I don't own the guys at Station 51, never did, never will, but oh how I enjoy inviting them out to play from time to time.
This is a sequel to 'the size of a Hero', and 'the lesson', you don't have to read them first but you might want to if you haven't done so already.
The Eyes from the Shadows
John Gage pulled up to the home of his best friend and partner and immediately laughed at all the bikes scattered on the front lawn.
John had agreed to help Roy install a new automatic dishwasher for JoAnne in exchange for a couple of free meals. He was early and could tell by the number of bikes on the front lawn that Roy was working with Chris's Boy Scout troop again.
With a lot of curiosity Johnny made his way to the front door wandering what his partner was teaching the boys and if by any chance he could be of help.
JoAnne saw him coming and had the door open before he reached it inviting him in.
"What's Roy teaching the boys today?" Johnny jerked his head toward the bikes.
"Knots." Jo answered, "Last I looked they were all tied up," She chuckled at her own joke and led the way to the back door.
From the inside of the sliding glass door Johnny counted eleven boys and four adults. The boys were teamed up in groups of two with Roy teaming up with his son Chris, and the groups were repeating a competition to see which group could tie a bowline knot around their waist and lean back the fastest. While Roy and his son were finishing well ahead of the rest of the groups the other three Adults wandered around making pointers and giving advice.
Then Johnny noticed Jennifer sitting on the grass in the shade of the garage. She was watching intently the instructions that were given and trying to tie the knot being practiced using one of her many flowered triangular bandages that had been made out of a retired bed sheet. Her frustration was growing as her knot was continuing to pull loose. Even from across the yard through the glare of the sun on the window John could see the simple mistake she was continuing to make.
John slipped out onto the deck and scooped up two pieces of rope from a pile on the grass and went to Jennifer's side.
"Here, it will be easier if you use one of these." John held out one of the ropes and Jennifer looked up with a blushing and timid smile. John then sat on the grass next to her and showed her what she was doing wrong and with in minutes she was able to tie the knot perfectly. Jennifer had no sooner began to feel comfortable with her knot tying when Joanne called her in the house and Johnny noticed the boys were making their way to their bikes to leave.
Roy walked up to his partner and offered him a hand up from the ground he was sitting on. "I wish you wouldn't encourage Jennifer like that," Roy revealed he had been watching his partner teach his daughter the knots they had been working on. "Remember what happened last spring?"
Johnny wasn't sure what to say, He did remember the incident his friend was talking about. Jennifer had climbed under a rickety old shed to hold tight a lacerated femoral artery on a new friend of hers. In doing so she had saved his life and his leg but she had also put herself in a position of danger where no adult could get to her and exposed herself to some rather dangerous chemicals leaking from the shed above them.
"Sorry Roy," Johnny responded, "I didn't think I was doing anything wrong she just looked so frustrated."
"I understand, Junior," Roy gave his friend a pat on the shoulder, "Just be careful what you teach her."
As the two men walked around the side of the house to wave goodbye to their guests Johnny noticed Jennifer at the house next door. She was running out of the front door with a phone held to her ear and once she was off the porch she turned around and looked at the house numbers over the porch cover before going back in the house with out closing the door behind her.
"Roy," Johnny touched his friends shoulder to get his attention, "I think your daughter is in trouble."
Johnny started to move toward the neighbors house with a confused Roy on his heals when Jennifer came running out the front door as fast as her little feet could carry her.
"Daddy, Daddy, Uncle Johnny!" Mrs. Canton needs your help, her is on the floor in the kitchen and I can't wake her up." She took hold of her Uncle Johnny's hand and began to pull him back toward the house as he picked up speed and soon over took her. "I called for an ambulance and they asked me to check and see if her was breathing and if she had a heart beat," Jennifer continued as she did her best to keep up with her father and his partner, "she does but she's real sick or something she won't wake up even when I shake her."
Johnny was the first to the front door and could see into the kitchen where a woman in her late fifties was sprawled out on the floor covered with a knitted blanket. Johnny hurried to her side in full paramedic mode and began an assessment as Roy picked up the phone from the floor and found dispatch still on the line.
"This is Roy DeSoto, Off duty fireman/Paramedic we're going to need a squad on this one." Roy was assured that one was on the way and told they eta was around five minutes.
Jenny was sent for Daddy's first aid box and left the house as fast as her feet could carry her. When she returned with her brother and Mother at her side Roy was on the phone with Rampart and telling the Doctor what he and his partner were finding. JoAnne was able to add that she had been sick for a while and had just been back to the doctor that morning where he gave her a new antibiotic.
When Squad 16 arrived Roy grabbed for their drug box and gave the prescribed Epinephrine and before they had her packaged and ready to lift to the stretcher she was starting to come around.
"Don't worry about anything Holly," JoAnne spoke as she moved along with the stretcher as they made their way to the ambulance. "I'll make sure everything is locked up and give your daughter a call."
As the ambulance drove out of sight Johnny helped load the rest of the equipment back in the squad and watched as he pulled out to follow the ambulance. Roy had his arm around his wife's shoulders and could see the worry on her face.
"Johnny could you watch my kids for us while Jo and I run to the hospital and make sure our friend is all right?" Roy asked pulling his wife closer.
"I don't know, do you kids promise to behave for me?" Johnny gave them both a playful glare that they both saw right through.
"Of Course Uncle Johnny," Chris rolled his eyes.
"I'll be good," Jenny added as she wrapped her arms around John's leg.
Roy led his wife back in the house and while he made sure all the doors and windows were locked up JoAnne sat down on the phone and made a Call to her neighbor's daughter who lived in San Diego.
Roy then guided his wife to the car and climbed in behind the wheel giving his kids and Johnny a wave as he backed out of the driveway.
The first thing Johnny did when the car was out of sight was look at the kids in his charge. "What do you say we go to McDonalds for lunch?"
The kids agreed and hurried to climb in John's Rover while he went back to lock the door and make sure he had a key to get back in.
At the diner the kids ordered happy meals and were thrilled that the prize inside was a watch. Both kids were thrilled that they had second hands and both were quick to set them and put them on their wrists.
"This is great Uncle Johnny I really needed one of these," Chris exclaimed. "We're going to start working on our personal fitness merit badge and we need to learn how to count our pulse so that we can tell if we're exercising right."
"Well maybe I can show you a thing or two to get you started," Johnny offered and started teaching Chris the fine points of counting a pulse and how to multiply by four the count at fifteen seconds. He was so involved in teaching Chris that he didn't notice Jennifer hiding her hands under the table but going through every step Johnny was teaching Chris.
When Holly Canton's daughter had arrived at the hospital Roy and JoAnne found their way home to find Chris and Jennifer helping Johnny install the new dishwasher and that pizza had been ordered for dinner.
JoAnne paid for the Pizza as John and Roy secured the new dishwasher in place and made sure it worked, after dinner John headed home having no idea that Jenny was in Chris's room begging him to teach her how to multiply so that she could take a pulse too.