STORM RIDERS
These good fellows don't belong to me, but I promise when I'm done to pick um up, dust um off and with a kiss on the cheek return them safely home.
"Choices made, whether bad or good, follow you forever and affect everyone in their path one way or another."
― J.E.B. Spredemann
A/N: You guys are amazing and I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your input and thoughts. You know, I have every chapter planned out, to the end of the story, but your input just keeps adding to the story. It makes a difference to hear how you are seeing the characters and their stories. It lets me know where I'm weak and where I'm stronger. This chapter is a bit shorter, but I think pretty packed with, well, you'll see.
CHAPTER 21
Roy climbed out of bed and ambled to the bathroom. Another sleepless night was not a good way to start a shift, and he hoped a hot shower would be enough to make him feel human again. Beyond the bedroom, Joanne was getting the kids up and headed downstairs for breakfast before school. The morning routine of the DeSoto house was in full swing, whether he was ready or not. Calling the hot stream of water a moment of quiet contemplation would have been a misconception. Turning his brain off had been impossible for the last few days and not talking to his friend had only put him in a position that he never wanted to happen. Guilt. He was carrying huge guilt along with everything else now. Joanne had been kind and skirted around the issue, but she didn't have to call him out on his own behavior. He knew he'd been a terrible friend, allowing his own anger and frustration to shut him down to a brother.
Shaved and dressed he stood in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table.
Joanne kissed him on the cheek. "Don't be nervous, it'll be okay."
"I know." If only his conviction matched his words.
She sat down with him. "Why did he do it?"
Roy looked up. "We've already been over this." He pushed his coffee to the side.
Joanne put her hand on his arm. "Tell me, why."
"He did it for Chet. I know that."
She shook her head and smiled. "No. Why did he do it?"
He knew. Of course, he knew. Johnny had a heart bigger than his own common sense sometimes, willing to look past personal price to do something for someone else. Knowing it didn't make him any less frustrated at him for going through with the deal, nor his own irrational and irresponsible reaction that followed.
He stood up. "The kids are going to be late, me too."
Joanne let out a sigh, knowing that now it was in his hands, not hers.
The knock at the door was expected, and Joanne picked up the kid's lunch boxes. "Come on you two, Millie is here!"
Jenny and Chris came running down the stairs and gave Roy a quick hug goodbye, with Jenny jumping in his arms for a kiss too.
"Don't forget, Mrs. Millie is picking you up from school and taking you to Aunt Brenda's house, okay?"
The chorus of agreement made Joanne laugh as she pushed them towards the door. "Let's go."
He heard the door open as he tucked his wallet into his pocket and grabbed his car keys. He wanted to get to work a bit early to talk to Mike before Johnny arrived.
"Roy?"
It wasn't the fact that she said his name. It was the tone of her voice, the almost imperceptible quiver that sent the hairs up on the back of his neck. Looking over to her, his breath quickened, not able to see who she was talking to, only that the color had drained from her face.
"Jo?" When he approached and saw who waited on the other side, his chest tightened.
In that second, his world was turned upside down.
"I can't believe he did that," he growled.
Thomas sat in the chair opposite from his brother, his very unhappy brother. "Come on man, you know how he is. Exactly what did you think he would do?"
Karl shook his head, then shifted in the bed. "How did Johnny take it?"
The younger brother grinned. "Like a champ."
Karl laughed. "Of course, he did. He was blindsided and had no idea how to go against our father."
"He's a good guy, you'll make him understand." Thomas stood up. "I just don't know how to explain it."
"Yea, I'll talk to him as soon as I can. Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Thomas felt much better leaving the debacle in the hands of his brother. Karl would know how to handle it.
His leg now out of traction he slid over to the edge of the bed, putting both feet on the floor before reaching for his crutches. The chest tube was out, but the soreness of broken ribs lingered. Rolling his eyes at the useless help from crutches, what with a shoulder in a sling on one side and sore ribs on both, he looked at Thomas.
"Need help?"
Karl nodded. "Bathroom."
It took a moment for Thomas to figure out where to put his hands for support without causing Karl pain. With awkward assistance, he hobbled slowly to the bathroom.
"I don't need my little brother helping me pee."
