The Gage Secret-11
Dixie stood outside Alyssa's room trying to put aside the theory that the patient inside might not be the sweet young girl they had at first thought; and certainly not who John Gage thought her to be.
She inhaled deeply before lightly knocking on the door. She hesitated for a moment and then entered.
Alyssa lay sleeping; her injuries appearing worse now that the bruising was deepening. Her breathing was steady indicating she was still under the influence of the pain medication Dr. Early had prescribed for her in the emergency room.
"Alyssa? Alyssa, are you awake?"
A soft moan escaped through her swollen cut lip; her lips were dry and cracked. Dixie watched as her patient tried unsuccessfully to moisten her lips with her somewhat dry tongue. Her saliva seemed to have been replaced by cotton.
"Ah, umm…"
Dixie could tell that she wanted to say more but was unable to form the words.
"Looks like the pain meds are really doing a number on you, huh?" Dixie reached her slim fingers down and grasped Alyssa's hand.
"Can you squeeze my hand Alyssa?" She smiled when Alyssa complied.
"Ok, don't try to talk. Just squeeze my hand if the answer to my question is yes. Understand?" Again, she felt a light squeeze.
"Alright, are you in much pain?" Dixie waited until she was sure Alyssa had time to answer her.
"Well, that's good. We don't want you to be hurting. Now, are you thirsty?" She felt the quick squeeze.
"Do you think you can swallow some water if I hold the straw to your mouth?" Again, she felt the quick squeeze.
"Well, let's take care of that." She released Alyssa's hand turning to reach for the water pitcher but quickly returned her gaze when she realized that Alyssa was still gripping her fingers tightly.
"Alyssa, it's alright. I'm just gonna get you some water ok?" It took Alyssa a couple of seconds before she released her grip on Dixie's hand.
She watched Alyssa open her mouth when she felt Dixie tough her lips with the straw; frowning as the young woman gulped down the cooling liquid. She reached back down to take hold of Alyssa's hand again.
"More?" She felt the squeeze again although it didn't seem to exhibit the same sense of urgency it held previously.
Again, Dixie poured another cup of ice water and held the straw to Alyssa's dry lips while she drank her fill. She nearly finished the second cup before she released her suction on the straw. Dixie placed the back of her hand on Alyssa's forehead and then lightly grazed her bruised cheek.
"Hmmmm, I was afraid of that." She quickly retrieved a wash cloth and dampened it before patting it around on Alyssa's face.
Alyssa flinched when the cold wetness touched her.
"Easy now. You've got a fever. I'm going to check your temperature underneath your arm since you just drank cold water." Dixie saw her patient opening her eyes as much as she could with what appeared to be great effort. She gave Alyssa a smile as the young lady watched her.
Alyssa didn't protest anything Dixie asked of her. She was a very compliant patient; even with having her blood drawn.
"Ok, 101 degrees. I'm going to go talk to Dr. Early and let him know you have a fever. It's just your body's way of fighting your injuries so don't let it worry you. He'll give you something that'll make you feel better, alright?" Dixie reached for Alyssa's hand for her response but instead was rewarded verbally.
"K" was all Alyssa could manage but at least she had found her voice now that her mouth and tongue were no longer completely dry.
"I've got to get back to the emergency room but Charlotte, your floor nurse will see that you get whatever Dr. Early orders for your fever; shouldn't take long." She squeezed Alyssa's hand before continuing. "Now you try to go back to sleep because rest will really help."
Dixie turned to walk out the door; blood sample in her uniform pocket. She hesitated briefly feeling something tugging at her heart. .
"Thnx" was all Alyssa could manage but Dixie understood immediately what she meant. Seems like such a sweet girl. Johnny, please stay away from her.
E!
Roy pulled his pick-up to a stop at John's house. He glanced over at his junior partner and felt a little relief to see him open his eyes.
"Nice nap, Johnny?"
"Nah, I couldn't sleep right now if I tried." John said as he exited Roy's vehicle and stood staring at his barn.
Roy walked around the front and leaned on the hood. "Johnny, come on. Let's go on in and make sure everything's secure."
Johnny cast a squint-eyed glance at his best friend then stepped out from behind the open door; slamming it shut as the two headed towards the barn.
"That where she was hiding?"
John looked at the storage room door which stood ajar. "Yea….yea, she just shot out of there like a bullet, man. I, uh…..well, if I'd've known she was a girl…"
"I know, Junior. But you're just gonna have to let it go. SHE was in the wrong; not you."
Johnny made no comment as he closed the door to the small room.
Stitches meowed softly while curling her limber body around Johnny's legs. "Hey, girl. It's ok now."
He reached down and gave the gray tabby a long slow stroke down her back and was rewarded with her soft purrs. Ever the jealous big sister, Patches nudged the side door a little with her nose; opening it up enough to allow her to enter the barn from the side. She bounded up to Johnny waiting for her usual scratch behind her ears. She wasn't disappointed but the attention was short lived.
