Everything Changes

Chapter 25

The three paramedics were all sort of stunned after the announcement Roy and Johnny had made at the same time while heading back to the barn.

After a short awkward pause in the conversation Sam spoke to Johnny first.

"A daddy? You're gonna be a daddy? When?"

"I don't know exactly. We haven't set a date yet."

Roy rolled his eyes. "You set dates for weddings, not births. That's kind of out of your hands, Junior."

"I didn't say there was gonna be a birth, I said I'm gonna be a daddy." Johnny said, annoyed. Wasn't Roy listening to him?

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, sharing Roy's confusion.

"Well, see, I asked Sharon to marry me yesterday." Johnny announced.

"Johnny, that's great! She said yes?" Sam was excited for him.

"She did!" he answered with a great big smile and an unmanly giggle.

"Johnny that means you'll be a husband soon, not a daddy." Roy informed him.

It was Johnny's turn to roll his eyes. "I know that! But she has a little girl."

"Sharon has a daughter? How long have you known?" Roy asked, surprised.

"Two days. She lives with Sharon's aunt while Sharon is getting her nursing education. She's 18 months old."

"What about the baby's father?" asked Sam.

"He's no good. He doesn't know about her and he's not on the birth certificate. I want to adopt her."

"Congratulations, Partner." Said Roy, smiling broadly. "Sharon's a real nice girl. I'm sure you'll be great parents."

"Thanks Pally." Johnny said. "Now what's this? You're gonna be a daddy again too?"

Roy grinned. "Yep, Joanne's pregnant. That's why she's been so tired and sick lately."

"I'm gonna be an aunt again? You're having a baby?" Sam said excitedly.

"Well, Joanne is, I'm kind of a spectator mostly." Roy corrected her. Sam smacked him on the leg.

"You know what I mean!"

"Roy, that's great! Is she excited about it?" asked Johnny. He was excited for his friends.

"Yeah, she's pretty happy about it. She was worried that I wouldn't be happy, but I am. I kinda miss having the little ones around."

"Yeah, kids are great!" agreed Johnny.

As Roy backed the squad into the bay Sam asked, "So is this a secret or are you telling the guys?"

"It's no secret really," said Roy.

Sam looked at Johnny. "And your news?"

"I'll tell them. It's no secret." Johnny answered.

Sam put her arm around Johnny and gave him a squeeze. "I'm very happy for you." She took her arm back and when Roy shut the engine off she did the same to her brother.

Johnny called to report they were in quarters and the three paramedics piled out of the squad and headed to the day room for a cup of coffee.

They sat at the table where the rest of the guys were sitting around chatting. "Cap said he wanted to have a meeting before lunch, assuming we aren't toned out."

"Did he say what about?" asked Sam.

"No." Mike said. "He just said it was important we all meet and discuss something."

"Gentlemen… er… Sam… that includes you. I've just stood us down for the next half hour. If everybody is ready, I have something I need to discuss with you."

"What is it Cap?" asked Roy.

"Well Roy, we are going to be hosting a television reporter and camera crew starting sometime around lunch and continuing for the next several shifts."

"Cap, we've had camera crews here before. Why the big deal?" asked Johnny.

"Because they are coming to see how Sam is fitting in and to watch her work. I'm sure you know there have been a lot of discussions on television and in letters to the editor about women in the department. It's very important that we represent the department with professionalism." He looked Dave straight in the eye as he said it.

"Well why are you looking at me Cap?" Dave acted like his captain's concern was unfounded.

"Dave, I'm well aware of your tendency to go a bit, shall we say, overboard sometimes. I want to make it perfectly clear that there will not be any tolerance for monkey business. We want to show that we are mature professionals."

Dave lowered his eyes and gave a slight nod. I can't believe they are making such a big deal out of this chick, he thought.

"Now, they want to see Sam going through regular routines, like the inventory of the squad, calibrating the EKG, station chores, and of course they will be watching you Sam as you respond to calls. They will also be watching the interaction between all of us here at the station and how we respond to working with Sam. They may also interview you guys separately to see how you individually feel about working together. I don't have to remind you to use caution with what you say and how you say it. "

"Cap, the guys and I get along great. Are you really that worried about it?" Sam asked.

"Sam, it doesn't matter what I'm concerned with. Word has come down that this better go well for the department or there will be serious consequences. Does everyone understand that?"

Yes sir," each man answered.

"Good, any questions?"

"Uh, Cap, I have one."

"Sam?" he acknowledged her.

"Are they going to be hanging with other shifts or stations as well? I mean, you guys have been great but I know not all the guys everywhere are as accepting as you have been. I hear comments at calls and I know I'm not being that well received by a lot of the guys and especially by the wives and girlfriends."

"Yes, Sam, I'm afraid so. They will be here for at least one shift with B and C shifts and they will probably visit some other stations. Each captain is supposed to be briefing his crew."