"Wouldn't be the first time," Thomas laughed before closing the door.
"Shut up," Karl barked back.
Once he was finished, Thomas helped get him comfortable in the reclining chair next to his bed. A few pillows and props later, Thomas handed him the TV remote and nurse call button.
"Set?"
Little brothers could be a pain growing up, but he had lucked up for the most part. "Yea, I'm good, thanks."
"Okay, dad needs me to pick up some nails to fix that fence near the lake."
"Go," Karl waved him away. "I'm good. See you guys tomorrow."
Flipping through channels, he had difficulty focusing on anything in particular. Johnny had called him late last night and updated him on finding Grace. While, it was reassuring to know that she was safe at the cabin, seemingly set to stay for a while, he didn't want her to completely isolate herself again for too long. It spoke a great deal in her fighting the urge to run, letting the mountains be her refuge for the time being. He only hoped it gave him time to get mobile enough to get to her. She had a reason to stay now, which could just as easily be her reason to run as far as she could. To say he wasn't frustrated as hell would be a lie. Of course, he was. He was stuck here over the holidays and unable to help his family with the ranch. That was only made worse by knowing what his father had declared on Christmas Day. He got it, seeing where his father was coming from. Now, just to make Johnny see that it wasn't a punishment would be the challenge.
"Knock, knock."
"Yep."
Eli came in with a big smile on his face. "Well, this is excellent to see. How are you feeling?"
"Sore, but it's getting easier to move around."
Eli reached down and checked the cast, and the shoulder then listened to his heart and lungs.
"What's the verdict doc?"
"Six to eight weeks on the cast, then we'll start some physical therapy on it. The shoulder, we'll take the sling off when you get discharged, then restrictions for two weeks. It'll take at least six weeks to feel back to normal."
Karl was shaking his head. "Doc, I can't be down for that long. I need to be on my feet by four."
"Listen. You've got four pins in that leg. If you push it too fast, you could end up with permeant nerve damage, disability, and chronic pain for the rest of your life. Overuse that arm too fast, and it will slip right back out and need surgery."
Karl let out a sigh.
"Do what I tell you, follow my timeline, and you'll have a full recovery. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
Eli smiled. "Good. Now, let's talk about getting you home."
He was cutting it close for work, dragging his feet all morning. It should be a good day to be back at work with his best friend and brother. Instead, the apprehension was eating him alive. Just get through the day he kept chanting to himself, get through the day. Twenty-four hours to try and fix things that had gone terribly wrong with one bad decision. Backing into the parking space, he released a deep breath and stepped out into the warm southern California air. Walking through the small lot, he froze mid-step when he saw two people talking at the other end. It wasn't where they were that caught his attention, but who that sent a small thrill of panic into him. With a glance, she saw him approaching, then surprised him by coming right at him. Panic turned to fear when Johnny realized she was crying. No, not crying, she was sobbing.
"Joanne, what's wrong?" He almost felt breathless.
Looking at him she stopped and tensed up, her hands coming up to his chest. He watched her eyes flash at him with what? Anger? More like fury. In that second, he thought she might hit him, and his heart sank.
She knew too and hated him for it.
"Joanne," he said softly.
Her hands balled into fists, pressing into his chest until she slowly pulled them away from him. "I can't." Shaking her head as she cried. "I can't."
Turning she raced to her car and climbed in. Johnny felt completely stunned but found enough power to walk over to the car, only to have to move out of the way as she raced out of the lot. Looking up, he saw Mike going into the back door of the kitchen, with only a quick glance in his direction. His heart was racing as he entered the station and headed to the locker room. Hank was already stirring around in the bay, anxious to get the day started and Johnny couldn't readily find Mike. Rushing to his locker, he quickly changed into his uniform. Marco and Chet immediately started greeting him with welcome back chants and endless chatter that he couldn't even process. His eyes darted around looking for Mike.
Out in the bay, Mike stood in line, positioning himself at the far end of Johnny, his eyes focused on his Captain.
Johnny fell in line while Hank handed out morning assignments, his mind replaying the look on Joanne's face, over and over.
"Gage!"
He looked at Hank. "Yes, Cap."
Hank smiled. "Welcome back."
