Chapter 14

Johnny drove down the familiar street, his elbow propped on the ledge of his beloved Rover, the wind whipping through his dark mussed-up tresses. He squinted into the sun as he made the westbound turn onto the DeSotos' street. As he neared his destination, he noticed the garage door open, Joanne's car conspicuously absent. He eased to a stop along the curb, not wanting to block her entry, should she return during his visit.

He stepped out of his vehicle, his hand patting his shirt pocket. He had just made the most important purchase of his life and he couldn't wait to tell his best friend. He felt as though he were walking on air with each step taking him closer to the house. With the garage exposed, he saw several of Roy's tools lying strewn about.

"Uh-oh," he mumbled to himself. He recognized the signs of Joanne's so called 'honey-do' list being worked on and briefly thought of making a hasty retreat. He had gotten caught up in more than one DeSoto disaster when Roy was working with his tools. He could hear the banging going on from inside the house and knew he couldn't leave poor Roy to handle things alone.

Without knocking, he entered the residence through the door that connected the kitchen with the garage and nearly laughed out loud. There, onhis hands and knees, his upper body partially obscured by the kitchen cabinet beneath the sink, mumbling a string of expletives, was Roy. The banging sounds Johnny had heard were obviously coming from Roy's frustration being displayed against the pipes beneath the sink.

Johnny opened his mouth to announce his arrival, but being in the good mood he was, he decided to have a little fun with his partner. He quietly slipped off his shoes and walked, sock-footed, across the kitchen floor until he was standing behind Roy.

"C'mon, you stubborn bastard," Roy cursed, squirming as he tried to gain better access to the faulty pipe. "Damn it!"

Johnny's face turned crimson red as he worked hard to prevent his guffaws from bubbling to the surface. The more Roy squirmed, the more his jeans seemed to slip down his hips, eventually revealing more to Johnny than he wanted to see. Seeing a dishtowel draped over the dishes drying in the rack beside the sink, Johnny couldn't resist the urge. He carefully removed the cloth, leaned over and allowed the fringes to lightly brush across Roy's lower back, causing the older man to shudder.

"Aww, hell," Roy continued swearing, completely unaware that his partner was the cause of the unusual sensation he had felt. He reached beside him, grabbing a different wrench.

Once again, Johnny leaned over, only this time, he rolled up the dishtowel, dipping one end into the edge of Roy's sagging jeans and lightly brushed it across his partner's exposed butt crack.

"Damn it, Jo, this isn't the time," Roy groused, continuing with his job at hand. "I'm still pissed!"

Johnny squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stifle his laughter. Spying a glass of ice water sitting on the counter, he reached in, withdrawing an ice cube.

"Stupid-ass piece o' shit," Roy continued, unaware that hovering dangerously close to his semi-naked backside, his partner was holding a melting piece of ice – a drop of cold water poised to drip directly into his crevice. With one final tug, the sink pipe broke free just as the ice cube slipped from Johnny's fingers, becoming partially wedged at the zenith of Roy's buttocks.

"Motherf-Umph!" Roy's body bucked in reaction to the icy cold water slipping down his crack, his swear cut off by his head slamming against the underside of the porcelain sink.

Roy pulled the rest of his body from beneath the sink, his white tee shirt stained with dirty sink water that had been inadvertently splashed on him. "Jo!"

Johnny's hysterical cackles caused Roy's already frustrated mood to turn even more sour. He pointed his greasy, dirty finger towards his laughing comrade. "You!"

"Hahaha! Yep, it's me, pally. Sorry it wasn't your wife playin' with your ass," Johnny snickered, knowing that he would eventually pay for his dirty deed, but right now, he was enjoying the fun.

"Yea… well… I'm in no mood for her to play with my ass," he responded, a slight smile creeping onto his ruddy face. Roy couldn't stay mad at his friend for long. He knew he must look a sight, and he had to admit, Johnny pulled a good one over on him. "Payback's hell, you know that, right, Junior?"

Johnny reached his hand out, helping Roy to his feet, snickering again when Roy pulled his jeans up higher on his hips. "Aww, don't worry. I've seen your ass too many times to count. No sense tryin' to hide it from me now," he laughed.

