Getting things back where they belong
Hank woke up the next morning feeling rested. After stumbling to the bathroom to take care of business he took a good long look in the mirror and tried to comb his hair into place. His hair had other ideas and felt like it was full of baking soda. The auburn highlights also looked strange especially in the part of his hair that insisted on curling. Thinking about Roy's comments about the beauty school he ended up at, Hank gave them a call after breakfast and made two appointments, he then called Gage at home and told him where and when to meet him.
John drove by the place twice before he realized the Captain had indeed summoned him to a beauty parlor. He finally parked and just sat in his rover trying to decide the best way to get out of going inside. He was about to start the ignition and drive off when he saw his Captain inside waving him in so he sat back and tried to build up the courage to go in with his non winning aftershave and all.
While he was trying to think of a way to get out of going in, a shapely blond with all the right curves sauntered out and tapped on the driver's side window.
"Your fireman friend in there said that you needed a little persuasion to come in," she said when Johnny rolled his window down. "You know I consider it a great honor to be of service to heroes such as yourself." She pretty well clinched the deal right then and there as Johnny opened his car door and stepped out to have the pretty young lady take hold of his elbow.
"You know we can do wonders with your hair," she offered as they walked into the salon and directly to a waiting chair next to where Cap was getting fitted with a cape in preparation of getting his hair washed, conditioned and treated. "We also have a wonderful cream that will help those chemical burns on your face heal faster." The girl offered as she pulled the cape around Johnny's neck and secured it into place.
Two girls apiece took on the two firemen and Johnny managed to keep up some flirting chatter while they worked their many wonder creams into his hair under the direction of an instructor. It had been noticed that their hair was worse off than the other firefighter who had come in and Hank was the one to inform them that he and Johnny had used more of the peroxide and baking soda mixture than Roy had, he also informed them that there where three more guys still in the hospital that were still bathing twice a day in the stuff.
"We were all in more direct contact with the skunk spray than Roy was too," Johnny added.
"Well tell them to stop using it on their hair!" the instructor exclaimed, "I'll give you something for them to use on their hair before you leave here. How long do you think it will be before they get out of the hospital and can get here for us to repair the damage that's been done?"
Neither Hank nor Johnny could give them an answer but it was hoped with in a couple of days for Mike and probably a couple more days for Chet and Marco.
When they had finished massaging the creams and conditioners into Johnny's head and then rinsed the excess away the cute blond who had guided him into the parlor began asking him how he wanted his hair cut.
"Oh just a little off the ends," Johnny stated.
"Regulation is above the ears and an inch off the collar," Captain Stanley commented from the next chair not moving but holding very still because he was getting his neck shaved. It seemed that all the flirting Johnny was doing had slowed his beauticians down some.
"A yeah, like he said," Johnny reluctantly gave in.
"Oh what a shame," the lead beautician crooned, "That means you're going to loose most of your golden highlighting."
"That, I can live with out," Johnny could see some silver lining in his shorter than desired hair cut.
Once Hank was done he continued to stand nearby his underling and supervise his hair cut. When that was completed they started applying a cream to the side of Johnny's face that still bore the healing sores left from the broken blisters.
"This stuff will also prevent age lines and wrinkles," the beautician applying the cream stated.
Johnny looked at her in terror. "So I need to apply it to both sides of my face or I'll not, um, a, ,,, Mature evenly?"
"Well a, you might be right I guess I've never really thought about anyone only using it on one side before," the girl responded as Hank snickered.
As they were checking out of the salon Hank purchased two bottles of the recommended Shampoo and conditioner, one for himself and one for the guys still in the hospital, along with a jar of the cream they put on Johnny's face. He planned to run it by the doctor to see if he thought it would be of benefit for the boys still hospitalized, their faces looked a lot worse than Johnny's did.
Johnny also purchased a bottle of shampoo and a jar of cream while he tried to get a date with the young blond he'd flirted with nonstop since she guided him inside.