"Okay then. I guess we just hope for the best." Sam said. She wasn't feeling very happy about having her every move watched and scrutinized. She realized it came with the territory. She was a pioneer and as such, everybody wanted to know what she was doing.

"Any other questions?" Hank asked. He got slight head shakes and no questions were asked so he dismissed his crew, but nobody left the table.

"Looks like we've got a celebrity in the house," JJ said, winking Sam's direction.

Dave let out a snort.

Sam changed the subject. "So, Roy and Johnny both have some interesting news. Don't you Roy? Everyone looked at Roy, expectantly.

"Oh, well, it's not that big of a deal." He said.

"What is it, Pal?" asked Cap.

"Yeah, out with it already," Mike added.

"Well," Roy started with a smile. "Jo and I are going to be parents again, that's all."

Roy's friends were happy for him and congratulated him. They teased him a little asking him if he knew what was causing that, and the usual sort of joshing around. As the conversation wound down a little Mike addressed Johnny.

"John, Sam said you had news too."

Johnny turned a little red. Then his smile took over his face and he announced, "I'm gonna have a kid too… sort of."

"Sort of, Pal?" Cap questioned.

"Yeah, isn't that really an all or none kind of deal?" asked Mike.

"Well yeah. I asked Sharon to marry me and she has an 18 month old daughter."

"A ready made family," said Mike. "That's jumping in with both feet!"

Sam's curiosity was getting the best of her. "Hey, Johnny, how did you propose to her?"

Johnny had their undivided attention as he shared his story with the guys. He was just finishing his story when there was a knock on the station door.

"That's very romantic, Johnny. Nice job." Sam said.

"There's a sucker born every minute." Mumbled Dave. JJ kicked him under the table.

"Sam, you wanna get the door?" Cap directed.

"Sure Cap." Sam went to the door and opened it. On the other side of the door there was a very handsome male reporter flanked by a cameraman and an assistant.

"Hi," said Sam." I'm firefighter/paramedic Anderson. Please, come in." She stepped aside and held the door for the T.V. crew.

"You're Anderson? Wowee!" Said the reporter and then followed it by a whistle. Mike, who had followed Sam out to the door glared at the young reporter.

Sam rolled her eyes, reflexively. Then she hoped they hadn't noticed. "And your name is…?" She waited while the dumbstruck reporter thought of an answer.

"Derek Strong, ABC News," He said, once he had gained his composure. "Nice to meet you." He held out his hand.

"The pleasure is mine." She said, shaking his hand. "Why don't you follow me and I'll show you the day room where I can offer you a cup of coffee." She stepped that direction and led the way.

She brought them into the day room and introduced them. "Everybody, this is Derek Strong of ABC News and this is his crew…" She paused, expecting them to volunteer their names. They didn't. She turned to the news crew and said, "Let me introduce you to my co-workers." She introduced Captain Stanley and Mike first, then JJ and Dave, and finished with Johnny and Roy. Hank invited the crew to sit down while Roy and Johnny volunteered their seats and offered coffee to their guests. For the next half hour everyone discussed what the crew's plan was and what Captain Stanley expected of the crew. He passed out consent forms for the crew to sign and he made it very clear that they were not to get in the way of any work and that they must follow orders of the Captain or anyone higher up and that they must also take direction from firefighters at any scene. They would be provided with turn out coats and helmets to wear on scene and they would be issued a radio but would not be riding in department vehicles. As such they were required to obey all traffic laws.

Once all the particulars were discussed, Sam offered to take the crew on a tour of the station. As they headed out of the day room Derek said to Sam, "So… how does a gorgeous young woman such as your self come to choose something as rough and dangerous as fire fighting as a career?" Mike, still in earshot, reddened slightly. He did not like this reporter already and went straight to Cap's office to tell him so.

"Let's get one thing straight." Said Sam, firmly. "I doubt very seriously that if what some might deem a very handsome young male firefighter was being interviewed, that his appearance or perceived level of attractiveness would be brought up in relation to his job. One has nothing to do with the other. I would appreciate the same courtesy!"

"Ooh, feisty too. I like that!" responded Derek.

"Show a little respect. We are all professionals here." Roy said it with his usual quietly calm demeanor. What Sam didn't see was the look Roy leveled at Derek was full of daggers when he made eye contact with him.

Derek turned quickly back to Sam with an almost imperceptible shudder as Roy and Johnny exchanged glances. "Tell me Ms. Anderson, if you would, why did you decide to become a fire fighter?"

"I am the proud daughter and sister of two of the finest firefighters I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I saw the satisfaction they found in doing their jobs and how proud they were to be privileged to serve their community and I wanted a part of it for myself. I cannot imagine a career more rewarding than this one."

Derek stared at her as she answered. Suddenly he realized she wasn't talking any more. He faked a sneeze to cover for his attention loss. "So, your Dad and your brother are firefighters? For what departments?"

