Johnny Gage was smiling as he walked into the door of his house and closed it; the large house was dark and quiet.
"Min?"
He walked down the hall and peeked in the nursery, Evan was sound asleep dressed in a light blue bodysuit. The baby monitor was on and he quietly walked in and leaned down, he gave his son a kiss on the cheek and stroked his head. He closed the nursery door behind him, he still didn't know where his wife was but figured there was only one place she could be. He opened the bedroom door and found her, she was sitting on the bed in a red silk robe that was tied around her waist. She gave him a wide grin.
"Hi."
"Hi."
Johnny smiled at her and walked over to the bed, she got off the bed and put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "How are you doing today?" He looked down at what she had on. "And why are you wearing this?"
Min gave him a wide smile and kissed him but not just any kiss, it was the kind that made him weak in the knees. "My day was great; I took Evan to see Dr. Hanson for his 6 week checkup. She said he's very healthy and doing good. I also saw my doctor and she gave me the green light."
Johnny creased his brow. "For what?"
She stepped back and united her robe and opened it. She had on a matching red silk nightie; she had lost all of her pregnancy weight and a few pounds beyond that.
"I'll give you one guess."
Johnny swallowed hard and wiped his hand down his mouth. "Are you sure?"
Min let the robe fall down to the floor and nodded. "Oh I'm very sure."
She moved close to him and put both hands on his face and kissed him passionately. Her hands went to his uniform shirt and started unbuttoning it one button at a time. She took it off of him and let it fall to the ground. Her hands were on his t-shirt, they pulled it out of his pants and over his head.
Johnny was being attacked he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feel of her, they hadn't been together as husband and wife since Min's last month of pregnancy. Johnny put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them down her arms, she was kissing his neck and chest. He tilted his head back; her sweet kisses were driving him into a frenzy.
Min could hear every small sound of pleasure he uttered, they were only making her desire for him increase. She buried her face in his neck and started gently biting it.
Johnny closed his eyes breathing hard, all he wanted to do was feel her body against him but he was battling with himself. He wanted to make love to his wife but at the same time he was torn. Min had just given birth to their child, her body had been through a lot and he didn't want to add to that despite how much he wanted to be with her.
"Min…are you absolutely sure that we can do this?"
"Positive." She brought his head down and covered his mouth with hers. "I want you to make love to me Johnny."
That was the last straw, Johnny couldn't take anymore his blood was boiling. He put his arms around her waist and lifted her; Min wrapped her legs around him as he did this. The bed was right there and the couple fell back against it.
The couple was exhausted but sated; Min was lying with her head on her husband's chest. There was a small smile on her face and she sighed.
"God I missed you."
Johnny laughed and rubbed her back. "It had been a while hadn't it?"
"Well a little over two months."
"Seemed longer than that." Johnny also felt totally content; he tucked his arm under his head and sighed.
Min lifted her head and gave him a kiss. "So how was your day?"
"Well my day got a lot better when I got home. Can I come home to that more often?"
"Feeling frisky are we Johnny Gage?"
The paramedic nodded. "Can you blame me?"
She gave him another kiss. "No, I can't."
Johnny put his arms around his wife. "Actually my day wasn't that good, there is going to be a new paramedic's certification test next month and I have to take it."
"Why just you?"
"Roy doesn't need to; he just did his last month remember?"
"So why did they suddenly decide to make a new test?"
Johnny sighed and rubbed his face. "There's a new Assistant Fire Chief, he's in charge of the paramedic program now and has instituted a bunch of new rules. It's a real drag; this guy doesn't know one thing about what it's like to be a paramedic. He sits behind a desk and tells us what to do out in the field."
"Are you worried about the test?"
"No, I've taken all sorts of tests before it's just about procedures and situations, pretty common sense."
The baby monitor on top of the dresser picked up the sound of Evan crying, Min got up and slipped her robe on.
"I'll get him."
Min tied her robe and went out the open door; she walked down the hall to the nursery.
"Hi Angel." Her voice came over the baby monitor. "How's my baby? Guess what? Daddy's home! Come on let's go see him!"
Min came back into the room holding Evan against her chest, the baby boy had gotten a little bigger, but he still looked exactly like his father although his eyes were definitely big like his mother's. Evan now weighed a little over 8 pounds and had grown to 20 inches; he was happy and was already starting to smile.
Johnny sat up and stretched out his arms to him. "Come here little man."
Min walked over to the bed and she smiled. "Look Evan its Daddy!" She handed him to his father, Johnny smiled and kissed him. "How's my little boy today? Did you miss me?"
Evan was a very easy going baby that was quick to smile; he looked at his father with those big dark eyes and gurgled at him. This made Johnny laugh and he brought his knees. The sheet was over them and he laid his son on top of his legs holding his little hands. "I think that meant he did."
Min sat down beside him and touched the little boy's face. "Of course he missed his father, didn't you Baby?"
Johnny touched his forehead to his son's. "What woke you up? Is it dinnertime?" He looked at his wife. "I think it is dinnertime Min for both him and me."
Min shook her head. "Well let's go in the kitchen that's where the food is."
She reached over the side of the bed and tossed her husband his t-shirt; she got up and opened his dresser tossing him a pair of shorts. "Here you go, get dressed."
