I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year! Looks like things may be getting back to 'normal' if there is such a thing here. Holidays are over, work is not as short staffed, I am not holding an officer position at the fire department, but still am the Senior Firefighter/EMT for the next couple years, so all that said I hope to have more time for 'me' which is good for getting some writing done!

51~~~~~~~~~~51

Chapter 26

Just before 7 o'clock, Chet saw a Mustang coming into the parking lot. It wasn't dark blue. It wasn't light blue. It wasn't even what he would have called silver or gray. Not that the car wasn't nice it just didn't stand out. Chet watched as it circled and pulled in near him.

Sandy had spotted Chet right away. She would know that ridiculous mustache anywhere. She pulled up close to where he was parked. Checked her hair, put on a smile and tried to look happy about going bowling. 'Bowling for Pete's sake!' she thought. Yes, it had been her idea, but it was only way she had known of to get the man to take her up on her offer of the date.

Chet couldn't see the lady through the dark tint on the car windows. When the car door opened, Chet found himself starring. He was trying his best to see his date so he could remember why he didn't ask her out for a second date. He couldn't figure out why if he had asked her out on a second date and she had turned him down that she would have called looking for him, then asked him out. Chet saw that she wasn't a red head, surely wasn't a blond, yet she wasn't a brunette either. He wouldn't say that her hair was short, but it wasn't long either. As Sandy stood up and began to straighten her clothes from the ride, Chet seen he was right. She was no 'dog'. She had a nice shapely body of about medium build. Chet watched her as she locked her car up and turned toward him. He remembered absolutely NOTHING about her. If he'd seen her on the streets he would have never even remembered ever speaking to her.

"Chet. There you are." Sandy tried to beam.

"Umm, yeah. That's me. Here, just like you said." Chet fumbled.

"So how on Earth have you been? It's been awhile." Sandy said.

"Awhile. Yeah, that it has." Chet had no idea how long awhile had been. "I've been good. You?"

"Oh fine, just fine. You know how it can be finishing up your training and getting your first good job. I've been here at Rampart a few months now." Sandy said.

That gave Chet no clues. Only added to his questions. Had she been taking classes when they went out? Was it before the classes? He was almost positive that it hadn't been in the last few months that they had dated. "That's great. So, if you are ready to head out? We'll just head over to West Carson. There are a couple of bowling allies over there. If one is too crowed, there is another place a few blocks away. Since you suggested bowling I wouldn't want to disappoint you." Chet smiled.

"Sure. Yeah, alright. No, I wouldn't want you to be disappointed either. I remember how competitive you and your friend, Gage were. I just could never be that good." Sandy buttered Chet up.

"Well, don't worry about that the 'Master' here will take it easy on you." Chet said as he went to the passenger side and opened the door for Sandy to get in.

"Thanks. Chet." Sandy got in hoping that everyone in California suddenly had an urge to bowl. She surely did not. As they drove toward Carson, Sandy asked, "So how are all the guys?"

This was Chet's chance to talk about something he knew, "Well, Cap still great. He is always telling me and Marco that we should try the Engineer's test. It's not that we don't think that we could pass it or anything it's just we both like where we are. Most of the times the Engineer is on the outside looking in. We both like to be on the hoses and in the middle of the action. I've got to hand it to Stoker though he sure can make you respect 'his' engine. I was on a hose the other night at a fire and there was a couple guys from 88 over there. We had pulled a deuce and a half line and the three of us was on it. All of a sudden Hayes shut the line down. I asked what was wrong. He told me nothing other than he had to get a better grip on it. I had to laugh and tell him that Stoke WILL make you respect his rig. Their Engine is newer, but newer is not always better. Then there is Marco. He and his Mother have been trying to get his sister interested in a good guy, instead of the ones she has been dating. Somehow I get the feeling no one will ever suit the both of them."

Sandy smiled politely and tried not to look bored. "That's great, but what about your all's paramedics?"

"Oh, Johnny and Roy are good. But since you work at Rampart, you see them enough. They are helping do an EMT class. Seems after this one with the Doc's they will be able to teach on their own." Chet said.

Sandy smiled though it wasn't the answer she was fishing for. "That's great. But, I meant how are they doing? Not job related."

Chet frowned. He wasn't sure what she was asking or why. "They are fine. Sometimes we see each other off the job but mostly not so much. Johnny goes over to Roy and his wife, Joanne's, to hang out quiet a bit, like Marco and me do things together." He said neutrally.

Sandy smiled, "Well, I'd heard some rumors is all."

"Rumors? Do tell!" Chet said taking the bait and running with it. Rumors about anyone could be good, but if they were about his favorite pigeon that could be useful.

Sandy tried to do her best at acting totally innocent, "Well, it's just that I heard, ... Now you got to promise you won't repeat any of this or say where you got it."

Chet didn't have a problem there. He'd not repeat it or tell where it came from but he could use the information to maybe work to his advantage, "Oh, ... no I won't say a word! Cross my heart." At that statement he did indeed cross his heart.

"Ok, well if you promise not to tell. ... See it is ALL over the hospital that one of ya'll paramedics has been seen out of town with a woman and they were pretty sure it was for an, ... ummm,... over night trip." Sandy said.

Chet said automatically, "Well, Roy and Joanne have been married for years. But, now Johnny has been dating a lady awhile now."

"Oh, really? He has?" Sandy asked. "From what I gather I bet there was a lot of broken hearts at Rampart or is he still playing the field there, too?" Sandy baited Chet even farther.

Chet laughed, "Well, he sure better not be! Dixie McCall is Dee Dee's aunt!"