Sam glanced Roy's direction. Roy was standing behind Derek and he shrugged back at Sam. He hoped she wouldn't reveal that information but he couldn't really help her out too much. "Didn't your dad work for Sacramento?" Roy asked her.

"Um, yeah. At one time he did. Dad's no longer fighting fires. He was killed in the line of duty when I was a kid. Warehouse collapse." Sam answered, thankful for the assist.

Derek was not deterred. He didn't even acknowledge Sam's sad memory. He just dug in more directly. "What department does your brother work for?"

"She could tell you, but she'd have to kill you." Mike saved her. Derek's crew chuckled loudly. Derek rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Seriously…" he started to say.

The klaxons welcome interruption blared over the loudspeaker, followed by the steady voice of LA County dispatcher Sam Lanier.

Station 51, Motor vehicle accident, unknown injuries…

Derek didn't hear the rest of the information. He was too busy trying to get his cameraman to follow Sam as she dashed for the squad. From where he was standing at the time, the diesel engine of Big Red drowned out anything else that was said. Luckily for him Captain Stanley had written three copies of the call slip and handed him one on the way to the truck.

"Remember to follow all traffic laws and stay out of the way!" he commanded as he thrust the slip at Derek. As soon as the squad turned off the apron, the news crew jumped into their personal vehicle and chased after them.

When the squad pulled up to the scene with Big Red close behind them, the paramedics could see this was going to be a bad one. The accident involved multiple vehicles and was blocking the two inside lanes of the freeway. The CHP had only arrived just minutes before them and an officer was trying to set up flares to redirect traffic. Two more officers on motorcycles arrived just behind Big Red.

Roy, Johnny and Sam jumped out and started grabbing equipment while Mike got the engine ready to pump. Cap directed Dave Martin to take an inch and a half to wash down fuel spills and sent JJ Merker to help the other paramedics. Hank started pulling battery cables on the wrecked cars and asked a CHP officer to help. On his way to the first car he called dispatch to request another squad and engine and multiple ambulances.

The four paramedics split up. In all seven vehicles were involved and from the looks of things, all were totaled. Roy ran to the VW bug that was the vehicle farthest away. He could see smoke coming from under the hood. Cap had gone to it first to pull the battery cables but it was already smoking before he got there. Roy looked inside. A woman was in the driver's seat slumped over the wheel, obviously pinned. He could see her neck was at a crazy angle and knew right away she had been killed on impact. Still he reached in to check for a pulse. Finding none he notified his captain and moved to the next vehicle while Hank some how managed to remove the body to keep it from being consumed by flames.

Sam was at the driver's side of the second vehicle applying pressure to a punctured jugular on the driver. "Roy!" she shouted. "There's a child trapped in the back. She's half under the passenger seat and she's not moving."

"Amy…" moaned Sam's patient.

"Ssshh." Soothed Sam. "Don't try to talk. My partner's gonna check on Amy. We'll get you both out. We're going to take good care of you."

Captain Stanley directed Dave to the VW and after he and the CHP officer had pulled all the battery cables from the remaining vehicles, he checked with Sam to see if he could assist her.

"Yeah, Cap. You can. Take over for me, please. Keep pressure on this while I check his vitals." She quickly checked his BP, pulse and respirations. She wrote them down on a notepad. "I've got to start an IV. I'll be right back." She ran to the bio-phone, which had been left near the squad where all the paramedics would know to find it. She called in to Rampart and reported on her patient and when she had received treatment orders she quickly found Johnny who had the drug box. She took what she needed and ran back to treat her patient. She saw the other squad and engine arrive as she ran back.

Dave was busily trying to smother the flames that had erupted full out in the VW. The hose was tightly stretched and he needed a little more slack. He shut the nozzle off and gave the hose a great tug. Just at that moment the fuel tank on the VW exploded throwing him off balance. He was knocked backwards and flipped over the center divider, landing in the oncoming inside lane and continued to roll. Traffic had been diverted to the two outside lanes but Dave's body rolled into the next lane where an impatient driver had tried to bypass the traffic back up. The pick up truck ran right over the top of Dave before coming to a screeching halt. A CHP officer went running over to the incident as the driver of the pick up got out and ran over to the fallen firefighter. The driver, being nearer, reached Dave first and seeing him not moving, panicked. He reached down and grabbed Dave by his coat, shaking him violently.

"Wake up! Wake up!" he was yelling. "Oh my God! I couldn't stop!"

* I surprised myself and got this update out fairly quickly. This next week, Thursday until Thanksgiving is going to be hectic and I don't know if I'll get much time to write, but I will try. Please take a moment to leave me a review. They are very important to me and help me through roadblocks. Fanfiction readers are the best! Thanks for catching my errors and pointing them out and for the encouragement in your reviews. -Hotflash