Roy picked up the wrench from the floor, playfully shaking it in Johnny's direction. "Alright, Chet better not hear about my plumber's crack!" He reached beneath the sink with his free hand and retrieved the loose piece of pipe.

Johnny raised his hands in mock surrender. "No worries, Pally. Besides, no one is gonna mention a plumber's crack to you… not after… well… you know." The younger man began to stammer, hoping he hadn't touched on a raw nerve.

It had been months since Roy and Joanne's misunderstanding about Lane Coulter, the neighborhood plumber. Roy had jumped to conclusions about Joanne having an affair and had come dangerously close to compromising his own marital vows. The senior medic had also come close to losing his best friend over the entire incident because Johnny had cared enough to confront him about his behavior. He would always carry even more respect for his partner because of it.

Roy saw the boyish grin returning to Johnny's face and had to ask the question. "So, what brings you by my house on this lovely morning?" he questioned, looking at the mess on the kitchen floor and the stains on his tee shirt.

Johnny reached inside his shirt pocket, withdrawing a red velvet box. "I wanted you to be the first to know," he answered, opening the box in Roy's direction.

Roy nearly gasped at the diamond solitaire his partner was holding. "Johnny? Isn't this kind of sudden?"

"Nope," the younger man replied with a grin. "I've known since I first met Lily that I wanted to marry her. I lost her once before and since she's been gone back to Alabama, it's almost like I've lost her again. The absence let me know that… Well… I can't imagine my life without her in it."

"Man, you've got it bad, Junior," Roy said, his own face beaming almost as much as his partner's. "Congratulations!" He reached out his hand, but laughed when Johnny refused to shake it. "Oh, yea… Guess I should turn the water back on, so I can wash my hands."

"Might want to put the pipes back together first," Johnny snickered, repocketing the ring.

"Oh… yea, speaking of ring," Roy said, pulling a few paper towels from the roll near the sink. He folded them up, then tapped the pipe on the soft towels, dislodging a clump of nasty goop.

Joanne suddenly came barging through the door, tossing her purse onto the counter, her face tear-stained. "Did you get the ring?"

Johnny's chin dropped. "Jo, how'd you know I was-"

"Yes, right here, honey," Roy said, removing the golden band from the debris pile on the paper towels. "Please, from now on, clean your ring in a bowl instead of the sink."

"Oh, Roy," she wept, placing the ring on the third finger of her left hand. "I was so afraid I had lost it forever… Please forgive me?"

"It was an accident, Jo, and I know that. I'm sorry I got angry with you," he said, kissing her lightly on her cheek, hoping for more a little later.

"Ahem."

Both DeSotos looked over at the obviously happy young man rocking back on his heels. "I have an announcement, Jo," Johnny said, winking playfully at his partner.

"Oh?" Joanne turned to give him her full attention. "What did you do to Chet?" she chuckled to herself.

"ME?" Johnny asked, his hand splayed over his chest. " Now, why would I do something to Chet?"

Joanne raised one eyebrow in response.

"Okay, I know, but not this time," he said, reaching into his shirt pocket again. "I've decided to ask Lily to marry me."

Joanne's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Oh, my goodness, Johnny! It's beautiful; she's going to be so excited!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, truly overjoyed that her young friend had found the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

When Joanne released him, he looked back at the ring. He tilted it in the light of the kitchen, pleased with how it sparkled. He had been saving his money for a down payment on a house one day, but the house would have to wait. It might take another year or so before he could afford the down payment, but at least the house he bought would be a home with Lily by his side.

"I'm going to buy a dozen red roses and propose to her as soon as she walks through the gate at the airport on Sunday," he said proudly.

Roy and Joanne exchanged a brief but worried glance.

"Um, Sunday?" Roy asked, realizing that their surprise party was going to ruin Johnny's plans.

"Well, yea. It'll be the first time I've seen her in weeks, and I want to drop on one knee as soon as she sees me."

"Oh, Johnny, I think that's a perfect plan," Joanne said, stepping closer to him. "But, you know it's bad luck for the potential groom to keep the engagement ring at his apartment before he proposes," she said, slipping her fingers into his shirt pocket. "So, we'll keep it locked up in our safe. Then you can stop by here on Sunday morning and pick it up on your way to the airport."