"Oh, I'm getting married in two weeks and I don't think my fiancé would like the idea of me dating anyone," The girl answered and Johnny blushed red.
Hank just slapped his hand on John's shoulder and pointed him in the direction of the door. "I thought I'd take this stuff to the hospital am I going to meet you there?" Hank talked as they walked out into the open air.
John nod his head and the two men separated to their individual cars and followed each other to Rampart. Once inside Hank took a bottle of shampoo and conditioner along with the cream he'd purchased and headed to Dr. Brackett's office while Johnny went strait to the 'Skunk ward'. From the hall way he could see three pediatric patients being wheeled out of the room and knew they were following through with the plan Johnny had suggested.
Once inside the room John noticed that his crewmates looked better and happier and Mike no longer had patches on his eyes.
"Hey Johnny you look like you've been scalped," Mike commented as soon as he stepped inside the room.
"Yea, Cap made an appointment for the two of us at the same place Roy got his hair done. Then he sat next to me and told them how to cut it." Johnny informed his crewmates. "I'll warn you guys the only reason he didn't make appointments for you guys is because he didn't know for sure when you're getting out of here."
"Well in that case he can make one for Mike tomorrow afternoon." Chet piped up half teasing half jealous.
"Hopefully they're not open on Sunday," Marco added.
"Is that when they told you guys you'd get out of here?" Johnny spoke with enthusiasm.
They talked for a while and Johnny was brought up on all that the Doctors had said to find out that Marco and Chet would likely get their eyes unbandaged in the morning but were going to be held a couple more days to give their lungs a chance to recover.
"You guy's did get the worst of it," Johnny told them, "We were afraid of loosing you there for a while."
"Ya know," Chet remarked thoughtfully, "I never dreamed getting sprayed by a skunk could be so hard on a person. I always thought it was just dealing with the smell they left behind."
"It all depends on how close you are and where you get hit," Johnny empathized as he realized how good it felt to not have to worry about offending anyone with his odor.
"You can say that again." They all heard and turned to the newly open door to see Dr. Bracket entering with Captain Stanley behind him. Your Captain here has brought in some shampoo and conditioners for you guys I agree that you can stop using the solutions we've been mixing up here. The nurses will bring you in some milder soap to use. I don't however recommend the cream that has been recommended for your faces." Kell turned his attention directly to Johnny, "it contains some perfumes and colorants that can lead to an infection. I have some prescription cream here that will be better for you."
After handing Johnny a handful of sample sized tubes of cream Dr. Bracket left, Hank and Johnny stayed and visited until they could tell the guys needed some sleep and then they left too. On the way out Johnny gave Dixie his jar of face cream explaining why he had it but not saying anything about it reducing wrinkles. Hank would offer his to his wife later on telling her the whole story but not feeling any ill will from her.
After they left the hospital Hank and Johnny both decided to check out the station and see how it was coming along. When they arrived there they saw a rented moving van backed up to the rear bay door that was open. Inside the back of the truck was Roy comparing the information on several boxes with papers attached to the clipboard in his hand. Before there had made their presents known two very tired looking young firemen came trudging out of the dorm and climbed up in the truck taking hold of four mattresses between them and hauling them back to the dorm.
"Them your boots," Hank commented once they were inside the dorm and he was sure they couldn't hear him.
"Yep," Roy sighed. "They worked a mean abandoned warehouse fire all night then after only four hours sleep were told to get here."
"They sure pissed off the wrong people." Johnny commented before a second truck pulled around the station and started parking next to the one Roy was supervising the unloading of.
"You can say that again," Roy sighed as he eyed the next truck to be unloaded. "Hay Junior I like your hair cut."
"Thanks," Johnny carefully glared at his captain who just smirked.
Hank and Johnny soon started helping to unload the first truck so that the driver could take it back. Among the items to be unloaded were the contents of all the lockers that had been sent to be cleaned. All of the clothing from each locker was held inside a single cleaner's bag with a tag over the out side hanger that told which locker it was to be returned to and who it belonged to. Then there was a box with the same information on it that held the boots and other unhangable items. Once a locker had both a hanging bag and a box it was shut but not until.