Johnny picked Evan up and laid him down on the bed. "Give Daddy a second Baby." He got up and got dressed; he pulled his t-shirt over his head and picked up his son. "Come on let's go eat."
Min put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt; she threw her robe on the bed and followed the two men.
Bo had bought his nephew a present, it was a blue bouncy seat and Johnny set it on top of the counter so the little baby could watch his parents. He securely strapped his son in it with the Velcro fasteners; there was a rattle that went over the seat like a rainbow. Johnny spun it a few times for the baby.
"Exciting isn't it?"
Min took the can of formula out of the pantry and handed it to her husband. "Mr. Gage, it's your turn to feed your son."
Johnny took it from her and got a small 4 ounce bottle out of the cabinet and filled it with water, he opened the formula and put in two scoops. He put the lid on the bottle and started shaking it up.
Ever since Evan was born, the couple had split things up. Min fed Evan his breakfast and his lunch, when Johnny got home he gave him dinner and his bedtime bottle. Evan had been on formula for only a little over a week, Min had been breastfeeding him but he didn't seem very satisfied with it.
Evan was removed from his bouncy seat and was in his father's arms. Johnny wanted to sit at the big table but there was a slight problem all of the chairs were pulled close to the table and both of the new father's hands were occupied. He looked down at the chair. "Uhh…Min can you get the chair?"
She was poking around the pantry; she saw her husband had his hands full. "Oh sorry." She pulled back the chair for him.
"Thanks."
He sat down in it and positioned Evan for feeding, he was lying in the crook of his left arm and he gave him his bottle. The little boy took it in his mouth and started eating.
"Wow you are hungry aren't you?"
Johnny was holding the bottle with his right hand; he touched his son on his cheek and kissed him. "Good isn't it?" Evan's little hand touched the bottle.
"Hey Min he's trying to hold it."
"Already?" She took some boneless chicken out of the fridge. "Well I took this boneless chicken out this morning, how about some stir fry?"
Johnny nodded. "Sounds good, I'm starving."
The phone rang and Min had opened the chicken and had touched it. She washed her hands really fast and dried them; she picked up the phone on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Hi Min, how's my baby?"
Min smiled. "Hi Gloria, he's fine right now Johnny is giving him his dinner." She got out her large butcher knife and started cutting up the boneless chicken.
"So how is parenthood?"
"Good, Evan is an absolute joy."
"I'm glad, and the new father?"
Min looked at her husband, Johnny was playing with his son's little fingers leaning down and kissing Evan's fingers loudly. This made his wife smile. "Oh he's doing good too, he is absolutely crazy about Evan."
Gloria sighed. "I'm glad; I knew he would be a good father. What are you doing about the club?"
"Oh well Bo and I talked about that, for now I'm still on leave he said things are going smoothly and to take my time getting back. I figure I'll be off another month that will give Bo the time to turn my office into a nursery so I can take Evan with me."
"What does Johnny think about that?"
"He's fine with it; he thought it was a good idea." Min cut up more of the chicken and put the pieces in a large skillet. "We went to the doctor today; Evan is 8 pounds and is 20 inches. The doctor said he's very healthy."
"Did you see your doctor?"
"Yeah I saw mine too, she said I'm fine and I've recovered very well from the birth."
Johnny looked at his wife, she winked at him and he smiled at her.
"You aren't breastfeeding Evan anymore right?"
"No, not since last week."
"And he took to the formula with no trouble?"
"No trouble at all, I think it was the right thing to do because now Johnny can feed him right away instead of having to wait for me to pump milk. Did you get the new photos?"
Gloria got very excited. "Yes they were beautiful! I put the big one in a nice frame. He looks just like Johnny did when he was a baby."
Min glanced at her husband; he had Evan up on his shoulder and was burping him. "Well it looks like Evan is done; do you want to talk to your son?"
"Sure, when he's available."
Evan burped loudly and it made both of his parents laugh. Min shook her head and covered the phone really quick. "He sounds like you Johnny when you drink beer."
"I know he does." Johnny sounded very proud; he got up and strapped Evan back into his bouncy seat.
"Okay Gloria here he is." She handed him the phone and he took it from her and gave his wife a pat on the behind. Min turned around and looked at him, she pretended to be outraged.
"Hey Handsy!"
He grinned at her and put the phone to his ear. "Hi Mom."
"Hi Johnny, I just called to see how you guys were adjusting to parenthood."
"We're fine, Evan's pretty happy, especially now that he's on formula, he's gotten much more active too, and he's sleeping through the night."
Min was playing with the baby; she was kissing his hands and burying her head against Evan's stomach and making growling noises; the baby was smiling at this. Min was a little bent over and Johnny once again reached out and grabbed her behind. She made a startled noise and glared at her husband, her mouth dropped open.
"Oh you are going to pay for that one Johnny Gage!"
Johnny just wiggled his eyebrows at her and grinned.
It was after 9, Evan had been put to bed at 8 and he had fallen asleep with no problems. Min and Johnny were back in bed, he was being very sweet to his wife but she had her arms crossed over her chest.
"Come on Min don't tell me you're sore because I got a little frisky in the kitchen."
Of course she wasn't but she was pretending to be mad, she looked away from him.