Johnny knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. He had never heard of such a thing. "What? Are you sure?"

Roy, understanding what Jo was doing, chimed in. "Oh, yea, I almost forgot about that. Don't want to jinx your marriage before it starts; do you?"

"Well… no, but-"

"Then, no buts, Junior. We'll take care of the ring and you just think about what you want to say to that pretty little lady as soon as you see her," he said, wrapping his arm around Johnny's shoulder, forgetting about the sweat and grime covering his arm.

"Um… yea, okay… if you're sure," the dark-haired man stammered.

"Would we steer you wrong?" Joanne asked, rhetorically. "Now, you just run along to Bloomers and order the flowers. Chet is keeping Corrie today while Caroline works. You know she'll create something special for you."

Johnny's crooked smile broke through his doubt. "Yea, you're right. Sunday will be here soon, won't it?"

Roy and Joanne stood in their front doorway, waving to Johnny as he drove away.

"Whew, that was close," Joanne mumbled.

"You are one smart lady, Mrs. DeSoto," Roy said, proudly, wanting to wrap his arms around her but knowing not to in his current filthy condition. "How'd you come up with that story so fast."

Joanne grinned at him mischievously. "If you go take a shower, I'll bet I can get something else to come up quickly."

Roy immediately stripped off his shirt. "Yes, ma'am," he said turning for the stairs. "I like the way you think."

Joanne giggled to herself, looking at the engagement ring she held in her hands. She had never gotten an engagement ring; Roy couldn't afford one at the time. It didn't matter to her. She had married, and nearly lost, the most wonderful man in the world to her. She looked down at the plain gold band, the one Roy had just removed from the kitchen sink. It represented their marriage, in more ways than one. It had nearly been lost and had been salvaged from the muck and mire. And when she cleaned it up, it would look good as new. "I love you, Roy DeSoto," she said to herself, following him toward their bedroom. She had to lock up Johnny's ring.

Walking by the telephone, she suddenly remembered where Johnny was going. "Oh no," she muttered. "I've got to warn Caroline."

E!

On Thursday morning, Mike was running late for his shift; well, later than his usual half hour early. In frustration, he shoved his way through the locker room door, nearly bumping into Marco.

"Good Morning, Stoker."

"Morning."

Marco was accustomed to his engineer being a man of few words, but he wasn't used to seeing him quite so glum at the beginning of a shift. "You, ah, you might like to know that Bri is staying with Mama and Lexi. They seem to be getting along well; at least, that's what Mama told me."

"That's good."

Mike placed his extra uniforms in his locker along with his bag. He hadn't spoken to Lexi in several days, so the mention of her name did nothing to improve his mood. He closed his locker door and headed for the kitchen.

Marco gave the paramedics a knowing look. Johnny, standing in front of his locker wearing his undershirt, reached inside to retrieve his uniform. "What's eatin' him?"

"I don't know," Marco replied, pulling open the locker room door. "But I'm sure my sister has something to do with it."

Roy waited for the lineman to leave before turning to his partner. "So, are you going to make the big announcement?"

Johnny finished buttoning his shirt, stuffing his shirttail into his pants. "Nope."

"Why not?"

"Two reasons," Johnny said propping one foot on the bench in front of them to tie his shoe. "Reason number one, I don't want to jinx it. I'm gonna wait until she says yes." He switched his stance to tie the other shoe. "and second-"

"Mornin' fellas," Chet said, scurrying into the room.

Johnny stood up straight, stepping in front of his partner to reach for the door. "And he's reason number two."

Johnny and Roy walked across the apparatus bay headed for the kitchen and what they hoped was fresh coffee. As soon as the door opened, Johnny's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Samford Bennett, the arson investigator, was standing beside the kitchen table, his arms crossed over his chest while Mike, Marco, and Hank all leaned in closely, staring at a piece of charred metal resting in the center of the table.

"Hi, Sam," Roy spoke up, stretching out his hand to welcome the arson investigator to their station.

"What's that?" Johnny questioned, his eyebrows knitted together as he stared at the unidentifiable mass.

"That's a UFO, Johnny," Marco spoke up.

"It's a… a what?"

"You heard him, John," Hank chimed in.