When they were collecting the next arm load of supplies they were met by the two boots who had just been ordered to ward the bedding for the bunks and told that their work would be inspected when they were done so they better make sure they used hospital corners.
Once Roy stepped into the back of the second truck to check things out one of the boot's walked over to Hank and John, "What did you guys do to get sent here?"
"I'm not telling," Hank answered first.
"Me neither," Johnny followed his leader's lead.
"Well just be glad you weren't here a few days ago, we should have had gas masks in this place, the smell was so bad," The talkative boot replied.
"Well someone better have learned their lesson or the establishment is going to be hard pressed to come up with similar punishment in the future." Hank responded as he flung as many hangers as he could carry over his shoulder, "Although I can think of a few." He added and headed for the locker room.
With a crooked smirk on his face Johnny loaded his arms with as many boxes as he could carry and followed his leader. Before dinner time the station was loaded with fresh supplies, tested equipment was loaded back on the squad and new draft hoses pulled from their shipping boxes and placed on the engine. Responding to a phone call Roy ran into the captain's office feeling a little sheepish as he ran past his captain to do so.
Roy came out of the office calling to his boots who were in the kitchen putting the dishes away after rewashing them. "I have to take the squad over to another station, When I come back the chief will be with me so this place better be ready for his inspection."
"Why are you taking our squad to another station?" Johnny asked clearly protective of his squad.
"They got involved in a shoot out an hour ago and their squad got shot up." Roy answered as he clicked the garage door opener and got into the cab of the squad and drove off.
Hank stood in the empty half of the bay and with his hands on his hips watched as the squad rolled out. He then casually moseyed over to the door buttons and closed the door.
While the two boots spit shined the station Hank and Johnny walked from room to room checking the place out and were going over the engine compartments when Roy and the Chief returned.
"Well, Well, Well, it's good to see you up and about Hank," the Chief greeted as he entered the station. "I was going to give you a call just as soon as I got back to my office. She's a little different than when you left her isn't she?"
"It smells a ton better," Hank answered. "When is she going back in service?"
"Well," the Chief responded to Hank's question, "I got you and Gage's release to return to duty starting Sunday, I thought I'd let you open her back up Monday morning." "That is if you're ready for it."
"I'm ready to do it now," Hank responded, "this laying around is getting to me."
"Monday it is then," Chief McConnike responded with a slap on the captain's back. "You'll have your squad back no later than Saturday and although not all of your men will be relieved for duty by then we'll see to it that you have a full team.
"Those of us that are able will be here ready to go bright and early Monday morning." Hank spoke for his crew.
"Good it's going to be a media circus," Chief McConnike dropped the other shoe, "Oh and by the way that attachment you couldn't get to work. It was designed for a different engine and a different irrigation system."
Everyone hung their heads and shook them as they chuckled softly.
"Chief could I talk to you for a moment about opening this place up?" Hank requested.
"Incident commander Desoto, may we use your office for a moment?"
"Yes sir," Roy responded with a smile and watched as his two superiors walked into the office he had been using for a couple of days longer than he wanted to.
Hank picked Mike up from the hospital when he was released and took him home by way of the school of cosmetology.
His beautician was looking over his face, "Something must have been protecting your face right here," She drew a line with her finger.
"Yeah, one of my crewmate's head," Mike answered having been aware for days how much worse he'd be it he hadn't been standing behind Marco when the skunks did their thing.
Unlike Johnny Mike was able to get a date with his beautician at the end of his procedure.
Marco and Chet ended up getting released from the hospital on Saturday in the care of their mothers; Momma Lopez was more than happy to lead the way to the beauty shop on their way home. Their sons were not going to be cleared for duty when the station reopened for business but they were to report in uniform for the huge media party to open her up again.