I do not own these men, wish I did, but I don't *sigh*
My Worst NightmareIt was a slow day at Station 51; the crew of A-Shift was sitting in the day room, literally twittering their thumbs.
"It is bad that we want to run a call?" John Gage asked, being the youngest member of the group, he was always ready for action.
"What do you mean, it's our job." Chet Kelly, also known as The Phantom, said.
"What I mean is, is it bad that we want someone to get hurt, so that they need us?"
"Well, Johnny, people do get hurt, it's inevitable, and it's good that you want to help them when they need someone." Captain Stanley said.
"Yeah, I guess." Johnny responded.
"Listen Junior, We all feel the same way, but I guess it comes with the job." Roy DeSoto, John's partner, said.
"Yeah, I mean I guess I just felt wrong about it. You know just sitting here waiting for someone to get injured or sick, but I guess it's good were waiting, because people want to see us when they get hurt."
"Exactly." Roy said.
Silence fell over the men.
"Maybe we should see what movies are playing tonight." Marco Lopez suggested.
"Chet doesn't get to choose, last time he made us watch Terror in the Doghouse, which was horrible." Mike Stoker, the quiet engineer said.
"Agreed." Johnny said.
"I don't know what you're talking about! That movie is a classic!" Chet complained.
Roy got the TV guide for that day, he started to flip through looking for a interesting flick the guy's could watch.
"Hey, what about Working for a Living?" he said.
"Isn't that some chick flick?" John asked.
"No, it's about these guy's who work at some factory."
"My brother said it was really good." Cap said.
"I always wanted to see it, but never got around to it." Marco said.
"Sounds good, it starts in about an hour." Roy said.
Working for a Living is a movie about this group of men who work together at a factory. They had a strong friendship, and consider themselves family. Tragedy strikes when an explosion burns the factory to the ground. One of the men ends up dying from it. The other men's lives were destroyed with grief and sorrow.
Two hours later, Marco switches the TV off but the men don't move. All six men had tears and their eyes, which they were trying to hide.
Minutes later Cap stood up.
"Ok men, lights out in twenty minutes." He ordered. He was affected by the movie but his crew still had a job to do, and being sleep deprived wouldn't help.
John and Roy slipped into bed before the others were even in the bunkroom.
"Hey Roy?"
"Johnny?"
"That movie…you didn't think that movie was…I don't know…"
"Familiar?" Roy finished for him.
"Yeah."
"Johnny, yeah it hit close to home, but it was just a movie." Roy said, trying to keep his partner from worrying too much.
"Yeah, I guess. It's just…"
"I know, Johnny. I know. Now get some sleep, Junior."
Mike walked outside the bay doors and looked up to the starry sky. He needed a moment, the movie had made him think about the men he worked with, and what it would feel like to lose one of them.
I couldn't deal with it. He thought to himself.
"Stoker?" Cap was standing behind him; he was worried about the engineer.
"Cap?"
"You ok?"
"Yeah, I was just thinking about the movie, it was really…um sad." Mike couldn't find a word to describe the movie.
"Ya know Mikey, I probably wouldn't be able to go on working for the fire department if I lost one of you guys."
"Yeah, I don't think I could either."
The two friends stood there looking up at the sky, cap put his hand on Mike's shoulder.
"Come on Mike, lights out in five."
They went back into the station and settled into their bunks.
Roy opened his eyes, what had happened? He felt something stating to stir next to him.
"Johnny?" he asked.
"Ro…Roy?" A weak voice answered.
"Johnny, are you alright?"
"I…I don't think so Roy."
Roy took a quick survey of himself, he seemed fine, and so he stood up. Looking around he saw Johnny lying under a chandelier that had fallen from the ceiling.
"Johnny? Johnny? Where do you hurt?" he asked.
"Don't bother…to late…to...much…blood."
"No, NO! You're gonna be fine, just be stay with me."
"I'm…sorry, Roy…can't stay awake. Want…you…know…best…friend…brother. I'm…so…sorry…."
Johnny's eyes closed his eyes and his breathing slowed.
"NO! JOHNNY! Please, you are my best friend, MY BROTHER! PLEASE…""JOHNNY! PLEASE! NO!"
Johnny woke with a start to someone screaming his name. He realized it was Roy screaming. He seemed to be having a bad dream about Johnny.
"JOHNNY! DON"T DIE!" Roy screamed. The others were waking to Roy's screaming.
John rushed to his friend's side.
"Roy, Calm down, Roy, It's me, Wake up." He shook Roy's shoulder and his eyes opened. He looked around, and realized where he was.
"Johnny?"
"Roy? Are you ok?"
"Yeah, just had a bad dream."
"About me?"
"How did you…"
He saw the other guy's watching him.
"Was I talking or something?"