Samford almost laughed at the look on the junior medic's face. "Amy's diner wasn't damaged by an explosion."

Johnny looked up, his face covered in confusion. "Huh?"

"But what about the hole in the roof," Roy added, seemingly as mystified as his partner.

Samford waved his hand in the direction of the piece of debris. "The hole came first… then the explosion."

"Wait… are you saying that… this, flew through the roof and caused all that damage?" Roy asked.

"Well, it isn't exactly a UFO. I mean, we know it's part of an airplane engine, probably a turbine blade, but it's so heavily damaged that it's hard to determine for sure. We know a plane made an emergency landing in San Diego shortly after the incident at The Pourhouse. There were a few other reports of debris damaging cars, also. When I mapped out the time line of the airplane's distress call and the calls that came in during that same time frame, it creates an obvious debris field. Lots of very lucky people… well, except for Bri and Amy, I guess."

The normally quiet engineer chose that moment to speak up. "Sounds to me like there's an airline company that owes Amy and Bri damages."

"We think alike, Stoker," the arson investigator added. "As soon as we run a few more tests for confirmation, I think those two ladies need to talk to an attorney about handling their case. I know both of them could use the money," he said, not wanting to disclose what he knew about Bri's dire financial situation. He had a plan to help her out in the immediate future because he knew cases like these could be tied up in court for years. But he wasn't ready to share his plans with anyone else. He preferred to do things behind the scenes.

"Oh-no," Roy mumbled, staring at his partner's face as it morphed from confusion to mischief. "I've seen that look before."

"This is good… This is gonna be REAL good," Johnny said, slapping his hands together and rubbing them briskly. "Not a word to Chet, understand?"

"Stop talkin' about me. I'm here, a'right!" Chet called out, rushing through the door. He stopped suddenly, turning his attention to the middle of the kitchen table. "What the he-"

"Hey, Chet," Johnny jumped in, preventing the curse from being spoken. "I'm… Oh, man," Johnny said, spinning one of the chairs around so he could sit in it with his forearms resting on the back of the chair. "Of all the rotten luck!"

"What are you fellas talkin' about. What's that?" Chet asked, unaware that he was taking Johnny's bait.

"It's a UFO, Chet. It's the UFO that crashed into Amy's diner… part of it anyway," Johnny added.

"You're lyin', Gage. I don't see any little green men," Chet said, waxing his mustache with his fingers, waiting for the others to agree with him. But their serious gazes made him uneasy.

"Umm," Chet stammered. "Fellas?"

Sam, always eager for some good-natured ribbing, joined in with the fun. "I brought it by here to show you all, Chet. This caused that big hole in Amy's roof."

"You mean… it blew IN, not OUT?" the lineman questioned.

"That's right," Marco added. "It's a real unidentified flying object."

"Oh, c'mon, knock it off, okay?" Chet questioned, his blue eyes darting from fireman to fireman in search of a hint of a joke. He found none. "Okay?"

Before anyone could speak, the klaxons sounded, calling out the engine crew to a dumpster fire. The paramedics and the investigator watched as Mike pulled the engine into traffic, heading on their first call of the shift.

As soon as they were gone, Johnny's face broke out into a wide grin. "Oh, yea… this is gonna be so much fun." He darted out the kitchen door, shouting over his shoulder. "Not a word, Roy."

Roy looked over at Samford and rolled his eyes. "Welcome to my world."

Both men laughed out loud as Roy finally made his way to the coffee pot. "Need a warmer?" he asked holding it up in Samford's direction.

"Yea..." Samford grabbed up his cup, extending it to Roy. "I have a question for you."

"Sure."

Sam glanced back over his shoulder making sure that Johnny was out of hearing range. "I went by the hospital on Sunday to interview Bri. I ran into Lexi in the parking lot and she, um, she invited me to Johnny's surprise party. I just wanted to make sure that was okay since you and Joanne are hosting it."

Roy grinned. "Absolutely, the more the merrier."

"Good… I just wasn't sure. So," he mentioned, lifting the mug to his mouth. "What can I do to help?"

Roy set the coffee pot back down on the stove. "Well… I have an idea. Can you pick up a couple of very special guests at LAX before you come over?"

E!