"No that's fine."
"Well you aren't acting fine!" Johnny sighed, then he thought of something, she said that he was going to make him pay obviously that was what she was doing now. It was time to give his wife a dose of her own medicine. He scowled at her, he looked genuinely angry; he got off of the bed.
"Okay, you want to be mad because I showed you a little affection, then fine, be mad." He walked around to his side of the bed and picked up his pillow. "You be mad here I'll be in the spare room my mom slept in."
Min was watching him, he wasn't serious, he couldn't be serious. He opened his closet door and flipped on the light and walked into it, he picked up a folded blanket off of one of the shelves and turned off the light. He was still scowling and Min realized that he was being serious she uncrossed her arms.
"Johnny, where are you going?"
"I told you, to the room my mom was in."
"But, you can't."
"Why not? You're mad!" He opened their bedroom door and walked down the hall.
Min got off the bed and went after him. "Johnny, you aren't really going to sleep there are you?"
"Yeah I am going to sleep there." He was trying so hard not to smile or laugh.
"But, you .. I mean I…" She sighed and grabbed him by the arm and turned him around. "I don't want you to sleep in the spare room." She looked so pitiful, he couldn't keep it up he started laughing. Min saw this and her eyes got big, she gasped. "You… you were playing?"
Johnny decided to run for his life. He dropped everything, went around her and ran down the hall towards their room. Min chased after him, she tackled him and they both ended up on their bed. "Oh that's it you are in for it now!"
She was on top of him and she put his hands at his sides and put her knees down on top of them. Johnny was laughing hard, he had gotten his wife.
"Hey that was good! I deserve a trophy for that performance!"
Min was the one in control, Johnny couldn't move with his arms pinned down and her on top of him. She lifted his head and started kissing his neck, after a few seconds of this he wasn't laughing anymore he was sighing. "Hey what are you up to?"
"Getting my revenge." She latched onto his neck and started sucking on it.
"Whoa, okay so maybe I shouldn't have done that but you started it."
"Yeah I started it, and I'm going to finish it too."
She smiled wickedly as she slowly kissed his neck. The paramedic groaned, he tried to free his hands but he couldn't. "Min…okay, I'll admit it, I was wrong to do that, can you please let my hands go?"
"And why should I? I'm having a lot of fun." She kissed down to the hollow of his neck, her husband was breathing hard and she had him at her mercy. She sighed and took her knees off of his hands.
"Happy?"
Johnny didn't answer, he reached up and grabbed her around the waist. He sat up fast and threw her down on the bed. Now he was the one that was on top and in control. Min swallowed hard, he looked very intense his dark eyes were smoldering. Before Min could utter a word, Johnny grabbed her and started kissing her hard, the young woman knew she was in trouble and she was loving it.
Johnny was sitting in the bunkhouse on his bed, he was reading over the manual for the upcoming exam.
"Hey what are you reading?" Roy came in drinking a cup of coffee; he saw his partner was studying something very intently.
"The manual for that new test."
"How's it look?" Roy sipped his coffee.
"All right, I don't think it'll be a problem." He turned the page and looked over it.
"Did you hear about Donovan watching every single paramedic unit in the city?"
Johnny scoffed. "Yeah, what does he know? He's a desk jockey."
"Apparently he knows enough, the units he's already observed said he was pretty tough on them."
"Terrific that's all we need another Brice. So when do we get the pleasure of his company?"
"I'm not sure. He could be here anytime; he didn't announce himself he just showed up."
"More good news." Johnny closed the book and set it down on the nightstand that was between his bed and Roy's.
"So how's Evan?"
Johnny stopped frowning and a large grin bloomed on his face. "Good, he just had his 6 week check up."
"What's he weigh now?"
"8 pounds, I have a new picture of him in my locker."
Roy smiled and sat down on his bed. "Good, let's see it."
Johnny got up and walked out of the bunkhouse, he returned with a photo and he handed it to Roy. "Here you go."
Roy studied the photo and he smiled, the little baby had on a set of blue striped overalls and a blue shirt, his mouth open a little. "Cute picture, he really does look like you Johnny."
"Well it makes sense." Johnny sat back down on his bed. "My father and I looked a lot alike, so why wouldn't my son look like me?"
"Has your mother seen this photo?"
"Yeah we sent her a few, you can have that one if you want we have others at home."
Roy smiled and took out his wallet; he tucked the photo into it. "Thanks Johnny."
His partner smiled at him. "No problem."
Greg Donovan was a short man; he was about 5 foot 8, a lot shorter than either paramedic. The man was middle aged; he had curly red hair that was cut very close to his head and large blue eyes. He was frowning as he walked into Station 51 carrying a clipboard. He walked right in during lunch, the men were all around the table eating, when they saw him Johnny and Roy nearly choked on their chili. Roy had just told Johnny about his riding along with the other paramedic units and suddenly there he was. Johnny wiped his mouth and looked at his partner; he gave him a slight scowl. Captain Stanley wiped his mouth and his hands; he stood up and extended his to the Assistant Fire Chief.
"Chief Donovan, welcome to 51."
Donovan had those beady blue eyes that could scan a person up and down in 5 seconds flat, he shook his hand. "Captain Stanley, I'm sure you know why I'm here."
