Mouch figured. He remembered when most workplaces were tobacco smoking friendly. Now so many places were tobacco smoking free. Mouch was glad he'd only smoked casually and quit years earlier.

Engine men arrived with unneeded hose. The fire seemed to have had no further spread.

They began taking off their masks and breathing the fresh air near the windows. As Mouch savored the outside air he saw that the other firefighter, the lost sheep from another company, was in turnout gear that said "Menendez" Mouch tried to remember if he knew a Menendez on a neighboring company who worked this shift. He could only remember the Menendez that rode with Truck 81 on the other shift. No big deal. It was a common name. And it was a big department.

Casey said "We need the fan up here."

Otis said "I'll go."

As he started to walk away "Menendez" took off his mask. It was Gilly. "Wasn't that long ago I had doubts about women on the job. But you've all right Kidd."

Everyone's jaw dropped. Otis stopped right where he was. Casey asked "Gilly, how did you get here?"

"My memory must be playing tricks on me. I thought I was supposed to steer the tiller." [Some ladder trucks have a driver AND a firefighter steering over the rear wheels. Their title is "Tillerman" not "back seat driver."] "Then there was no tiller spot so I hopped on the side of the rig. You guys need better handholds. I almost fell off at that wide left we made."

The other firefighters remembered movies and pictures they'd seen of old time firefighters riding on the back or side of the rig. It was merely history to them, same as the War of 1812.

"You're wearing Menendez's gear?"

"Yeah. He put it in my spot. I didn't want to miss the run so I borrowed it."

Mouch saw Casey think for a second, then decide on a plan. He said "Everyone show me your radios."

He inspected all their walkie talkies. "Gilly, you have the bad radio. It doesn't work."

Gilly tested "Truck 81 portable to Squad 3. Radio check."

Kelly's confused voice came over the radio. "Squad 3 to Truck 81 portable I read you loud and clear."

Casey switched tactics. "Mouch. YOU have the bad radio."

Mouch turned so no one could see him. Without hitting the transmit button he said "Truck 81 portable to Squad 3. Radio Check."

Of course no one answered. So Casey said "I can't have a man work alone with a bad radio it's unsafe. Mouch, Gilly I need you two to stay together at ALL TIMES." They both nodded.

Soon Otis left again to get the fan. Then Boden arrived and said one word. "Casey!" Casey came over and led Boden away from his group. After a distant, quiet but intense looking conversation he came back.

Later they walked out. They were impressed that Gilly could walk, even slowly, in turn out gear and an air tank.

They rode back to the firehouse in silence. (Casey made sure to count INSIDE the rig.)

At the firehouse Gilly hung up Menendez's gear. Then Casey took him aside and led him to the office. When they got to the other side of Connie's desk he began lying "I need an experienced man for a special assignment. The company we contracted with to make a training film about truck operations loused it up. They're sending it here. I need you to wait right here for it and watch it when it comes. Then write down everything that's wrong with it so they know what to fix."

"Shouldn't the training unit do that?"

"They graduated a class last week and they have a new class starting next week. They're all on vacation."

"There's no projector."

"They're sending it with the film."

"I don't know how to run it."

"Connie here does."

"I'll be here unless we get a run."

"Connie can I have a sheet of paper?" When Connie handed him one he said "Write this down so your memory doesn't play another trick on you. This project is time sensitive so I need you here EVEN if we get a run."

Gilly wrote that down. Then he yelled "Hey Mouch!"

Mouch came over "Yeah."

"Take my radio. The Lieutenant needs me here on a project."

Mouch nodded. Gilly got up and said "I'll just grab my bag."

Casey said "Mouch, get Gilly's bag."

Later the tones went off. Casey checked that Gilly was sitting in the office then hopped in the rig.

They made it back before lunch. One of the men on Engine 51 was cooking. When they began to fill their plates Gilly called out. "Hey Mouch." Mouch came over. Gilly said "Your Lieutenant is particular about me leaving the office. Can you bring me a plate?"

Mouch brought two plates and sat with Gilly. Gilly said "so lunch is hot dogs with cheese whiz and BBQ sauce with a side of fruit cocktail?"

Mouch explained "Not everyone here knows how to cook."

They began swapping stories on bad firehouse meals. Hermann came over and joined them. Soon Casey, Kidd, Otis, Dawson and Brett drifted in and joined them. There weren't enough chairs so the others began sitting on the floor.

More stories were swapped. Then Gilly said "Mouch, your nephew's going be a fine fireman someday."

"My nephew?" Mouch was confused for a second.

Hermann said "Young Randy McHolland."

Mouch remembered the white lie he'd told. "Yeah. My sister's kid."

Gilly said "I traded shifts and worked with him last week. We had a fire in a fifth story apartment. We searched through the smoke. He pulled a dog out then went back. After we were sure there were no people there he threw the 120 pound dog over his shoulder and ran him to the rig. Worked the Great Dane till it started breathing again. Family was grateful as all hell. For a minute they even forgot their apartment had burned up." Everyone smiled at the story.

Gilly reached in his bag and grabbed a pillow. "I like to take a nap after lunch. So I'm fresh if we get a run. I know Lieutenant-special assignment first."

They got up. Then Gilly remembered "I forgot to buy in. It was 78 cents today, right?" They all nodded. Gilly went through his wallet and handed Otis 80 cents for the lunch he'd ate. "Tell him to keep the change. And save up for a cookbook."

So they left. Behind them Gilly began wrapping himself in a blanket. Connie asked "You OK there?"

Gilly responded "Let's see. I did housework, fought a fire and ate with my crew. I'm OK."

Meanwhile Otis said "I wish the buy in was 78 cents."

Later Connie came out and yelled "Paramedics! He stopped breathing!"

Everyone ran over to Gilly. The others did let Dawson and Brett get closest. Brett was about to start CPR but Dawson yelled "Wait! He's got a DNR bracelet." She raised his left wrist. The bracelet said "DO NOT RESUSITATE" in large letters.

They all backed up. Boden said "I'm sorry Mouch."

Mouch shrugged. "Look at Gilly's dumb smile. He's not sorry."

Later two uniformed cops arrived and wrote a report. They didn't ask hard questions, accepting the firefighter's version without hesitation. A Medical Examiner van arrived to take the body for autopsy.

Mouch sat on the couch and watched game shows on TV.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the firehouse Dawson and Hermann searched the internet. After the next ambulance run Dawson stopped at a print shop where she paid to print out 14 photos of dogs humping people's legs. Hermann wrote on a paper "Thank You For Saving Me." Then they taped it all on Mouch's locker.

The End.