Chapter Four
"Gage, how were your days off?" Chet peered round the corner when he heard Johnny's locker slam shut.
"Fine, Chet, fine. You?"
"Fine. Say, didn't you take care of the DeSoto kids?" Chet inquired, a predictably evil grin starting to appear.
Johnny opened his locker and pulled out a shirt. "Yeah, so what?"
"So..." Chet sauntered over to Johnny's locker and leaned against the open door. "Ya take 'em to IHop?"
Johnny shoved Chet out of the way. He then slammed the door on his hand. As he hopped around the locker room yelping, Chet laughed and disappeared.
The door to the locker room opened and Roy walked in, banging into Johnny. "What are you doing?"
"I - shit - slammed my locker door on my hand," Johnny replied, as he sat on the bench.
Roy crouched in front of him and looked at his hand. "You'll live," he announced, as he stood up and opened his locker.
"I KNOW that," Johnny responded, as he grabbed his boots and pulled them on. Then he remembered the conversation from the day before. "So uh...how ya doin'?"
"Fine," Roy replied, as he slung his shirt on and buttoned it. Then he turned and looked at Johnny. "So, Joanne had an idea."
"Oh yeah?" Johnny said, hoping fervently that Joanne's idea had nothing whatsoever to do with swings or monkey bars.
"Yeah, she thought that maybe we could build the swing set together."
"Together?"
"Yeah, she thought it would keep you...I mean, help if...look, she thinks it would keep you outta trouble and keep me from killin'ya." Roy studiously did not look at Johnny. He changed into the rest of his uniform while Johnny considered how to react.
Pleased?
Annoyed?
Grateful?
Insulted?
"So...you and me together, huh?" he responded noncommittally.
"Yeah." Roy tucked in his shirt and zipped his pants. "And I'm in charge."
"I suppose that might work," Johnny admitted. "As long as I can draw the schematic."
"Actually, the kids already drew one," Roy replied, grabbing his jacket.
"The kids? "But - "
"Well, it is going to be for them, so they get to work on it. Not that they'll get everything they want."
"What do they want?"
"Jen wants a castle."
"So we'll add a castle."
Roy slowly shook his head.
Johnny tried again. "A small castle."
Roy leaned closer. "No."
"But - "
"And Chris wants a treehouse, which means we'd have to build the entire thing around that oak tree."
"Ya know, that's actually not a bad - "
"No."
"But - "
"Junior, no."
"Okay, okay. I get the message. Your kids' swing set, your way."
Johnny left the locker room in search of doughnuts. He found some in the kitchen. He took one, stuffed half of it in his mouth, and poured a cup of coffee. As he sat down at the table, he came face to face to Chet and Marco, grinning at him.
"WHAT?"
"Oh, nothing," Chet smirked. "We just uh...heard what Roy said to you. It's gonna be interesting, you two tryin' to build a swing set. I mean, you work great on the job, but you are kinda a walking disaster area when it comes to the kids."
Oh, and you think you could do better?"
"I'd sure like to try."
"Fine, you're on!"
"Hey," Marco interjected. "If Chet is gonna be there, I wanna be there."
"Just bring your toolbox," Johnny replied. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Gripping him, fingers digging into him.
"Johnny, can I have a word with you?"
"Uh, sure, Roy."
Roy turned on his heel and walked into the bay. Johnny followed guiltily.
"Roy opened the passenger door of the squad and motioned Johnny inside. He then walked around the front of the squad, glaring at Johnny, until he got into the driver's seat and slammed the door.
"Look, Roy - "
"No, YOU look. I only agreed to have you help me because the kids are counting on it. I'm not gonna have a whole committee arguing in my backyard."
"But - "
Roy abruptly opened the driver's door. "Tell them no. I don't care how you tell them. Just tell them no."
The tones sounded. "Squad 51, child injured, Harper Elementary School 690 East Broadway, 690 East Broadway, cross street Cowper, time out 9:07.
Roy grabbed the handset. "Squad 51, KMG 365." He climbed back into the squad, the argument forgotten.
The squad was waved through a gate in a chain link fence. It pulled into a playground, where two women were crouched over a child.
John and Roy pulled equipment, and hurried over to the child, a young boy, grimacing in pain, an ice pack on his knee. Roy crouched down.
"What happened?"
He fell off the monkey bars, " replied one of the women, tears running down her face. He just slipped. I - I told him not to crawl across the top of them - "
"I'm sorry, Miss Madison," the boy gasped.
"It's all right, Max," Miss Madison answered.
"It's his knee," interrupted the second woman.
"Max, did you hit your head?" Roy asked gently.
No, I landed on my knee. And it really hurts," was the tearful response.
"Don't worry, we're gonna take good care of you. Ladies, could you give us some room?" The women nodded and moved back.
Johnny got out the biophone while Roy removed the ice pack on the boy's knee and cut open his jeans leg to above the knee. He gently palpated the joint, which was rapidly becoming the size of a football. He grabbed the stethoscope and BP cuff and began taking vitals.
Meanwhile, as Johnny got Rampart on the line and waited for The vitals, he started to have second thoughts about the subject of monkey bars. Crawling on top of them? Sounded just like the kind of thing Jenny would do. And Chris would egg her on. Then she'd fall.
And he would never forgive himself.
"Johnny, hand me a leg splint, please."
Johnny found the leg splint and handed it to Roy. He smiled at the boy. "Hey, Max. How ya doin'?"
"Okay," Max said through his tears. You gonna arrest me, Officer?"
Johnny smiled. "Nope, we're firefighters, not police officers. But you need to follow playground rules from now on. Deal?"
Max nodded and sniffled, then grinned. Johnny began wondering if his firefighter wisdom went in one ear and out the other when it came to young victims.
It sure did when it came to Chris and Jenny.