Well, that statement may just have been worth actually having to spend the evening in a bowling alley, Sandy thought. Chet had just confirmed what Sandy had been putting together from the bits of information she'd been getting at Rampart. "Really? And, she would approve of them going away for a weekend?"

Chet hadn't heard anything about a weekend trip. Surely Johnny couldn't have kept information like that a secret, in fact he wonder if Roy knew. "I'm not sure how Miss McCall would feel about it, but I haven't heard any of this at the station. When was this supposed to have happened?"

Trying to act unsure, Sandy said, "Last weekend, maybe the weekend before."

Chet thought back. The weekend before Johnny had taken an extra shift, but he had been off the last weekend before. Johnny had seemed in a really good mood what little he'd seen of him during the busy week they had just had. Come to think of it, Johnny had been no where to be found last weekend when he wanted the guys to get together to practice their bowling and Roy hadn't known where he was at. It had to have been last weekend!

5151515151515151

Across town, Johnny and Dee Dee had stopped at a local market for a six pack of Pepsi and a six pack of beer, then went to a take out Pizza place for a couple pizzas. They were back at the apartment just before seven and unknown to them only minutes after Chet's last attempt to call Johnny before meeting Sandy.

Johnny put the pizzas on the coffee table while Dee Dee put the drinks in the refrigerator. Johnny found that 'Escape from Alcatraz' was just about to come on. Everything else was re-runs so he left it on the movie.

Dee Dee brought in a couple paper plates, Johnny a beer and her a Pepsi in and joined Johnny on the couch to spend a quiet evening relaxing and watching TV since both had shifts that were busier than normal. They both took a piece of pizza and curled up to enjoy their time together.

Johnny reached for his beer and had just taken the lid off it when the radio on the table in the corner came to life, "Station 204 respond two car MVA, at the corner of Spruce Street and Oak Lane. Unknown injuries. Time out of page 19:45."

Dee Dee was already up and moving toward the radio as Johnny set his beer down, dropped his pizza back into his plate, turned off the TV and followed Dee Dee out the door. She was automatically heading toward her car.

Johnny said, "We can take mine."

"My gear is in here. Get in." Dee Dee said as she slide into the drivers seat.

Johnny got in the passenger side.

"If we hurry we can catch the Engine." Dee Dee said since she would get to the station before she got to the scene. She pulled into the station just as the Chief pulled in. Dee Dee opened the trunk, got her gear and headed into the station.

Johnny was already inside, "Chief want a couple extra hands on this call?"

"Sure. I never have enough help. Their should be extra gear in the jump seat." Chief Potter said.

Dee Dee took one of the jump seats and Johnny the other. Arnold would be the driver, while the Chief took the passenger side.

Arriving on scene they found a larger tractor trailer had clipped a pickup truck in an intersection. The impact had caused the pickup truck to roll onto it's top. A couple other members had shown up in their own vehicles as the Chief started making assignments. He knew Gage was a paramedic and Dee Dee was an EMT so they were assigned to check the patients. Dee Dee first checked the tractor trailer driver out. He was shaken up from the impact and concerned for the driver of the smaller truck. She got him to sit down and began to take his vitals. They were elevated but he was stable and had no obvious injuries.

Johnny had gone to the pick up. The driver was bleeding from the head from where the windshield had broken when the truck flipped. The way the truck was sitting, there was no way to get to the patient or get him out through the broken windshield. Johnny searched the borrowed turnout gear and found gloves and a spanner wrench. He put on the gloves, he used the spanner to break the side glass out of the truck to get to the patient, then he cleared the remaining glass with his gloved hands. Other than superficial cuts on the young man Johnny couldn't find any obvious injuries, Johnny asked one of the volunteers to get him a backboard and C-collar from the Engine. Once he had the needed equipment Johnny began to stabilize the patient. He and a couple other of the volunteers began to remove the patient from the wrecked truck. They almost had him out when the weight of the backboard shifted unexpectedly Johnny felt something sharp bite into his right hand. The only way to keep from dropping the patient was to lift his right hand back up. As Johnny reacted to keep his patient safe from additional injuries he knew that what every his hand was up against had injured right his hand. The trouble was he knew he was hurt but had not idea how bad, but he couldn't stop to check himself out right now either. They got the back boarded patient out of the truck and over to the Engine where Dee Dee was keeping her patient calm and monitoring him until the ambulance could arrive.

Dee Dee saw her patient's eyes go wide at the sight of the back boarded other patient. "You just relax, I know things look scary, but most of that equipment they have on him is more precaution than anything else."

After setting the backboard down, Johnny reached for the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. Johnny began taking the blood pressure like he had done thousands of times through out his years as a paramedic.

Dee Dee looked over at Johnny ready to write down the patient's vitals. As Johnny pumped up the blood pressure cuff, Dee Dee saw blood drip out of the glove that Johnny was still wearing. "Johnny?" she questioned.

"130 over 86, pulse 110, respirations 22." Johnny said automatically.

"Johnny are you alright?" Dee Dee asked as she glanced toward where the blood had dripped from the glove.

Johnny followed her look. He was sure he'd gotten cut but wasn't sure exactly bad it was. That drop of blood answered his question. It was bad enough. He nodded and tightly said, "Yeah." As he continued to assess his patient.

As luck would have it, there had only been one ambulance to send to this call for the two patients, so Johnny, Dee Dee and both patients were soon enroute to Rampart.

Dee Dee asked, "Now, are you going to let me check out your hand?"

Johnny was still wearing the glove and had his hand folded into a tight fist. "We're only a couple minutes out. It will wait."

51~~~~~~~~~~51

Thanks for reading and sticking around! Please review!