"Yeah, or something. You were screaming stuff about Johnny dying." Chet answered.
"Oh…Well Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you guys."
"Are you sure your ok?" Johnny asked; he was concerned. He didn't like what Roy was screaming about.
"Yeah, could I talk to you for a moment?"
The two men got up and walked into the day room.
"So what was the dream about?" Johnny asked.
"Well I guess we were working a fire, and something happened, and you ended up crushed by a chandelier. You were still alive when I got to you, but you ended up…."
"Dying?" Johnny asked.
"Yeah…"
The two men sat there in shock, but Johnny quickly put on a Gage Grin and said.
"Well, thank good it was just a dream."
"Yeah. But Johnny, I want you to know that I consider you my closest friend, hell, my brother."
"Gee Roy, You know that you and your family, are the only true family I really have. You're my brother, no matter what."
"Thanks."
"No, Thank you. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be where I am right now." Johnny admitted.
Roy smiled, remembering the day he had met Johnny. He had come in to ask questions about the Paramedic Program. They had been friends almost instantly. Now, years later, he couldn't imagine his life without his dark haired friend.
"Come on Junior, Let's get some sleep."
Minutes later they were all fast asleep.
Mike jumped from the engine, he saw the rest of the crew follow suit. The accident was bad, almost ten cars had piled up, and they were in the worst possible place; the middle of a busy interstate. Cap started ordering things left and right, while Johnny and Roy went to see about the victims. Mike watched the traffic, which was dangerously close to the scene. None of the others seem to notice the traffic whizzing past. He glanced over to Cap who started to run past the side engine to get another hose. Mike thought he would help, so he ran after him. He was the only one who saw the red truck coming; the driver was looking at the accident, and didn't see the engine. The truck slammed into the back of the engine, and Captain Stanley.
"CAP?!" Mike ran over, he saw his friend crushed between the truck and engine.
"CAP?!" He yelled again.
Mike went up to his best friend and felt for a pulse. There was none. Captain Stanley was dead.
"NO!! CAP!!"
Mike woke with a start. Cap was leaning over him.
"Stoker? Are you ok?" he asked.
"You're alive?" Mike said, still confused and groggy.
"Of course, you twit. What else would I be?"
"You…you were crushed by a truck, and the engine…" Mike suddenly realized where he was.
"I think you were having a dream." Marco said, waking up to all the talking, the others hadn't heard Mike and they were all sleeping soundly.
"Why don't you come to my office?" Cap said.
The two men got up and left the room and Marco went back to sleep.
"So, I'm guessing I died in your dream?" Cap asked.
"Yeah."
"How?"
"You were crushed between the engine and a truck."
"Gee, not a very good way to go." Cap was keeping the conversation light; he knew that the Engineer was upset.
"Yeah, it scared the crap out of me. I felt for your pulse and you didn't have one, I couldn't do anything. I was useless, it kinda makes me feel useless now, what if you died and I couldn't help you?"
"Mike, you're not useless. It was a dream, in real life you're the best engineer around, and you do your job above expectations. If I needed you, I know you would come and do everything you could."
"Yeah, I would, I couldn't let you die."
"See partner, It's all going to be fine. Now let's get some sleep."
They went back into the bunkroom, and once again all was silent within minutes.
About two hours later someone screaming jolted all the men at Station 51 awake. It was Chet.
"GUYS! COME BACK! I DIDN'T MEAN TO KILL YOU! IT'S MY ENTIRE FAULT! I'M SORRY!" he yelled.
Marco was the one to wake the screaming shift mate this time. Chet woke and looked around to see the faces of five concerned men.
"YOUR ALIVE!" he smiled, looking absolutely happy to see his friends.
"No freakin duh Kelly." John said.
"Ok, men, what is going on? This is the third time tonight that one of you twits has woken up because they dreamed one of us died. Was it that movie?" Cap asked.
"I think so Cap." Marco said.
"Listen guys, I know the movie kinda drove the point, that any of us could die on the job, home, but we can't dwell on it. We have a job to do."
"What happens if one of us does die?" Mike asked, still reliving his dream.
"We all pull together and try and deal with it." Roy responded.
"Like family." Johnny said.
"Like family." Cap agreed.
The men all looked around, happy to be in each others company. Cap looked at his watch.
"Alright men, back to your bunks, we've had enough disruptions tonight." He ordered. The men climbed back into their bunks and went back to sleep, again.
Captain Stanley rolled over in his bunk and smiled. What would he do without his crew, his best friends, his brothers, and hell, his kids?
He thought for a moment trying to consider life without them.
He realized he would miserable without Roy, the peace-keeper; Johnny, the kid; Chet, the joker; Mike, the quiet and dependable one; and Marco, the reliable one.
Captain Stanley rolled over in his bunk and fell asleep, feeling safe next to the ones he trusted most.