Johnny tried to pull up a smile. "Thanks, Cap. It's good to be back."
"As I was saying, your partner today will be Bellingham."
That got his attention. "What?"
Hank raised his brow. "I said Roy called in sick. It's Bellingham today, he's coming over from 86 and should be here in just a few minutes."
Roy was sick? He shook his head a little. Joanne was almost hysterical, that was more than, Roy has a cold and can't come in. When he glanced at Mike, the engineer was watching him with an expression he couldn't quite read.
By the time they made it back to the kitchen, Bellingham had arrived, and everyone was sitting around the kitchen table eating biscuits, laughing and sharing holiday stories. Johnny heard his name several times, enough to make him smile, nod, and give a few words to make it appear he was listening to what the conversation was about. His eyes followed Mike, who was purposely keeping his distance and had yet to speak to him at all.
Leaving the happy crowd, he went to Hanks office and knocked on the door. "Cap?"
Hank sat up in the rickety wooden chair. "John, come in."
"Thanks, Cap."
"You're feeling good?" Hank looked at him with examining eyes.
Johnny nodded and smiled. "Still just a little sore, but nothing is broken, so doc said I was good to get back to work."
"Good, we've missed you around here."
"Cap, did Roy say why he was calling in?"
Hank shook his head. "Didn't talk to him, Joanne called. She just said he was sick, didn't elaborate."
Johnny nodded.
"Should I be worried?" Hank didn't like the expression on the younger man's face.
Quickly, he erased the tension in his face. "No, not at all. I'll check on him later today and see how he's feeling."
"Good, keep me posted."
Back in the dayroom, Mike had disappeared again, and Bellingham was pulling him to the squad for morning counts.
"What a crazy thing! You getting caught in a snowstorm. I didn't even know you lived out that far. When did that happen."
Bellingham kept going and Johnny answered, but couldn't get into the jovial conversation that his partner for the day seemed to be enjoying.
"I'll be right back."
"Sure, man. I'll write down what we need, and we can make a run to Rampart."
Johnny had seen Mike heading to the locker room and quickly followed him. Moving through the door, he leaned against the back wall as Mike fiddled in his locker.
"Mike?"
The man turned and looked at him, a sigh of resignation released. Mike knew he couldn't avoid him all day, but he really didn't want to talk to him.
"What's going on?" The pit in Johnny's stomach knew it was bad, maybe bad enough that he wouldn't want to know.
"Johnny, I can't…"
He started shaking his head. "No, no, you can't tell me that." His arm pointed to the parking lot. "I've never seen her that upset, then Roy's not here, and no one is saying why?"
Mike stayed silent.
"Mike."
STATION 51, MULTICAR ACCIDENT, NELSON COURT, CROSS ROAD, 52ND EAST, TIMEOUT 0902
Mike moved past Johnny, leaving him frustrated and more worried than ever. At the squad, Bellingham was already in the passenger seat, allowing Johnny to slide into the driver's seat. Any other time he'd enjoy teasing Roy about driving the Squad while he was lounging at home. Now, he had no idea what to tell Roy.
Johnny knew things were bad as soon as they approached the intersection. Four cars were piled up, one was on fire, two flipped over, and the gathering crowd was screaming for help. Hank immediately put in for back up before the Engine stopped moving. Johnny pulled up close, not even taking the time to pull boxes, both men just ran into the melee.
"Bell, take the truck," Johnny called out, running to the turned over blue sedan.
Hank jumped out of the Engine and started directing the men to cover the cars and assist with injuries.
"Get those engines, Kelly," he yelled out.
"Aye, Cap!"
Mike went straight to the controls and began regulating the flow of essential water, watching his shift mates work and anticipating their needs before they even knew.
Johnny headed to the most crushed vehicle, a baby blue sixty-eight sedan that rested on its hood. Getting on his hands and knees, he looked into the cab to find a woman crumpled under the steering wheel, unconscious. Reaching in he checked her pulse, finding it weak and thready, her breathing was barely present.
"Bell! What have you got?"
The man stood up and shook his head. The truck driver was dead.
"Grab the boxes and a backboard!"
Nodding, he disappeared around the squad, while Johnny ran over to the red car that had wrapped around the telephone pole. Marco was holding a cloth to the young man's head, grateful to see Johnny join him.
