The Dream Puzzle

3

"Do anything special on your day off, Junior?" Roy asked as his partner exchanged his civilian clothes for the more familiar blues.

"Come on, Pally; you know I don't kiss and tell." Gage grinned as his partner rolled his eyes and turned to walk out of the locker room.

_X_

Roll call had been uneventful - nothing unusual and nothing new. Chores had been doled out and the men made their way to their various assignments.

Johnny and Roy were working in the kitchen while Mike had drawn latrine duty. In the dorm, Marco was watching Chet with great concern. Marco had already stripped three beds while Chet was standing beside Marco's bed – staring at the linens instead of stripping them. Marco had no idea what could be going through his friend's head but he was about to ask him.

Chet stood beside Marco's bed in the exact spot he'd seen the bearded man during the night on their last shift. He was trying to figure out how the stranger had moved so quickly out of his line of site when suddenly the klaxons sounded jolting him out of his reverie.

Station 51, structure fire at 234 East 227th Ave. That's 2-3-4 East 227th Ave. Cross street Doloris. Time out 0842.

Captain Stanley rushed from his office to the radio and acknowledged the call.

"10-4, KMG365"

He wrote down the pertinent information then handed the slip of paper to Roy as he headed for his seat on the engine Mike had ready to roll. Roy passed the slip over to Johnny who was tightening his chinstrap. The bay door rose and the squad began moving forward followed closely by the engine.

Minutes later, the red duo screeched to a halt in front of a large apartment complex. It was older and was in the process of being renovated so only a few units were actually occupied. Several residents and other bystanders were outside lining the perimeter trying to stay out of the way of the emergency crews. Vince Howard and several other LA County Sheriffs Deputies were already on the scene for crowd control and to reroute traffic.

Stanley's men exited their respective vehicles pulling on their turnout coats. Hank was shouting orders as Mike began working his magic with the knobs and levers on the side of the engine. The crowd watched as hoses became charged and two sets of firemen began spraying the angry flames. Hank made his way over to the office manager who was looking around frantically. He recognized the look. There was at least one person whom the apartment manager was expecting to see in the crowd who wasn't there. He jogged over to her and asked if everyone had made it out.

"I, um, I'm not sure. I don't see Mr. Flynn anywhere. He's in A-3." She managed to shout over the noise while running a frantic hand through her greying hair.

"Roy….John….possible victim in A-3. Adult male. Take air." Hank commanded.

Without missing a beat Johnny shut off the flow of the hose he and Roy were manning. They rushed back to the squad and donned their SCBA before heading over to A-3. Chet and Marco had already been instructed to move toward that particular apartment to provide water cover for the paramedics.

Roy found the door locked and took a couple of steps back to gain some momentum before his boot made contact with the door near the door knob. The door lock buckled under the pressure and Roy entered the apartment followed by Johnny close on his heels.

"Hello….anybody in here?" Roy called out; his voice muffled by his oxygen mask. He looked underneath the bed and in the closet of the bedroom but found nothing.

"Hello?" Johnny called as he opened up the bathroom door and felt it bump against something on the floor. He peered around the door and found an unconscious man lying on the floor. The shower curtain had been pulled down in what looked like an attempt to pull himself up off the floor before he passed out.

"Hey Roy….Roy in here." John yelled down the hallway. He'd need Roy's help to get the man out of the small bathroom. Within seconds, his partner appeared as Johnny stepped over the toilet toward the head of their victim. He reached underneath the elderly man's arms grabbing his wrists as he hoisted him up. At the same time, Roy lifted the man's legs and they made their way toward the front of the apartment.

Neither man noticed that pieces of the ceiling were beginning to fall as the fire ate its way through the thin layer of wood and insulation. Chet followed by Marco stepped into the living room of the apartment after Roy and John had exited with the patient. He began spraying water on the flames licking the wall joining this apartment with its neighbor. He was spraying in a circular motion for only a few seconds when he felt a hand on his shoulder gently pulling him backwards. He recognized the tug of his partner and knew that Marco had seen something that caused him alarm. Chet shut off the water while backing up and turning slightly to make a quicker exit. Marco made the same turn only a half second after his shorter partner and they both hustled back out of the open front door. A cracking sound startled them and they both turned back to see the ceiling crumbling down blanketing the room they had just exited in a combination of soot, choking smoke and burning embers.

The two coughing linesmen ran away from the burning building and realized that two other engines had arrived to assist them. Both of them kneeled down on the asphalt near the engine coughing and wheezing. Cap and Mike both realized what a close call they'd had and Mike grabbed the oxygen from the engine and placed the mask over Chet's face. He inhaled as deeply as he could for a couple of breaths then tried to pass the mask over to Marco. The older man held up his hand in refusal and Chet saw that Cap had brought out another oxygen tank and mask for Marco. Marco also took several deep breaths while looking over to see that the victim that Roy and Johnny had rescued was beginning to come around. Thank God, he thought to himself. That had been a close call for the victim as well as Marco and Chet.

Marco noticed that a young man perhaps 28 or 30 years old was jogging over to where the paramedics were working on the older man. He was slim wearing a white dress shirt and running his hands through his blonde curls as he stood over the coughing man. Roy had looked up and was talking to the young man whom Marco assumed was probably a relative of the victim. He saw the younger man break out in a huge smile. He then brought both hands together just underneath his nose and close his eyes as though he was silently saying a prayer of thanks. Something seemed very familiar about the scene but Marco didn't have time to search his memory. Chet was nudging him with his elbow and pulling the oxygen mask off his face.

"Marco, ...thanks man. That could've been… really bad if you hadn't noticed that ceiling …was about to give." Chet was still panting somewhat as he returned the mask to his face.

Marco just stared for a moment at his crewmate before returning his gaze to the young man near the squad. He hadn't noticed the ceiling falling but he'd explain that to Chet later on. Right now, he was mezmorized by the young blonde man who stood hovering lovingly over the form of the man Roy and Johnny had just rescued. The feeling of déjà vu was overwhelming as he leaned his head back against the engine. Then silent thunder rolled inside his mind as the subdued memory of his forgotten dream bubbled up to the surface of his consciousness and he remembered.