Flash Forward
By Neemps
Description: Battalion Chief Roy DeSoto runs into a familiar face at Rampart
Author notes: This story makes references to my previous story, "You and the Night and the Music."
Rating: K+ Friendship/Romance R. DeSoto & D. McCall
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Chapter 1
The Emergency entrance door burst open to admit several firefighters, all covered in soot, some walking in on their own, some being assisted by fellow firefighters, and a few on gurneys accompanied by paramedics. One captain was being helped in by Battalion Chief Roy DeSoto.
It had been quite a while since Roy had set foot in this hospital, but he didn't really have time to reminisce at the moment. He was focused on getting one of his men to medical assistance for smoke and fumes inhalation. They had just come from a nasty oil refinery fire. The treatment rooms were full of the more urgent cases, so Roy and his colleague waited in the lobby area with several other firefighters from the same incident.
Dixie McCall had come to the Emergency wing of Rampart Hospital earlier to meet up with some former colleagues for a retirement lunch. She and another retiree had been chatting in the lobby when they saw the group of firemen come in. They stayed back and out of the way, knowing how quickly things can get busy in the ER. Dixie thought she caught a glimpse of a familiar face for just a moment, and decided she would hang around to find out if she really saw who she thought she saw.
A few moments later, when one of the doctors came up to the chief and captain, Dixie saw that it was indeed Roy DeSoto. His turnout coat had his name stenciled on the back. He pushed his white helmet off his head and let it hang down his back, revealing his now white hair, which was thinning, but he still stood tall, and had the same wide chest and strong arms. He helped the fire captain rise from his chair, and handed him off to the doctor, who took his friend into one of the now open treatment rooms.
Dixie watched as Roy spoke with the other firemen who were assembled in the room, and then when it looked like he was about to leave, she decided to approach him. She thought she might not ever see him again if she didn't act quickly, and she really didn't want that to happen. It was now or never.
"Roy?"
Roy stopped and turned at the sound of a familiar voice calling his name. Their eyes met, and both of their faces lit up.
"Dixie!" Roy smiled and stepped toward her. "I'd give you a hug but I'm kinda dirty at the moment."
"Oh, I don't care about that, Roy DeSoto!" She reached up and hugged him. "Oh my goodness, it's so good to see you."
"I didn't think I'd run into anyone I knew here anymore, it's been so long." Roy admitted.
"Chief! You coming?" One of the firemen called to him from outside.
"In a minute." he called back. He looked at Dixie, wishing he didn't have to go. "Look, we should get together and catch up."
"Hang on…." She reached into her purse, took out a pen and a scrap of paper, and wrote her phone number on it. "Here. Give me a call."
"I will. See you later." He smiled at her. She watched him head outside to the fire engine, where he climbed up into the cab's passenger seat, and then was gone. She wondered if she would really see him again, or if that short moment is all they would share.
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An hour later, Dixie returned to her condo. She noticed that her phone's message light was blinking. She smiled when she recognized the voice.
"Hey Dixie. Sure was great to see you today. Wish I didn't have to run out of there so fast. Sorry about that. Listen, I'm off tomorrow. Maybe we can get together for lunch or coffee or dinner or something. Let me know if that would be convenient for you. My cell number is 555-2049. Call me anytime. Looking forward to hearing from you. "
He had called right away. That made Dixie feel good. She regretted that she had let some of her old friendships dissolve away with time. Especially now that she had so much time on her hands since retiring. She could use some of those old friends. She decided to call him back immediately.
She picked up her phone and dialed his number. It went directly to voicemail.
"Hi Roy. How about tomorrow at six for dinner? Would The Depot in Torrance be alright? I'll meet you there unless I hear from you. It was wonderful to see you too. I'm looking forward to catching up. Good night."
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The Depot was an old train station that had been converted into a restaurant. It was located in the old downtown section of the City of Torrance, just a couple of miles west of Rampart General. Dixie arrived a little early, since it wasn't very far from her condo. She discovered that Roy was already there, waiting for her in the bar. He saw her come in and stood up to greet her.
"Hello there." Dixie said.
"Hi yourself. This time we're gonna do it right." He took her into a tight bear-hug, squeezing a giggle out of her. "You look fantastic." he said.
"You clean up pretty good too," she said, tugging on his brown leather jacket.
"Let's go sit down. Table's ready." He led her into the dining room. It was a Tuesday evening so the place was not crowded.
They each ordered a light meal, since they knew that they would be spending more time talking than eating.
"So… " Dixie began, "I thought chiefs had their own little red cars. What were you doing hopping into an engine yesterday?"
"I do have my own little red car." Roy explained, with a little smirk. "But I wanted to make sure that one of my men got taken care of properly. That captain I brought in does a good job of watching after his own men, but not so great a job of watching after himself. I could tell he was struggling, and I wanted to make sure he got to Rampart. I hitched a ride in the ambulance with him and a few others. Then I needed a ride back to my little red car," he said, with a twinkle in his eye.
They found out quite a bit about each other as the night went on. Roy was now divorced, as Dixie suspected, and heading toward retirement very soon, within the next few months. Roy's son Chris had become a doctor and was on staff with a group practice in Redondo Beach. Chris and his wife had provided Roy with two grandchildren.