"What've you got?"
"His legs are trapped under the dash, he was conscious when I got here, but out now."
Johnny reached in and looked at his eyes, checked a pulse and watching his quick breaths. "Stay with him, more help is on the way."
"JOHNNY!"
Looking up he found Chet waving for him at the last vehicle, a black jeep, lying on its side. He felt a moment of panic when he saw Chet's hands covered in blood.
"Chet!" He yanked one of the lineman's hands up to check it.
Shaking his head, "not me, him." Pulling back his other hand there was a gush of blood at his neck.
"His artery has been damaged, keep the pressure on it, I'll get supplies."
Bellingham was pulling out the woman from the blue sedan with Hank helping him, the patient in a neck brace now.
"Marco! I need the trauma box!"
Behind them, an ambulance was pulling up, and more sirens could be heard in the distance. Kneeling back by Chet, he pulled out a pressure dressing and slipped it in place.
"Keep the pressure tight, you're doing great."
Chet nodded.
Johnny obtained vital signs and did a quick assessment before moving to the red car where Mike was now standing with the jaws of life, ready to free the man's legs from the dash. No words were spoken, and Johnny focused on covering the patient with a blanket to protect him. Once Mike had the dash moved, Johnny completed his assessment.
"Mike, I need another backboard."
Nodding, he engineer left to get one.
"Second squad is here, they'll take the other two patients," Hank told him.
Johnny nodded, grateful for the back up with so much going on. Mike moved into the passenger side to assist with getting the victim out as Johnny splinted the leg. Making eye contact, Johnny could feel the unease between them, even though he still had no idea why. The tension was palpable.
As they moved him out of the crumpled vehicle, Johnny glanced over to Bellingham who was now doing CPR on the woman from the blue sedan.
"Can you grab some vitals for me?" Johnny asked him.
Mike didn't answer but proceeded to put the cuff on the man's arm.
"Stay with him, I'll go call him in."
With orders in hand, he returned to the patient to find him awake and fighting.
"Hey, hey, easy now. You're hurt, we're only trying to help." Johnny gently restrained him until he became too weakened to fight back anymore.
"How is he?"
Both men looked up to see an officer standing over them.
"Broken leg, concussion. He'll be going to Rampart," Johnny answered him.
The ambulance attendant came beside them, and together they lifted the man onto the stretcher, where the officer immediately cuffed the man to the handrail.
"What the?" Johnny asked.
"He caused this, fleeing the scene after robbing a bank. Now, he has murder charges too."
Johnny glanced over to the covered body by the engine. "He's going to the hospital."
The officer didn't blink. "He'll go, but he's still under arrest. One of my men will ride with him."
"He's unconscious. I don't think he's going anywhere."
"Doesn't matter."
Johnny watched him walk off. "Can you believe this?" He asked Mike.
Mike just clamped his jaw down and walked away.
"What?" Johnny was completely lost now.
"Sounds like a rough run."
Johnny nodded. "It's not been a great day back so far."
Dixie rubbed his shoulder. "Sorry to hear that, but we're glad you're back." She smiled at him.
"Thanks, Dix. Hey, tell Bellingham I'll be in the lounge, making a phone call."
"Sure."
Johnny dialed Roy's house, getting no answer. Odd when he's supposed to be home sick.
"We got a call," Robert told him as he ran into the lounge.
Halfway to the next call, they were canceled, and Johnny wanted to take advantage of the momentary downtime. "Mind if we make a stop?"
"You're driving," the man chuckled.
Johnny's worry about facing Roy, the stress over how angry he would be, even the knowledge that Joanne knew has been pushed to the back of his mind. All he could focus on was the pit in his stomach that screamed at him. Something was wrong, and he needed to figure it out. Pulling into the driveway, he immediately noticed that Roy's car was there and Joanne's was gone. It was almost a relief, and for a moment he considered leaving, not wanting to stress Roy when he wasn't feeling good. He might be ready to talk, but that didn't mean Roy was. Still, that pit in his stomach wouldn't let go.
"I'll be right back, just going to check on Roy."
"Sure."