Hank smiled and nodded his head. "Yes we do." He turned towards Johnny and Roy. "We all know why you're here."
Donovan turned towards the two paramedics and whipped out his clipboard. "Gage, DeSoto, I'm sure the other units around the city have told you to expect me. All I want to do is check on how you follow the rules that's all."
The two paramedics nodded, neither one was thrilled. Johnny casually pushed his bowl of chili away from him; he had suddenly lost his appetite.
The little red truck was speeding down the freeway, a call had come in a short time later and Donovan was sitting in between the two paramedics. He was watching the way that Roy was driving and would casually write down a note or two on his clipboard.
"Squad 51, LA."
Johnny picked up the mike and pressed the button. "Squad 51."
"Update on call, man having a heart attack."
"Copy that LA."
The call had said that it was an unknown type of rescue, but now Johnny and Roy knew it was more serious someone was having a heart attack and the time just got very significant.
Roy pulled the truck up to a grey brick house, he and Johnny both got their equipment out and ran up to it. An older woman with white hair and a flowered housecoat was waiting for them; she directed them to the living room. Both men went into high gear, Johnny opened the drug box and got out his stethoscope and his blood pressure cuff, he started examining the man that was lying in the middle of the living room floor. Roy opened up the biophone and put the antenna inside.
"Rampart this is rescue 51, how do you read?"
"51 this is Rampart, go ahead."
Roy looked down at the older man. "We have a male, 50 years of age, currently unconscious and diaphoretic, possible heart attack stand by for vitals."
"Understood 51, standing by."
Johnny had the blood pressure cuff on the older man's arm and was listening for the thumping of his heart as the needle came down, he heard it and wrote down what it was. "It's awfully low Roy; we better get out the EKG."
Roy nodded and opened another box, he lifted the man's t-shirt and hooked the leads up to it. Johnny handed his partner the black book.
"Rampart, BP is 90 over 60, pulse is erratic, ready to transmit strip."
"Copy that 51, transmit strip."
"This is lead 2 Rampart." He flipped the switch and the transmission began.
After a few seconds, Roy once again heard the voice of Kelly Brackett. "51, start..."
His voice cut off and Roy creased his brow. "Rampart Base?"
He looked at his partner and he started playing with the biophone, he took the antenna out and put it back in. "Rampart?" Still there was nothing, he set the phone down and looked at his partner.
"We've lost the hospital Johnny."
Johnny nodded. "We need to get to a phone."
Roy stood up and looked at the older woman. "Can I use your phone?"
The older woman started to panic. "You lost the hospital?"
The paramedic touched her hands. "Take it easy Ma'am it's going to be okay, can I borrow your phone so we can get in touch with the hospital again."
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's in the kitchen."
"I'll be right back Johnny, keep an eye on his vitals."
Johnny nodded. "Okay."
Donovan was standing over Johnny watching his every move. "This sort of thing happened before?"
"Actually it's pretty rare; I hope it was something simple that caused us to lose the connection and not a broken biophone."
The older man took a big breath, he started twitching and moving around, Johnny listened to his heart with the stethoscope. The older man stopped moving and his breath escaped out his mouth in a loud hiss. "He's having a heart attack! Roy!"
Johnny split open the man's shirt and checked his pulse and breathing, he had neither. The paramedic started doing chest compressions and rescue breathing. Roy came racing into the room and saw what his partner was doing.
"What happened?"
"Heart attack, turn on the machine so we can zap him." Johnny was breathing hard, CPR worked really well but it was a tiresome thing that took a lot of energy.
Roy nodded and turned on the defibrillator, it warmed up and he handed his partner the paddles, Johnny pressed them against the man's chest and side, he zapped him and looked at the machine, a flat line was still going across it.
"Come on!" He waited until the machine charged again and pressed the paddles to the man once more, it gave him another dose, still there was nothing.
"Turn it up to 400 Roy."
Roy turned the dial up to 400 and moved aside. He watched as his partner zapped the man and suddenly there was a blip and a pulse line slowly moved across the machine, a few more followed and Johnny sighed and sat back on his haunches.
"We got a pulse." He looked at his partner. "Did you get a hold of the hospital?"
He was breathing hard; he could feel the adrenaline pumping through him.
Roy started setting up the IV as he was instructed. "Yeah, they're waiting."
Johnny's hands were shaking from the adrenaline, he put the paddles down and ran his fingers through his hair as he breathed deeply. Roy smiled at his partner.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just didn't expect that."
"When do we ever?"
Johnny looked at his partner and nodded his head. "You're right."
Donovan was sitting between the two men, he was writing down exactly what had happened while they were on the call. His face was very passive, they arrived back at the station and he left quietly without saying anything to either Johnny or Roy. Roy got the replacement biophone out of the equipment room and put it in the squad. Johnny walked into the garage.
"Hey Roy?"
"Yeah?" He closed the compartment of the red truck and locked it.
"Did you know that Donovan just left?"
"He did? Did he say anything?"
Johnny shook his head. "No, not one word."
Roy shrugged. "Well I guess he didn't need to see anything else."
"Yeah, I'm glad though it was like having a watch dog riding with us in the squad. Did you see the way he wrote everything down?"