To Dixie's surprise, his daughter Jenny had become a paramedic firefighter like her dad! Except that she went with Los Angeles City, rather than the County Fire Department, to avoid problems with nepotism. Strain over Jenny's career choice was a factor in his split with Joanne, although he said they are still on friendly terms. Even though Roy considered himself to be fairly old fashioned, he eventually supported Jenny's decision on firefighting since the industry had been very good to him.
The real problems started at the empty nest phase, when Roy was still spending half of his time at the firehouse, while Joanne had more time at home with no more kids to take care of. She got bored, and tired of waiting for time to spend with her husband. Joanne had since remarried, but Roy was now single.
Dixie had retired several years earlier, but was still active with various organizations which kept her busy at the hospital. Dr. Joe Early had passed on a few years back. Dr. Mike Morton was still on staff. He was married with four children and seven grandchildren. Dixie and Dr. Kelly Brackett never did tie the knot. She had remained single. Brackett also never married, but traveled a lot, internationally, helping other countries set up paramedic systems. She hadn't seen him in at least ten or twelve years.
"Aren't you keeping up with his blog?" Roy teased.
"Oh my God," Dixie threw up her hands. "Don't talk to me about blogs, or smart phones, or Tivos, Ipods….." She shook her head while Roy laughed. "You know, I was so proud of myself in the 80s when I figured out how to program my VCR. But after THAT…."
Roy smiled the shy boyish smile that Dixie loved so much. Even now, he still looked so cute, white receding hairline and all. The years had been good to him.
"Ah, I shouldn't knock technology," she conceded. "There have been some really incredible advances with it in Emergency procedures." They both nodded at that.
"Fire Department too. Sometimes the changes come slow, but they do come. You can even get a two-year AA degree in Paramedics now."
"Did you keep up your certification?"
"Not anymore. I did while I was still a captain. Johnny still has his."
"How is he doing?"
"Divorced- again! Still chasing girls. Some things never change."
"That's nice that you still keep in touch with him."
"Oh yeah. Saddled for life with that guy. Who'd have thought that our relationship would last longer than my marriage!"
"Hey, you mentioned grandkids. Let me see the pictures. I KNOW you carry 'em with you."
Roy reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and then pulled out a couple of photos that had been tucked inside. He passed them over to Dixie.
"Oh, how precious," she said, completely delighted. "Roy, this little angel has your cheekbones! Right there, look at that."
Roy marveled at how terrific Dixie looked. She had to be in her 70s, but she still looked just as sexy and amazing as she did thirty years ago. Her hair was shorter and gray, but other than that, he really couldn't tell much difference at all. He was also amazed that she was still single. Why hadn't some lucky guy snatched her up? Weren't the doctors around here supposed to be smart?
The waiter came by with the check, which Roy took care of. Dixie passed back the photos, as they stood up to leave. Roy guided her out to the parking lot, where they stood by her car.
"I am so glad that we ran into each other yesterday," Dixie said, taking his hands in hers.
"Me too." He lifted her hands up to his lips and kissed them. "You know, we really don't have to wait another 30-plus years to see each other again."
"I really don't want to go that long again!" she agreed. They just stood looking at each other for a moment.
"I have the next two days off." Roy said. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather spend those days with."
"That would be nice." Dixie said.
"Call you tomorrow?" he asked. She nodded. They kissed each other on the cheek, and she got into her car. As he watched her drive away, he thought that tomorrow wouldn't come soon enough.
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The next day they went for a stroll on Redondo Beach Pier, poking around the shops, and grabbing junk food snacks at the vendor stands. Then they walked along the beach with their pants rolled up and carrying their shoes. They got splashed a couple of times, but it was fun to be out in the fresh air and to feel the sand under their feet.
Out of habit when coming into a new building for the first time, Roy spotted the smoke detector, sprinklers and kitchen fire extinguisher before noticing the rest of the furnishings in Dixie's condo. This place was nicer than her old place, he thought. Dixie walked into the small kitchen and took two wine glasses out of the cabinet. She picked out a bottle of Cabernet from the wine rack and showed it to Roy.
"This okay?" she offered. He nodded, and picked up the wine opener. While he worked on the cork, she went over to her compact stereo and turned on a jazz CD. Roy poured two glasses of wine, and carried them over to the sofa, where they sat down close to each other. He handed her a glass. They clinked them together, and then took a sip.
Roy set his glass down on the coffee table. He looked Dixie in the eyes for a moment. They both knew what was coming, and each had been waiting for it.
"I remember the last time we were listening to music together like this," he said.
"Mmhmm. So do I. There was talk of dangerous territory," She remembered. They both grinned.
He lightly placed his hand under her chin and drew her to him for a gentle kiss.
"It's nice that I don't have to worry about feeling guilty this time," he said.
"And you don't have to leave." Dixie put her glass down on the coffee table, and then put her arms around his neck.
"I see you're not worried about dangerous territory." He teased.
"Of course not," She replied. "I've got a fireman to protect me."
A few more light kisses lead to deeper ones. The same feelings from 30 years ago were still there. This time they could do a little more about it.
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