"Sorry, girl…..no time to play. Gotta get things tended to here and then head to work."
Roy watched as John seemed to regain some of his composure. He seemed to step a little lighter as he walked around the inside of his barn locking the doors and making sure nothing was out of place. The last place he headed was the far side of the U-haul; the place where the fight had occurred. He glanced around at the shoe prints in the dirt near the side of the truck. Glimpses of the horrors that he'd perpetrated assaulted his memory; it was almost more than he could bear. Roy sensed his uneasiness and tried to engage him in conversation; hoping to force his mind to move on to other things.
"Johnny, both doors on the truck are locked. I doubt she got into the back either."
"I sure as hell hope not."
Roy began to feel better about John's attitude. He preferred that his partner get angry over the invasion of his space instead of allowing his remorse to control him. Roy wasn't paying attention to Patches as he silently celebrated John's small victory over his guilt; but Johnny was.
John leaned around the side of the U-haul; he'd caught a glimpse of Patches once again with her nose to the ground tracking something. He smirked at her realizing that she'd picked up Alyssa's scent.
"I know, girl. She wasn't supposed to be here was she?" He asked as though Patches understood and might answer him. He watched her paw at the ground beside the truck and then called her to follow him and Roy as they made their way out of the barn.
"Come on." He said then followed it up with a whistle.
Patches scratching motion on the ground turned up something shiny just as her master called to her; his voice more important than anything else to Patches. She perked her ears up and trotted out the door.
Forty-five minutes later, Roy pulled up to Johnny's rover at Rampart. "Thanks, Roy. I'll meet you at the station."
Roy nodded as John slammed the passenger's side door and then fished his keys out of his pockets. Glad to see you coming around, Junior.
The drive from Rampart to Station 51 was a familiar one. Roy pulled into the back parking lot at the station and found Marco and Chet hanging hose. Both men knew something had happened at Johnny's house earlier and even Chet refused to comment as the two A shift paramedics waved their greetings and headed to the locker room.
Johnny and Roy were silent as they began changing into their blue uniforms. Roy wanted to give John some space but Johnny suddenly felt a need to talk.
"Ya know….I'm really confused, Roy."
"Well, we all are, Johnny. I wish we could figure her out but it still really doesn't make sense." He said turning to face his partner.
Johnny shook his head looking down at his shoes. "No, Roy. That's not what I'm confused about."
Roy waited knowing that the rest of John's thoughts would be revealed in his time. He didn't wait long.
"One minute, I'm mad as hell. I mean, she certainly was NOT invited to my place, you know?"
Roy wasn't sure whether the question was rhetorical or not.
"But then the next minute I'm thinking about how I'd feel if all I wanted to do was find a dry place to sleep for the night and some guy twice my size decided to beat the shit outta me for it." Johnny exhaled as he threw his boots into his locker and retrieved his black work shoes. He sat down on the bench and began putting them on while he continued.
"Roy, be honest. How should I feel? How would you feel?"
Roy thought carefully before he answered his partner. He had to choose his words wisely or risk sending John Gage into a downward spiral emotionally.
"Johnny, I can't really say how I'd feel. And I don't think there's a right way or a wrong way to feel either. Has anything like this ever happened to you before?" Roy knew that throwing Johnny's questions back at him was one way to help him talk himself through difficult situations.
Johnny sat on the bench with his elbows on his knees. Finally, he shook his head negatively. "No, no not exactly…but…..I do know how it feels to be alone at a young age; alone, scared and …"
When Johnny didn't finish, Roy spoke up. "And not having even your basic needs met…like food and shelter?"
Johnny squeezed his eyes shut tightly; willing the tears his memories were bringing up to remain in hiding. Finally, he responded to Roy with brevity.
"Yea…..that."
Roy placed a comforting hand on his partner's weary shoulder. "Junior, I know you went through some really tough times as a kid. And I feel so honored that you've trusted me enough to share some of that pain with me. But please, Johnny, I'm begging you….don't let what happened to you back then push you into some kind of a guilt trip now."
Roy waited for his words to sink in and then gave John one last thing to think about. "Alyssa is not a 9 year old John Gage in 1955. And you, my friend, are not a 19 year old Alyssa in 1975. Your circumstances are different and the two of you are two different people. Don't make the mistake of trying to rescue little Johnny Gage by falling for the young woman who is Alyssa Keener."
Roy quietly left the locker room to let the C-shift paramedics know that he and John had arrived; leaving a very quiet Johnny sitting with his head hanging down and alone in the locker room processing the profound statements of his partner.
E!
A/N: I really appreciate you sticking with me through this and especially for the encouraging reviews. Up until now, this story has been moving a little slowly but hang on; we're about to pick up speed.