"I saw, he was watching the way I drove pretty closely."
Roy put his arm around his partner's shoulder. "You did great Johnny you saved that man's life, come on I'll buy you a cup of coffee."
Johnny looked at his partner sideways. "The coffee is free here Roy."
"Even better than, come on."
The two paramedics walked back into the kitchen.
Johnny was feeling rather proud of himself, he drove home and parked his Land Rover in the driveway whistling as he walked into the house and hung up his keys and jacket.
"Min?"
"We're in the nursery."
He walked down the hall to the first bedroom and saw his wife changing his son; she turned towards him and smiled. "Hi." She put a clean diaper on Evan and buttoned up his little white bodysuit.
"Hi." Johnny walked into the room and kissed her on the lips and leaned over and kissed his son.
Min picked the little boy up and handed him to his father. "How was your day?"
"Good." Johnny held the little boy against his chest. "Yours?"
"Mine was good too, we did a little shopping and had lunch with Bo. Let me show you what I found for Evan."
Min walked out of the bedroom, she came back in with a brand new outfit, it was white and had little red fire trucks all over it. Johnny saw it and started to laugh.
"Where did you find that?"
"That baby store over on Grant, cute isn't it?"
"And appropriate." Johnny looked down at his son and saw that the little boy had fallen asleep. He kissed his head and gently put him in the crib. "I guess your day wore him out."
The parents turned on the monitor and quietly left the room closing the door behind them.
They went into the bedroom and Min sat down on the bed and folded her legs under her, she picked up her pillow and held it in her lap. "Okay Gage, spill it."
Johnny looked at her as he unbuttoned his uniform shirt. "Spill what?"
"I know that look, what happened today that has you looking so proud?"
He grinned widely. "Okay, so something did happen today."
"Well don't just stand there with that crooked grin come over here and tell me."
Johnny stopped his unbuttoning and sat down on the bed next to his wife. "We had that new Assistant Fire Chief Donovan ride with us this afternoon. The call we got was a heart attack victim we lost contact with Rampart and Roy had to go call. This guy started having a heart attack Min, right there in front of me. I didn't even have time to think I just reacted."
Min's eyes widened. "Did he make it?"
Johnny nodded. "Yeah, I zapped him until his heart started up again." He ran his fingers through his hair. "That had never happened to me before Min, it was just so fast. I wasn't sure how I would handle something like that if it happened but I didn't panic or anything, I did what I had to do, that's why I'm so proud of myself."
His wife smiled at him and put her arms around his neck. "I think you have a reason to be, not many people can handle that kind of a situation, trained professional or not." She closed her eyes and gave her husband a deep kiss. When it ended she pulled back and looked at him.
"I'm proud of you too." She gave him another kiss and put her arms around his neck and hugged him.
Johnny whistled as he walked into the stationhouse kitchen, all of the men were around the table staring at him. "Good Morning."
He got a cup out of the cabinet and poured himself a cup of coffee, he turned back around and saw all of their faces. "Is something wrong?"
Donovan suddenly walked in from the garage, he looked very serious and there was a paper in his hand. He looked at Johnny and walked over to him.
"John Gage, it is my duty as Head of the Paramedic Program to inform you that as of this moment you are suspended without pay pending an investigation." He handed Johnny the paper. The paramedic was stunned; he took the paper and looked at it.
"What's this all about?"
Donovan was staring at him. "The incident yesterday afternoon, you performed CPR and defibrillated a patient without doctor's orders; see you in three days at the hearing."
Roy stood up and looked at Donovan. "What? He saved that man's life!"
Donovan shook his head. "That doesn't matter he broke the rules DeSoto your new partner will be Cummings from 33, he's on his way." The red headed man looked at Johnny. "Go home Gage, I suggest you call the Union and get yourself some representation." He walked out of the garage and left.
Johnny was simply standing there holding that paper he felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach, he swallowed hard and shook his head.
Min was still in bed, it was barely going to be 8 am and Evan was still asleep to. She heard the sound of the front door slamming and the sound of footsteps in the hall. The bedroom door opened and she saw her husband walk in, he started taking off his uniform shirt.
"Johnny? What are you doing home?"
He didn't say anything he simply unbuttoned his shirt. Min could see that she was scowling, she pulled back the covers and got up, she walked over to her husband and touched his face.
"What is it?"
Johnny looked at her and sighed, he closed his eyes briefly and took the paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. Min unfolded it and read it, her eyes got huge and her mouth dropped open.
"Oh my God!" She shook her head. "They can't be serious Johnny."
He took off his shirt and tossed it aside. "They are serious Min."
He turned and tried to walk away but she grabbed his wrist and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Johnny didn't say anything, he was too upset, he simply squeezed his eyes shut and hugged his wife.
Min sitting at the dining room table feeding Evan his breakfast bottle. She was holding the little boy in the crook of her arm watching as her husband was on the phone pacing back and forth. Johnny had put on a grey t-shirt and black shorts; he was talking to the Firefighters/Paramedics local 13 trying to get himself some representation. He finally got someone to talk to him about what had happened.
"Oh you can? Great, the hearing is set for Friday morning at 10 am, at Headquarters, Okay see you then, thanks a lot, bye."
