The Fire Talks
Chapter Four
by GCS and Hotshow
DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.
The engine crew's arrival in the dayroom woke Johnny from his nap. He sat up rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Hey guys tough run?"
"Nope just a little fire Gage. You know the one's you and Roy used to fight before you got that sweet job of helping little old ladies get their cats out of trees." Chet baited Johnny for an argument.
"Shut up Chet." Johnny was still groggy from his short nap and didn't want to argue with Chet.
"Hey Roy I went over to that bookstore yesterday to get a cookbook by that French lady on TV my mom wanted. I think her name is Julia Child. Anyway I saw the display for "The Fire Talks". Pretty impressive for a local guy. I bet that book will be on the best seller list by the end of the week. Firemen all over the country will be reading that book." Chet then smiled a sinister looking smile. "I also picked up this little book." He held up an Indian to English translation book. "It doesn't have Lakota specifically, but I bet it will help me decipher this." He grabbed Johnny's notepad from the table.
"Chet! give me that!" Johnny yelled.
Chet spun on his heel and ran out of the dayroom into the apparatus bay. "No way man. I'm gonna read this."
Johnny had a little trouble getting off the couch, because Henry was still in his lap. That gave Chet a head start. Chet ran around the front of the engine and through the door to the dorm. Johnny decided to try to cut him off through the locker room. Just as Johnny reached out for the door Chet burst through it sending Johnny spinning out of control. Johnny fell hard against the rear bumper of the engine striking his left shoulder. He slammed down on the concrete floor and immediately curled into a ball of pain. He had the wind knocked out as well. Gasping for breath and cradling his shoulder he continued to lay in the floor. Hearing the noise the others came running into the apparatus bay. "What happened?" Captain Stanley asked as he knelt down next to Johnny.
"I was just coming out of the locker room, and the door hit him. I didn't know he was there Cap. I swear!" Chet was really just having fun. He never intended for Johnny to get hurt.
Roy knelt down on Johnny's other side, "Where are you hurt Johnny?"
"I'm okay Roy just got the air knocked out and hit my shoulder on the engine. I don't think it's dislocated or anything, just bruised. Help me up."
"I think you should stay put and let me check you out." Roy held his hand on Johnny's chest trying to keep him down.
"I'm okay Roy." Johnny was getting agitated at being held down.
"John you just lay there and let Roy check you out. That's an order." Captain Stanley was not happy with this situation. "Marco get the gear. Chet give me that notepad, and I don't want to see that book of yours anywhere around this station. Once we know how John is I want to see you in my office."
"Yes sir." Chet handed the pad to Cap and lowered his eyes to the floor.
"Johnny let's get your shirt off so I can look at your shoulder." Roy and Mike helped Johnny sit up. Johnny reached to unbutton his shirt. "No let me unbutton it. You just relax"
"I'm okay Roy."
"I'll be the judge of that Junior. Your pulse and respirations are a little high."
"Well I was running."
"Yeah I know." Roy moved Johnny's arm to see if the shoulder was still in place. "It's already starting to bruise and swell, but I don't think it's out of joint. I can't be sure without an x-ray. Cap I don't think we need to call an ambulance, but I do think he needs to let a doctor check it to be sure."
"Aw Roy it's just a bad bruise."
"Gage you will go to Rampart and get checked out. That is an order. Do you understand?" Captain Stanley was clearly mad.
"Yes sir. I'm sorry Cap." Johnny felt bad about his part in causing trouble at the station. He also felt bad that his little injury might cause him to have to take the rest of the shift off. He hoped not. He didn't want to make things any worse than they already were. Roy could see how remorseful Johnny was and reached out to give him help up.
"Here Johnny let's get your shirt back on." Roy helped Johnny with the shirt while Mike and Marco put the equipment back in the squad.
"John here is your notepad. Do me a favor and put it up somewhere safely away from Chet." Captain Stanley looked over at Chet. "My office." He turned and strode purposefully across the bay. Chet followed sullenly like a child in trouble.
"Man who needs to read a novel when you work here at 51's." Marco chuckled as he and Mike went back to the dayroom.
Roy and Johnny pulled out of the station in the squad. No sirens or lights were needed. Roy picked up the radio mike to call in their still alarm. "Squad 51 to LA."
"LA 51 go ahead."
"Squad 51 still alarm to Rampart with Code I."
"10-4 51."
"Roy I…" Johnny started to say something, but Roy cut him off.
"Don't worry about it Johnny I know you don't want Chet to know what you have on your notepad. It was just an accident. I don't think it's serious, but we need to be sure."
"Okay Roy." Johnny looked out the passenger side window. His shoulder did hurt. Maybe getting it x-rayed wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Back at the station Captain Stanley and Chet were meeting in his office.
"Chet take a seat." Chet did not respond but quickly sat in the chair. "Now Chet I know you did not intend for John to get hurt, but this constant attack on him has to stop. I know the Phantom breaks up the seriousness of what we do, but when people start to get hurt we need to re-evaluate our actions. John has been writing on his notepad in Lakota, because it is personal to him. He obviously does not want anyone to know what he has written. You need to respect that."
"Yes Sir. I'm really sorry Cap."
"I know that Chet. You need to tell John when he gets back. I'm going to ask you to back off about his personal business. The pranks are one thing, but don't bother him about personal stuff. He is very private about his personal life. You know that."
"Yes Sir."
"Now I'm not going give you any additional punishment except that you will need to do John's duties along with your own assigned tasks for today. Got it?"
"Got it Cap."
At the hospital Johnny had been sent to an exam room and was waiting for x-ray to take pictures of his shoulder. Roy was getting coffee at the nurse's station with Dixie.
"You know Dix Chet just will not let well enough alone. Johnny has to try to keep things from him, because he will ride him about things for days. Johnny is actually doing something very nice for my daughter. That's what was on that pad. Nothing really big, just not something Johnny would want Chet to know. He did say there were some other notes, but it's personal. It's Johnny's business. I wish Chet would just let him be sometimes. Johnny gets hurt enough in the field. He doesn't need any help."
"You're right Roy. Hey speaking of pranksters have you gotten to the chapter in "The Fire Talks" where the character tells of his dealing with a guy like that at his station? I guess there is a joker at every station just like Chet."