Behind the station, Johnny was taking advantage of the engine crew's absence. He quickly dipped his fingers into the canister and planted more of the green goop on the driver's side door handle. He snickered to himself as he thought of what Chet would think when he tried to open his van door.

"Hahaha," he cackled to himself. "Little green men, my ass."

"What are you doing, Johnny?" Roy asked, walking with Sam back to his car.

"Oh, nothin' much… Just givin' the Phantom a taste of his own medicine," he said, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Samford laughed, turning to shake hands with Roy. He then turned to Johnny with the same gesture but seeing the remnants of the younger medic's misbehavior clinging to his fingers, quickly pocketed his hand.

"Oh, yea… Sorry," Johnny said, flinging his hand towards the cement to remove the mess. Unable to remove it all, he wiped his hand along his pant leg before extending his hand, but the klaxons sounded before he had a chance to complete the gesture.

"Catch you guys later," the investigator called out, waving as he got into his car.

E!

Lexi tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. She reached for her bedside clock, tilting it so that the glow from the streetlight helped her see the time.

"Ugh," she groaned, returning the ticking instrument back to its original place. "It's only midnight," she whispered to herself.

Tossing the covers off her legs, she slipped out of bed and clicked on her lamp. No one else would be awake at this hour, so she tip-toed over to her desk and carefully pulled the chair out far enough for her to take a seat. Opening the middle drawer, she removed the journal along with the envelope where she was hiding her cash. Her fingers trembled as she removed the money and began counting and recounting it.

Sighing, she returned the bills into the envelope and slipped it back inside the journal. The few bills she had managed to collect weren't nearly enough. She had to find some way to make more money because her time was running out.

She made her way back to her bed and was reaching toward her nightstand to turn off her lamp when a very dark thought crossed her mind. Slowly she opened the drawer and withdrew the small box her mother had given her shortly after her rescue. Lifting off the lid, she removed the antique rosary. It had been so long since she had actually prayed the rosary. Her fingers ran across each bead, remembering how she had watched her mother holding it and praying as her fingers seemed to work their way around the precious representation of their faith. She considered her options – pawning the item she now held in her hands or returning to the streets for a few weeks. With her mind made up, she carefully placed the rosary back inside its box and returned it to the drawer. Objects could only be sold once, but she could be sold repeatedly. She could make more than enough money by working her old familiar strip as an independent prostitute, even though the stakes were much higher when working without a pimp. Yet, she knew that the day was quickly approaching when the only thing she might have left to hand down to her only child was the rosary she just stowed away in her nightstand. No, she could never sell such a prized possession. It had too much sentimental value. Her eyes welled with tears as she pondered the absurdity of it all. It was ironic that she considered herself worthless; yet knew that she could make the money she needed quickly by repeatedly selling her body.

E!

The following morning shift change was running smoothly at Station 51. The previous night had been a quiet one. The men were all looking forward to a couple of days off which included an impromptu surprise party for Johnny. He knew that a couple of the guys were going to meet at Roy's house to take the younger children trick or treating in the DeSoto neighborhood and then grill some burgers afterwards. The young man had no idea what was in store for him.

"Roy, I just got off the phone with Caroline," Chet said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the station pay phone. He pulled out a chair from the kitchen table where Marco had just placed a plate of eggs and toast. "She said she was bringing the sliced vegetables for the burgers. I'm supposed to pick up buns on my way home. How many are ya cookin'?"

Johnny was oblivious to the quick wink the Irishman had tossed to the senior medic. Roy's confused face immediately morphed into understanding when he saw Chet's quick gesture. The always calm mannered medic pretended to complete the addition in his head.

"Um… Let's see there'll be four kids and, uh, you and Caroline, Marco and Beverly, and Jo and myself. So, I'd say, maybe… sixteen?" His inflection letting Chet know that he understood what was happening.

"Haha," the lineman guffawed. "I think you forgot someone. Johnny can eat more than any of us."

The mention of his name brought Johnny's attention to the table. "Ya talkin' to me?"

"Nope," Chet grinned, leaning back in his seat. "We're talkin' ABOUT you. That's different."

"Oh yea, well what about me?"

Chet snickered; he enjoyed razzing his pigeon more than anything. "Humph, that's for me to know and you to find out, Gage."

