Hi all! Thanks again for your great comments! I did a little bit of tweaking on the story.
In Port
Set during Season 1 after "Nurse's Wild." Roy's perspective on, well, Johnny's perspective.
Also an explanation of Nurse Ellen Bart's presence after that episode. Includes dialogue from the episode.
I'm glad I'm married. And I'm glad I met Joanne in the third grade.
I'm also glad I work with John Gage. But I wouldn't want to swap places with him. At least when it comes to girls.
Joanne says Johnny's good looking. My little girl, Jenny, adores him. Of course, she's a toddler.
But then women get to know him.
Not that Johnny's a bad guy. Quite the opposite. He's a great paramedic and very good at calming people down on the job. Though we've worked together just a few months, I'm discovering that he's a good friend, too.
But with him and girls….Here's how it is.
He falls for them. Hard.
That's the way it's been with Ellen Bart. She's a nurse. A good nurse. But a weird one. Dixie McCall, the head nurse in Rampart Emergency, turns around the phrase about marching to one's own drummer to say that Ellen has her own fife and bugle corps.
Ellen's also pretty. That's what attracted Johnny, of course.
But she was hostile to him from the very beginning, with all sorts of snide remarks.
And, well, that also attracted Johnny. Which I don't understand.
I asked Dixie about it. Her answer was "Johnny seems to think Ellen's playing hard to get."
"Do you think she is?"
Dixie chuckled. "You never know with Ellen."
I guess not. Next thing I knew, Johnny was telling me they had a date for Friday night. You bet I was surprised.
And even more surprised the following day, when Johnny told me how she'd broken off the date.
Why the long face?
We were saying goodbye….I thought I had it made.
Friday at 8, wasn't it?
She's called it off. She's gonna be on the high seas.
Just to get away from you?
She's applied for a job as a nurse on a cruise ship. She's gonna be gone for six months.
Well, at least you'll know where she is….
I thought that was the end of it - until the following Monday morning.
Johnny and I had come into Rampart for supplies, and - there she was. Talking to Dixie at the nurses' station.
I took a glance at Johnny. "You're catching flies," I told him.
Johnny closed his mouth, then opened it again to talk. "What's she doing here?!"
"Guess she's in port," I said.
Johnny looked at me, started stammering, looked at Ellen, kept stammering, and looked back at me. I've noticed he has a tendency to do that when he's absolutely - pardon the expression - at sea.
It was now obvious to him that Ellen wasn't at sea.
While Johnny's looks and words darted, I told him, "Go talk to her."
"Yeah…." He drifted in the direction of the nurses' station.
Meanwhile, Dixie stepped out and waved at me.
"I just wanted to give those two a chance to talk," Dixie said.
"That was a quick cruise she had," I said.
Dixie chuckled. "Actually, she had kind of a brief run-through on the weekend, but she's not leaving on her extended cruise until May."
We watched Johnny and Ellen talk. Actually, we watched Ellen do most of the talking and Johnny look confused - as usual.
I shook my head. "I don't think it's going well for him."
Dixie disagreed. "Oh, you'd be surprised."
Ellen broke off the conversation and walked up to us - really, to Dixie.
"I'll go check on Dr. Early in Treatment Room 5, Miss McCall," she said. Business before - well, whatever.
"That's fine, Ellen. Thanks." After Dixie spoke, I nodded at Ellen, who left for Treatment 5.
Now came the hard part. Johnny looked absolutely stunned.
"Want to help me?" I asked Dixie.
"Sorry, I've got paperwork." Dixie didn't look the least bit sorry.
"Well, we've still got to get the supplies," I said. "Johnny, did you get the supplies?"
"Huh? Oh…no." Johnny went from clueless to competent in less than 5 seconds. "I'll get 'em. Dix, we need three bags of D5W…."
He was all business for the next few minutes, while we got the supplies together and said goodbye to Dixie. Then, we started walking out to the squad.
I decided to wait until Johnny had loaded the supplies in the squad to say anything. It was enough just seeing the war of expressions on his face.
My curiosity was bursting. But I'd learned that the best way to get any information from Johnny was to wait him out. We got into the squad.
He looked at me and looked out the window, then looked at me again.
I couldn't wait anymore. "OK, what did you two talk about?"
Then, I listened. Not that he told me anything. Not yet.
Then….
"Well….Ya know….It's like….She…."
He was interrupted by the beep-beep-beep from the radio.
"Squad 51. Case of difficult breathing at the Laundromat, South Avalon and East 220. Repeat, South Avalon and East 220. Time out, 9:51."
Sam Lanier always has good timing, but right then….
Johnny picked up the microphone. "Squad 51."
Guess Johnny's revelation would have to wait until later.
E!
The difficult breathing at the Laundromat turned out to be someone who was allergic to a new detergent. She had a nasty reaction, so Johnny brought her in while I drove the squad.
Brackett was taking care of her in Treatment Room 2, and Johnny was inside helping and answering questions, so I went to the lounge to get some coffee.
Ellen Bart was pouring herself a cup.
"Oh, Hi Roy!"
"Hello." She poured me a cup, too. "Thanks."
She looked toward the door.
I smiled. "Johnny's in Treatment 2 with Dr. Brackett and the patient. Allergy attack, but she'll be OK."
Ellen nodded. "Good." She paused. "Guess Johnny told you we're having a date Friday night."
I didn't see that coming.
"Oh…." I began. "Uh…." Guess Dixie was right. Maybe.
"Oh, that's all right, Roy. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable about it, you being a married man and all. See you later!"
Off she walked.
What just happened?!
I stood there for a moment like a rock, until Dixie arrived.
"Roy?"
I woke up.
"Hi, Dixie. I just ran into Ellen Bart. She told me she and Johnny have a date Friday night."
Dixie frowned. "Johnny hadn't told you?"
"He hadn't gotten the chance before we got called out."
Now I have to deal with Johnny's explanation. I'm not sure I'm ready. He's a great paramedic partner, but….Will it always be like this when he's stuck on a girl?
"Hey, Roy?"
Here he comes. I pick up the Handi-Talkie. Squad 51, available. I wouldn't mind the tones sounding just now.
"Hi, Johnny. How's Mrs. Lewis?"
"Oh, much better."
"Good." I don't know why I'm doing this, but I'm doing this. "I just saw Ellen Bart here at the nurses' station. So you're taking her out Friday night?"
Johnny blushed - I didn't think it was possible - several different shades as he looked from me to Dixie, who just smiled, and back at me.
"I'll tell ya in the squad," Johnny said.
Like it or not, he did.
"See, it's like this, Roy. Ya hafta understand women….I was just waiting for her to come around."
I took a deep breath and shook my head. "By her going to sea," I said.
Johnny smiled and nodded. "Yeah. See, Roy, Ya hafta understand women…."
I thought I did.
Thanks to Johnny, now I'm really confused.
THE END