He hung up the phone. "Well that takes care of that I have representation now."
Johnny was watching his wife feed Evan. "Can I do that Min?"
Min nodded and stood up placing Evan in his arms, she knew that Johnny was pretty upset and holding their son was probably the only thing that was going to make him feel better. He sat down in the chair and sighed.
"7 years Min, I've been a paramedic for 7 years; we never had rules to follow before."
Min put her hand on her husband's shoulder and rubbed it. "I know Honey I just don't get it; they're punishing you because you did your job?"
Her husband nodded. "It looks that way."
She swallowed hard. "Are you scared?"
Johnny lifted his head; he looked at her and shrugged. "I don't know what I am, part of me is afraid and part of me is angry."
He looked down at his son and leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I did what I was supposed to and look what it's getting me; it could cost me my certification."
Min didn't even want to think about that, she moved behind him and hugged his head stroking his hair. "We'll fight this Johnny, all the way, you did nothing wrong."
"Tell that to Donovan."
"Believe me if I get a chance that's exactly what I'm going to do!"
Johnny heard the sound of her temper flaring in her voice and it made him smile a little; he was glad that at least she was on his side.
The couple spent the rest of the day at home; Johnny didn't feel like doing anything else he simply laid down on his bed with arm slung over his eyes. Min put Evan down for his afternoon nap; she walked into the bedroom and saw him.
"Johnny?"
"Yeah?" She climbed up on the bed and laid down beside him, she took his arm off of his face and touched it. "Trying to nap?"
He looked at her and shook his head. "No, I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to."
Min sighed she felt so helpless, her husband was upset and there was nothing she could do about it. "I wish I could make this all go away Johnny."
Johnny could tell that she was just as upset as he was. "I wish you could too." He lifted his head and pressed his lips against hers in a small kiss. "Thanks for offering though."
Min nodded a little and laid her head down on his chest.
The day of the hearing arrived; Johnny wore a pair of khaki pants, a white shirt and his tan sport coat. He was pacing back and forth. The Headquarters of the LAFD was a giant red brick building that resembled a train station but instead of tracks and trains in the yard there were rescue vehicles as far as they eyes could see. Min had left Evan with her brother; she was sitting down on the dark wooden bench right outside a set of huge wooden doors.
"Johnny will you please stop that? You are going to wear out the floor."
He was waiting for his Union representative but instead he was his partner in his uniform walking towards him, Roy didn't look very happy.
"Hi Johnny."
"Hi Roy." He thought maybe his partner had come down to be in his corner but he saw the way his partner was frowning. "You aren't here to help me are you?"
Roy shook his head. "Donovan called me as a witness."
Johnny closed his eyes and shook his head. "Great."
"I'm not the only one Johnny." He turned and looked at Min, the young woman's eyes got huge.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Roy swallowed hard. "He's going to call you too Min because of what happened when you were attacked."
"That was ages ago Roy!"
"I know but Johnny gave you an IV without a doctor's orders, it's also part of his case against him."
Min rubbed her hands down her face. "I can't believe this."
Johnny sighed. "Neither can I, why do I get the feeling I'm being made into a target?"
"Because you are, Donovan wants to use you as an example so that the other paramedics in this city will come around and start following his rules."
Johnny had been feeling pretty confident but now that confidence had been shaken. He wasn't sure what was going to happen now, it looked as though his days as a paramedic might be over.
The hearing had not gone well at all, Roy was not the only paramedic that testified, so did Brice. He had told the panel of three about how Johnny had started an IV on his girlfriend at the time without a doctor's orders. Johnny himself had been grilled over by Donovan, he simply told the truth. The hearing was over for the day; tomorrow they were going to call Min to answer questions. This did not set well with the young woman; she didn't want to have to answer questions that might end her husband's career. The couple got home a little after 4, Evan was sound asleep and they put him in his crib. Johnny was being very quiet. He had gone to sit outside on the covered porch; he had gotten a beer out of the fridge and was sipping it slowly. Min walked over to the screen door. "Johnny?"
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
He took a few seconds to answer. "Yeah."
"What do you want me to take out of the freezer for dinner?"
"Whatever you want Min, I don't think I'll be hungry."
Johnny got up from his chair and opened the screen door; he had his beer in his hand. "I'm going to go lay down and try to nap."
Min nodded her head; she watched as he left the kitchen and walked down the hall.
He didn't come out of his room for the rest of the day, Min had to feed and take care of Evan all by herself. She put the little baby down for the night at 8 and walked down the hall; she opened the door and saw he was asleep. He had taken off his t-shirt and was sleeping on top of the covers. Min didn't want to disturb him, she laid down behind him and put her arm across his waist, his whole body felt very tense.
"It's going to be all right Johnny, I promise."
She closed her eyes and tried to relax.
Min sat straight up and looked around. She was alone in the bed and got up to go check on Evan but to her shock he was not in his crib. She checked every room but there was no sign of her husband or her son and she started to get worried. She thought about the back porch, she peered through the screen door and saw her husband was lying down on a lounge chair. His chest was bare and Evan was lying on top of it, both of them were asleep. Min sighed out of relief as she walked out onto the back porch. The night was warm, so warm a blanket wasn't necessary. She crouched down and touched Johnny's hair smoothing it away from his forehead. He opened his eyes and turned his head towards her.
