J is for Jinx
The engine crew could hear Johnny complaining before he even got out of the paramedic unit.
"I don't believe today! Everything is going wrong!"
From the expression on Roy's face, this was hardly the first rendition of Johnny's woes that he had heard. With the other three men watching with undisguised curiosity, Captain Stanley made his way over - both to find out what was going on and to give Roy a break.
"Having a rough day, John?"
Even as the words were leaving his mouth, Stanley got his first good look at the younger paramedic. Light bandages were on both hands, the right knee was torn on his uniform pants, there was a grass stain on his light blue uniform shirt and he was pretty sure he could see the beginnings of a bruise forming on Johnny's jaw.
Seeing the Captain stare, Johnny sighed.
"Just - don't ask. I'm going to go take a hot shower."
"John?"
"Yeah, Cap?"
"Hot water heater's busted. We're waiting on maintenance."
The sound coming from Johnny was practically a moan.
"Of course it's busted. You know, I think I'll just go lie down. If my bunk doesn't collapse when I sit on it, that is."
They all watched silently as Johnny limped his way to the bunkroom, then they all turned to Roy. Roy motioned for them to follow him to their break area before starting.
"I've never seen anything like it, Cap. It wasn't anything that Johnny did either unless you count being in the wrong place. The woman that we went to check for chest pains had been driving and had pulled over to the side of the road. I was bringing over the oxygen and Johnny was setting up the biophone by her door when her son in the back decides to fling his door open and the door whacked Johnny in the chin. The woman got really upset and yelled at the kid, then he got upset and took off down the embankment, fell down and started wailing, which got the woman even more upset."
"While I'm trying to calm her down, Johnny goes to see if the kid is hurt. Vince was the one who had called us in for the woman and he's the one that told me what happened next. Apparently, part of the embankment was unstable and started sliding under Johnny's feet. While he's fighting to keep his balance, there's a duck in the grass at the bottom who decides there's too much noise and that it's all Johnny's fault and the duck flies at him. Between the duck and the loose dirt, Johnny ends up taking a tumble downhill."
"After all that, the kid didn't even so much as scrape his knee and the woman's problem ended up being a bad case of gas."
None of the other four said anything for a minute or two, then Chet let out a low whistle.
"Sounds like someone laid a jinx on old Johnny."
Chet looked thoughtful as he wandered out of the break room and the others exchanged looks.
"I hope Chet's not going to razz Johnny about this. He's already in a bad mood."
Laying on his bunk, Johnny just groaned when he saw Chet come in.
"Don't even start, Chester. I'm really not up for your jokes right now, man."
Raising his hands in a surrender gesture, Chet shook his head.
"Not here to give you a hassle, Gage. Here to give you a possible solution. Here - take this."
"What's that?"
"It's called a button, Gage."
"I know it's a button, Chet. Why are you giving me a button?"
"Good luck charm, Gage. Something to counteract whatever jinx is on you."
"Haha. Very funny."
"I'm serious, man. Take it."
The tones sounding ended any further discussion. While Johnny stripped out of his ruined uniform, Chet grabbed Johnny's spare uniform for him before heading out to the engine. Johnny changed quickly and joined Roy as Mike pulled Big Red out.
The call was to a structural fire - a bad one with victims trapped inside. Johnny and Roy worked quickly and efficiently, guiding the people out while Chet and Marco held back the flames with a thick fog mist.
The last of the victims was out when Johnny headed through the doorway. The ceiling collapsed into the room he had just left, the debris missing him by mere inches.
His heart still racing from the close call, Johnny joined Roy in evaluating the people from the building. Two of them needed oxygen, but everyone was safe and no-one needed emergency transport, though all were recommended to see their doctors as soon as possible.
As he and Roy cleaned up and repacked the squad, Johnny told his partner about the ceiling collapse.
"Maybe that means your run of bad luck is over, Junior."
"Man, I hope so. You know that Chester B was trying to get me to take a button?"
"A button? Why a button?"
"He claimed it was a good luck -"
Johnny had been reaching into his pocket to pull out his folding blade when his fingers came across something unexpected. He pulled it out and stared at it. It was a small green button - the same one Chet had tried to give him earlier.
Coming over closer, Roy took a look at the button.
"You know, I could be mistaken, but that looks like the button off of an Army field uniform. Bet it's off of one of Chet's uniforms from when he was in 'Nam."
Slipping the button back into his pocket, Johnny was quiet as he continued to help repack the squad. Roy finally spoke.
"You know, it might only be psychological. Maybe the button only acted like a good luck charm because you were thinking of it that way subconsciously, whether you consciously believe it or not."
Johnny shook his head.
"You don't get it, Roy. Chet tried to give it to me, but I didn't take it. He must have slipped it into my pocket when he volunteered to get my uniform for me. I mean, I know it's bound to be a coincidence, but . . . "
"But even though you don't really believe it did anything, it's kind of nice to know that Chet was trying to look out for you in his own unique way?"
"Yeah. I guess that's it, Roy. I mean, the guy seemed sincere, but I wonder why Chet thinks a button is a good luck charm?"
"Didn't you tell me that Chet said he came close to dying overseas?"
"Yeah. He told me about it back when we went fishing together and that earthquake hit."
"Bet you that button came off the uniform he was wearing that day. Guys would carry all sorts of things for luck, including bullets that hit close to them."
Johnny stared silently for a minute, retaking out the button and contemplating the number of years and miles between that day in Vietnam and where the button was now.
"Wow. That sounds kind of strange."
"Maybe. But when you're a long way from home and you never know when the next bullet or bomb might be coming at you? You take comfort where you can."
"Did you have something like that too, Roy?"
Roy's flush was already an answer even before he nodded.
"I still carry it with me, to be honest. An old wheat ear penny that Joanne pressed into my hand while we said goodbye right before I shipped out. She still calls it my lucky penny."
Apparently that gave Johnny something to chew over in his head because he remained silent the rest of the way back to the station. When they arrived, he walked over to Chet, pulling out the button and offering it back.
"You know, Chet? Maybe it worked and maybe it didn't, but thanks. I appreciate it."
Chet gave a half-smile, but didn't move to take the button back.
"Keep it. I have another one."
Before Johnny could say anything to that, Chet continued.
"Listen, John - if you don't want to think of it as a good luck thing, think of it as a friendship thing."
Looking from Chet back to the button, Johnny just gave a half-smile back and returned the button to his pocket.