Knocking on the door, he waited, but no one answered. Not wholly unexpected since Roy might be asleep. Turning the knob, he found it locked. Moving to the window he tried to peer in, but the curtains were closed to tight. With a sign of frustration, he moved back to the truck.
"No luck?"
"No answer," Johnny answered.
"He's probably just sleeping it off."
Johnny nodded. "Yea, I'm sure that's all it is."
Back at the station, Johnny felt he couldn't wait any longer to talk to Mike. After searching the entire station, he found the engineer sitting in a chair at the back of the station, his eyes closed in the sunshine.
Johnny sat in the chair next to him and for a few minutes just sat in the silence. Mike hadn't flinched, staying quiet and withdrawn.
"I know you don't want to talk about it, but, you know man, they are the only family I have. And I've done something that I'm scared has messed that up. I just need to talk to Roy. I need to know…"
Mike didn't open his eyes. "Know what?"
"To know that they're okay."
"They're not."
Johnny's breath hitched. "What's going on, Mike?"
"I was with Roy that day."
Johnny frowned. "What day?
"When he returned the truck. When Roy found out what happened."
Johnny knew that Roy knew. Still, it was painful to hear the words spoken out loud. "And about Bobby."
Mike nodded and looked away. "I've never seen him that mad." He looked back to Johnny and let out a sigh, his inner battle on talking raging in full force.
"Mike, you gotta talk to me."
Pushing his hands against his pants, he cleared his throat before turning a bit to his co-worker. "He had just found out you were alive, but hurt, then to find out Bobby was in the center of it all. I didn't even know how to stop him."
Johnny's anxiety shot through the ceiling. "Mike, what did he do?"
"That man is the worst kind of human I've ever encountered, how could you go back to him like that?" Johnny didn't miss the flash of anger that hung onto that question.
"What did he do?" He slowly asked again.
"He tried to get you out of the deal, even offered to pay for Dakota."
Johnny's eyes got wide. "What?"
"He wouldn't even pretend to work with Roy, just threw it back in his face saying you were his to do with as he pleased."
"Mike."
"Roy punched him." He nodded at Johnny's shocked expression. "Sent him right to the floor. Bobby just laughed."
A bit of relief went through Johnny, he knew how low Bobby could get when crossed.
"But, seems that Bobby got the last laugh."
Johnny's stomach dropped.
"Jo?" When he approached and saw who waited on the other side, his chest tightened.
She was motionless, forcing him to open the door wider.
"Are you Roy DeSoto?"
"Yes."
"You're under arrest for assault and battery."
The officer pulled out his handcuffs.
Joanne looked at him. "Roy, what did you do?"
"Is this necessary?" He looked back to the wide, frightened eyes of his children.
"You have the right to remain silent…"
"Dad?" Chris asked, his voice shaking.
Roy didn't hear anything after that, his world falling apart in a matter of moments. Focusing on Joanne, his heart broke over the pure terror in her eyes. Her hands were pushing the kids behind her, a fruitless struggle to protect them from what they were about to see, and most likely never forget.
"Jo."
Tears ran down her face. "What do I do? I, I don't know what to do."
He stayed calm. "Call me in sick to the station, then get Mike on the phone, he'll know what to do."
She looked broken. "Should I call Johnny?"
"Call Mike. I love you, honey." Leaning in, he kissed her as the officer pulled his hands behind him and put the cuffs on. "It's going to be okay."
She couldn't stop shaking as she watched them put her husband in the back of the patrol car and drive off.
"Mommy, where's daddy going?" Jenny asked softly.
"He'll be back soon, baby. Let's get ready for Millie, okay? Inside, now." Pushing back the tears, she brought up a smile and tried to figure out how to get through the next five minutes without completely falling apart.
"Where are you going?" Mike asked anxiously.
Johnny was heading to the bay door. "Cap can help."
Mike moved between him and the door. "No! Johnny, you can't tell Cap."
He was stunned. "What are you talking about? If he knows, he'll help."
"He doesn't know, no one else knows. Roy didn't want to chance Chet finding out. Johnny, think about it. If Cap finds this out, he won't be able to help as a friend, he's on duty, and he'll have to report to HQ." His jaw clamped down in anger. "Roy could lose his career over this."
Johnny froze. "We have to do something." There was no way he could allow this to happen.