"Hi."
Min smiled at him. "Hi, did he wake up?"
Johnny had his hands on his son's back, he rubbed it gently. "No, I just…I just wanted to hold him for a little while."
"Okay." Min knew that Evan was giving his father a lot of comfort, comfort that he sorely needed right now. "I'll let you go back to sleep then." She got up and started to leave.
"Min?"
She turned and looked at her husband, there was a little bit of moonlight coming in through the screens that were around the porch, enough so that she could see his face clearly. He looked really upset.
"I'm scared."
She crouched back down and touched his face. "I know."
Johnny sighed. "It seems like everyone is against me, tomorrow they're going to make you turn on me too."
"No Johnny I'm not going to let them do that to you."
He turned away from her and looked straight up. "They are going to put me back on the engine, they'll take away my certification and I'll just be a fireman again."
Min stroked his hair. "You don't know that for sure Johnny don't think like that."
"You heard Brice; he put the nails in my coffin today."
"It's not over yet no matter what they say tomorrow, if we have to we'll get a lawyer."
"No."
"Why not?"
Johnny turned and looked at his wife. "When I was little all I wanted to be was a fireman, if they put me back on the engine tomorrow and just have me doing straight firefighting I'll be all right, I still love doing it."
"But you love being a paramedic more Johnny and don't tell me that you don't."
"Yeah I do but if they say I can't be one anymore I'll survive."
Min sighed and leaned her forehead against his shoulder. "Don't give up just yet, okay?"
Johnny held his son against him tighter. "I'm not giving up; I'm just preparing myself for the worst."
Bo once again took Evan for Min, she had put on a nice blue dress and had left her hair loose sitting on a chair behind her husband. The inside of the hearing room looked exactly like a courtroom; there was a huge bench where three people were sitting. The Chief of the Fire Department, Captain Doug Forrester, A man named Hal Parker, he was one of the instructors of the Paramedic Training Program, and Dr. Brackett made up the tribunal. Johnny was sitting a table in front of his wife, he hard worn his sport coat again with jeans and a dark blue shirt, beside him was his Union representative. The table across from them was where Donovan was sitting; he looked pretty pleased with himself.
"Call you next witness Chief Donovan." Hal Parker was the leader of the tribunal.
The short man got up and turned around her, he looked at the young woman. "I call Min Gage to testify."
Min closed her eyes briefly she didn't want to do this but nevertheless she stood up. Johnny turned around and looked at her; he gave her a small smile. She walked over to the box that was just to the left of the tribunal. She sat down in the chair and looked at the redheaded man.
"Mrs. Gage, can you recall an incident that happened 2 years ago?"
"Could you be a little more specific than that? A lot has happened in 2 years."
Donovan frowned at her. "You know perfectly well what I am talking about, the incident in which your husband took it upon himself to treat you."
Min nodded. "Yes, I recall."
"Did he or did he not give you an IV with Ringers Lactate?"
She swallowed hard. "He did."
Donovan smiled. "I see, was he in communication with a hospital at the time?"
"No, he was off duty."
This made Donovan happy. "Thank you Mrs. Gage, I have nothing more to ask you."
Min started to get up seeing how upset Johnny looked, she turned around and looked at the tribunal. "Before I go, can I say something?"
The three tribunal members all looked at each other; they didn't see any harm in letting the young woman speak. Kel smiled at her. "Of course."
Min turned and looked at her husband. "Okay, it's true, Johnny did start an IV on me without consulting a doctor but what you all don't know is the circumstances." She sighed. "That night I was being attacked, a man was waiting for me outside my night club; he jumped me and started beating me. I tried to fight back as best I could but he was stronger. He was still attacking me when Johnny got there; he fought with this man and knocked him unconscious so the police could get him." She took a deep breath. "He saved me from that man, if he hadn't have come when he did I might not be here. I was hurt pretty bad, Johnny used his own medical supplies from a kit he carries in his car for emergencies. You're right, he didn't consult a doctor but he already knew what to do. He spent a lot of time in the Paramedic training program to know what to do. I can't understand the need for all this gentlemen I really can't, my husband used his training to not only help me that night but that man that had the heart attack. He didn't take time to think about the rules, since when do you need rules to save someone's life? I don't know if any of you have ever been hurt seriously but let me tell you, it's terrifying. You are laying there on the ground and you're scared all you want to be told is that you are going to be okay. When someone sees that blue uniform shirt they know it's someone that is going to do their best to help them make it, the last thing you think about when you are hurt is if the paramedic leaning over you knows the rules. That is ridiculous gentlemen, rules for paramedics? There are no rules for life and death why should the men that deal with those things daily be subject to rules?" She looked right at Donovan.
"Only uninformed, pencil pushing, desk jockeys that wouldn't know an ambulance if it ran over them, thinks that rules are important." She turned back and looked at the three men. "You want to punish Johnny because he did his job? That is probably the most ridiculous thing of all, why don't you ask that man that he saved if he cares that Johnny broke the rules about procedure and consulting a doctor? I can guarantee you he doesn't care, he's just grateful to be alive, and so am I. I'm proud of my husband, he's one of the best paramedics in this city and a lot of people out there owe their lives to him and men like him. I hope you give this a lot of thought because it just might be one of you out there one day looking up a paramedic and when that happens you won't give a damn about rules."