Johnny's eyes darted back and forth between Chet and Roy. Roy immediately diverted his gaze, afraid that he might give something away if he continued participating in the charade. The shift immediately made Johnny suspicious and he narrowed his eyes at his long-time friend.

"Roy… aw, man… you didn't tell him… did ya?"

Roy shifted his gaze from his coffee cup to his obviously perturbed partner. "How'd I get into this conversation?"

"Because Chet said you fellas had been talkin' about me. I mean, you heard 'im. So… Did you?" the junior man asked, worried that his friend had possibly betrayed his trust.

"Tell me what?" Now it was Chet's turn to question Roy.

Roy looked up, his head shifting from one man to the other. Under any other circumstances, he would have chuckled, but he was already feeling the pressure of making sure that everything ran smoothly for the surprise party. He pushed his chair away from the table, pouring out the remainder of his coffee in the sink and leaving his dirty mug there. "I hope Dwyer's here," he mumbled, exiting the kitchen with the two shiftmates yapping at his heels as he made his way towards the locker room.

The majority of B-shift had already arrived, and Roy found his relief man changing clothes in front of his locker. Ignoring the bantering going on between Chet and Johnny, the red-haired paramedic opened his locker and began changing into his street clothes for his return trip home.

"C'mon, Roy… did ya or didn't ya?"

"Did he or didn't he what?" Chet questioned; he hated it when Johnny knew something he didn't.

"Let it go, Junior. I didn't tell him anything," Roy replied, never looking up at either man as he continued changing his clothes. "And Chet, if Johnny has something to tell you, I'm sure he will do it when he's ready." He gathered up his belongings and headed for the door, tuning out the noises of the two men following him.

Dwyer looked over at his partner who was pinning on his badge. "How does DeSoto keep his sanity?" he asked, rhetorically, shaking his head and snickering.

Behind the station, Roy tossed his bag into the passenger's seat of his Porsche. He fished his keys out of his pocket before opening his door.

"Wait a minute, Roy," Johnny called out. "I wanna know what you and Kelly were talkin' about," he said, his unkempt hair blowing in the morning breeze.

"You," Roy deadpanned, slipping behind the wheel.

Chet, having achieved his goal of frustrating Johnny, fought hard not to laugh as he walked behind Roy's car towards the place where his van was parked. He turned his back to the dueling duo and reached for the door handle. "What the hell?"

Johnny, having forgotten until now, his misdeed from the previous day looked up, doing his best to look innocent. "Somethin' wrong, Chet?" he asked, knowingly tapping Roy on the shoulder.

Roy shook his head, slipping the key into the ignition. He really needed to get away from these two.

"What the hell is this, Johnny? And why do you keep leaving it on my stuff," the lineman shouted, his anger beginning to roil as he wiped the unknown substance on his pant leg.

"Me?" the paramedic countered, splaying his hand across his chest. "What makes you think I did it?"

"Because it oozes of John Gage – LITERALLY!"

"Ugh, I'm crushed, Chester," Johnny replied, feigning a stabbing pain in the vicinity of his heart.

Chet sat behind the wheel of his van, glancing around to see if any globs of goo had been planted inside his vehicle. Seeing nothing, he pointed his index finger in Johnny's direction. "The Phantom is watching you!"

"Yea, well… Those little green men must be watching you!" Johnny returned with a chuckle, stepping over to his own vehicle and climbing inside. His plan was working nicely. Now all he had to do was get the rest of the prank ready for Chet on the patio of the DeSoto residence tonight. He smirked to himself as he drove away, his windows rolled down and the cool morning air blowing in his face. Two more days and he would be asking the most important question of his life… She had to say yes… She would say yes… Wouldn't she?

E!

A/N: I want to thank all of you for reading and especially for sharing your thoughts with me. The last few months have been particularly difficult for my family and me. Not only was I diagnosed with cancer, but two days after my surgery, my father had a massive stroke and died a few days later – all in a matter of seven days. This was totally unexpected. I am still undergoing testing to determine the best course of treatment and dealing with my grief. For those of you who have known about these events and have sent me encouragement and offered prayers on my behalf, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I had to put my writing on hold for a while. However, my muse is beginning to hang out with me again, so I hope to update sooner next time.