"Joanne is going to a friend of mine, he's an attorney. They'll get him out on bail. Assault is a misdemeanor, we'll get him out. I'm just not sure what to do after that."
"I am."
Johnny pushed him aside and went into the bay.
"Johnny!" Mike followed him and grabbed his arm. "Stop."
Johnny was furious now. "Let me go, Mike. I started this mess, and now I'm going to stop it."
Mike let go, but with grave concerns. "What are you going to do?"
"I need to make a phone call. Can you keep Marco and Chet busy for a few minutes?"
"Johnny, it's just a bug, no reason to be so tense," Chet teased him.
"I know that, Chet. And I'm not tense," he stood up and paced the dayroom again.
"Not tense he says," Chet nodded to Marco.
Neither man knew what was going on, but clearly, Johnny had been restless all shift. If they only knew how grateful their coworker was to find the end of the shift.
"You going to be there?"
Johnny looked over to Chet. "What?"
"The Pines cookout that they're having for the families today. You coming?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm helping out at the Webbers some today."
Chet nodded. "Okay, but come over if you get done early."
Johnny nodded absentmindedly at him. The shift was over, and there were more things he needed to get done, than hours in the day. There had been only one thing he could do, and that phone call had been made, leaving him in a painful waiting game. He'd already spent the night without sleep, debating in his mind if he would go to Roy's after work or not. Part of him couldn't face Joanne opening the door and seeing the anger and disappointment on her face, especially after Mike told him the kids were there when they took Roy away. Part of him dreaded facing Roy, knowing what the man had been through, all because of his actions.
"Mike? Any word?"
Mike finished pouring his coffee and shook his head. "Nothing."
What had been so simple, buying a horse, had come with so many consequences that he felt like everything was falling apart around him. In the end, as the sun was rising, he knew he had to hold to his obligation to Karl and Earl. He said he would be there and so, he would.
Once off work, Johnny drove by Roy's house and found both cars missing from the driveway. In a way it made him feel better. At least Roy was back home. However, with no one home to talk to, he knew he had other places to be, tired or not, he had another job to do. Leaving the city didn't leave his worries behind, if anything, it seemed the further he drove, the tighter his stomach got.
It was going to be a long day off.
Pulling down the driveway, Johnny could tell that the morning was already in full swing at the ranch. Climbing out, he grabbed his thick winter coat as the blustering winter winds whipped around him.
"Patrick."
"Johnny! You made it just in time."
Johnny looked at everyone loading up trucks with lumber. "What's the plan?"
Thomas walked up. "We're working on a downed fence section. Climb in, you can ride with me."
Driving past the main structures, and down the back property roads, the line of trucks followed the fencing path. The ride was quiet, and Johnny just let it be, feeling no need for trivial conversation right now, his mind just too many other places. When they reached the downed portion Johnny climbed out and began unloading the posts and wiring.
"Just that, Johnny," Thomas said, stopping him from emptying the truck. "I'm leaving you here with some help, we'll keep moving down the line and working on it in sections. There's a lot down, and we need it finished today."
He nodded to the bossman. "Okay."
A young man climbed out of Patrick's truck and approached them. Johnny looked at him and smiled with a greeting. "Morning."
"Morning," the young man replied.
Thomas counted out the posts. "This should get you started, and we'll drop more along the way." He looked at them both. "I thank you both for coming to help today, it really means a lot to us, and to my dad."
Johnny almost laughed. It wasn't like he had a choice. Well, he did, but he felt a deep obligation for what happened to Karl so not coming wasn't an option.
"No problem."
"The bag has canteens of water, and mom packed you a lunch. See you in a few hours."
Johnny nodded as the trucks disappeared down the line, leaving him and his helper on their own.
"Guess we better get started."
"Okay," the teenager said, reaching down for the post hole digger.
"I can do that part," Johnny offered, not sure if the lanky teen could quickly get the holes dug and he didn't want to be out here all day.
"I'll start. I help my dad do this all the time."
"Okay." Johnny put on his work gloves and began rolling out the barbed wiring roll. "Hey, don't think we've met. I'm Johnny."
Nervously, the boy reached out to shake the outstretched hand. "I'm Brock."