Min got up from the chair and sat back down in her seat; she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The three tribunal members all stood up.
"We will be back in a few minutes."
The threesome left and the minute they did Johnny got up. He went over to his wife and crouched down, they were eyelevel with each other.
"You had a lot to say."
Min nodded. "Yeah I did, and all of it was the truth. I just hope they listen."
Johnny touched his wife's hair. "So do I but if they don't, we'll be just fine."
The tribunal came back and Johnny quickly sat back down in his chair.
Chief Forrester, Hal Parker, and Kel Brackett all sat down in their chairs. Hal Parker cleared his throat. "This has been a very difficult two days, my associates and I have given this much deliberation. The issue here was did John Gage willfully and knowingly disobey the new procedures outlined in Chief Donovan's new rules for Paramedics in the field. He is also accused of failing to confirm treatment by a physician." The older man looked at Johnny. "Mr. Gage, you have been a paramedic with this city for 7 years, you have already displayed your exemplary skill in this, a rather challenging field." He looked at the young woman. "We heard the words spoken by your wife, what she said was very profound in fact, she was right. Your job is difficult enough without adding a lot of bureaucratic nonsense to the mix." He once again turned his focus to Johnny. "Mr. Gage, it is the judgment of this tribunal that you were not in violation of anything, you are to be returned to your station with this tribunal's apologies for the stress and strain that this incident has caused you."
Johnny closed his eyes briefly, he felt such overwhelming relief. "Thank you."
Hal Parker gave him a nod. "It is also the decision of this tribunal to seek out a new head for the paramedic program."
Donovan was furious, he stood up. "You are firing me?"
Hal Parker nodded. "Yes, you have wasted this tribunal's time and Mr. Gage's by dragging him through this ordeal. You're gone Donovan and so is your rule book. The person that we choose for the new Head will be someone with paramedic experience not a paper shuffler like you that, as the young lady so eloquently put it, wouldn't know an ambulance if it ran you over. Good day this hearing is over."
Hal Parker stood up as did the other two members of the tribunal; they all walked out the door behind them.
Min was very happy, she covered her face with her hands briefly as she stood up and went over to her husband. Johnny stood up and hugged his wife, lifting her up as he did so. He started laughing as he set her down.
"Pencil pushing desk jockey that wouldn't know an ambulance if it ran him over?"
Min shrugged her shoulders. "Hey I said I would tell Donovan that he was wrong if I got the chance."
"Well you got your chance." Johnny gave his wife a kiss. "And I'm so glad you did."
Min hugged her husband again. "Let's get out of here."
"Yeah let's go." Johnny let go of his wife and took her hand, they walked hand in hand out the double wooden doors.
Evan was left with his Uncle Bo for a few more hours; he was fine with that, Bo adored the little boy and spending time with him. Johnny and Min went back to their house; they were in their bedroom changing. Johnny hung up his sports coat and started unbuttoning his dark blue shirt.
"I can't believe they fired Donovan."
"So this means your test is cancelled right?"
"Right."
Min started to pull up her dress; she got it over her head part ways, that's when she felt a pair of hands assist her. Johnny pulled it over her head and dropped it.
"Better?"
"Yeah thanks."
She saw the way he was looking at her, his dark eyes were full of affection. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Johnny smiled. "I think you know why, you probably were the reason they didn't crucify me Min."
Min put both of her hands on his face. "I had to help you Johnny, I couldn't let them take the job you love so much away from you."
He hugged her to him. "I owe you for this one."
Min pulled back from him and shook her head. "No, you don't owe me anything; I'm your wife, its part of my job to defend you. If the circumstances were reversed you would have done the same for me."
Johnny closed his eyes and touched his forehead to hers. "You know I would but I do feel like I should do something to show my appreciation."
Min smiled, she put her hands under his t-shirt. "Oh, I think I know of a way." He had only unbuttoned half of his shirt she continued unbuttoning it and parted it, his t-shirt underneath was blueberry blue, the center had a Superman style yellow shield but instead of the big S there was a big P. Min saw this and looked at him.
"P as in Paramedic?"
Johnny nodded and turned around, the back of it said. FASTER THAN A SPEEDING AMBULANCE, MORE POWERFUL THAN A FIRE TRUCK… ABLE TO LEAP TALL HOSPITALS IN A SINGLE BOUND…
Min shook her head as she took off both of her husband's shirts and dropped them. "Super Paramedic huh?"
Johnny smiled. "Yeah, I figured I better wear it because I wasn't sure if I was still going to be one."
Min smiled wickedly and closed her eyes; she brushed her lips against his gently. "Why don't you show me if it's true."
Johnny put his arms around his wife and drew her to him, he kissed her deeply. "I can't my cape is in the washer."
Min started laughing as she put her arms around his neck. "Oh yes you can, you don't need a cape for what I want."
"And just what is it that you want?"
His wife could tell that he was teasing her, she moved her hands from around his neck to around his waist the put them on his behind. "I'll give you one hint."
Johnny nodded. "Good hint." He leaned forward and started kissing his wife.
END.
