The Gage Secret-28
Roy stood in front of the entrance to Rampart rocking back on his heels. He'd seen Joanne pull their family sedan into a parking space and now stood watching her walk toward the entrance. A smile spread on his face; he enjoyed watching her when she had no idea he was doing so. He'd loved her since they were just kids and his heart nearly burst with pride as she came into the hospital lobby.
"Hey handsome." She crooned when she caught sight of him waltzing up to her. She cocked her head playfully to one side and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes." He whispered into her ear. He held her close drinking in the scent of her shampoo before he nippled playfully on her earlobe.
"Ah-ah." She chided. "We have an audience here; better wait until we get home." She said pulling back from his embrace and gazing into the sea of blue that stood before her. His uniform made his eyes glisten and she loved it.
"So, how is she?" Jo asked grasping Roy in the crook of his elbow as they walked side by side toward the elevators.
"Not sure. I haven't seen her yet. I had breakfast with Johnny and he's really worried about her. It sounds like physically she's gonna be fine; assuming she stays away from the valium. But emotionally she's not doing so well."
Roy filled her in as they waited for the elevator. The doors opened and both were surprised to see Johnny brushing past them. He didn't see them standing there until Roy called out his name.
"Junior?"
"Huh? Oh, hey. Hi, Joanne." He offered in a very subdued voice.
"Johnny, what's wrong?" She asked pulling him out of the way of the others trying to step onto the elevator.
He stood with his back to the wall and exhaled hard staring at his feet. He finally raised his chin up enough to see his two friends. "She, ah….she kicked me out. She doesn't want to see me."
"What?" Roy asked dumbfounded as he heard his wife suck in her breath with a hissing sound.
"Yep, said she didn't want me to care and that she wanted me to leave." He toed the tile on the floor while keeping his hands secured in his pockets.
"Johnny, I'm…I'm sorry." Roy said not sure what else to say or do at the moment.
"Yea, well…..me too. Listen, can you run me back over to the station? I need to get my things and then go home. I'd like to change clothes and then …uh…bring her backpack over here."
"Of course." Roy said fishing in his pocket for his keys.
"Uh, Jo, why don't you go on back home and I'll ….." he stopped mid-sentence when he saw her icy glare.
"The hell I will!" Jo stood firmly in place quickly glancing back and forth between the two paramedics. "There's a young woman upstairs here who needs a little sisterly advice. And I think I'm just the person to give it too."
John watched the wheels inside Joanne's head turning and then cast her a crooked grin when he noticed her tapping the toe of her right foot. "Uh, Joanne, you don't have to do that. She's pretty upset right now and…"
"Oh no you don't, mister." She started in on him with a finger on his chest. "Johnny, you do not deserve to be treated like this. She has no idea what you've been through in the last few days."
"Jo, please…." Roy began to plead but was interrupted.
"Honey, you two are such typical men. You think that because she says something that she actually means it? Well, I think she doesn't mean it and I'm going to call her bluff." Joanne had a sparkle in her eyes. She was pretty sure she knew what Alyssa was doing and she was going to put a stop to it.
"She's not bluffing, Jo. I was there." Johnny said.
"Listen, you two go back and get your things. You go on to your house and take care of things there. I need some time alone with her. Come back when you're ready and hopefully, she'll be feeling a little more welcoming then." Jo said as she stepped between them and pressed the up button on the elevator. "I have the car here so I can just go home if I need to. Take your time."
They watched her step onto the elevator and Roy grinned from ear to ear as he waited for it. When the doors began to close he heard her say, "wait!"
When the doors opened again he looked right at her and without her saying a word he said, "Room 245."
"Thanks, see you guys later." She said behind rapidly closing metallic doors.
E!
John sat in the passenger's seat of Roy's Porsche as they made the familiar drive from Rampart to Station 51.
"Thanks for the ride, Roy."
"Anytime, Junior. Need any help?" he asked as he watched John's downcast countenance.
"Nah….I'm fine. I am gonna go back over there one more time though. I've been rejected by women enough that …uh…I've learned not to give up after being kicked out only once." He smiled but the usual light that poured from his brown eyes just wasn't there.
"Oh, John. Cap wants you to call him before next shift. Guess he needs to know if you're gonna need a replacement."
"Not sure yet but I'll, ah…I'll let him know."
Roy noticed that Johnny looked like he wanted to say something else but instead just held up his hand in a farewell gesture before stepping back away from the car.
E!
Alyssa stared at the unappealing food on her tray. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable from all the IV fluids and pushed the bedside table away from her bed. She was swinging her legs over the edge and trying to stand when there came a knock on her door.
"May I come in?" A smiling brunette said as she stuck her head inside the door.
"Sure," Alyssa mumbled as she tried to make her way to the bathroom without entangling herself in the tubing.
"Oh, here lemme help you." Joanne said reaching for her arm and assisting her in making her way to the bathroom.
Alyssa had no idea who her visitor was but at the moment she had more pressing matters to attend to than formal introductions. When she had finished using the bathroom and washing her hands she opened the door carefully and accepted the outstretched hand of the unknown woman.
"Now, I'm sure you feel better, huh? Those fluids can really sneak up on you. My name is Joanne DeSoto."
"Alyssa Keener." She said pulling the covers up over who legs.
"Alyssa, it's so nice to finally get to meet you." Joanne had a speech ready when she entered the room but now that she was looking at the girl she couldn't remember a single word of it.
"Um, how do you know me?" Alyssa had no clue who Joanne was or how she knew her.
"Well, let's see. First of all my husband is Roy DeSoto; he and Johnny are partners over at 51's. He rode in with you in the ambulance last night." Joanne paused as she saw a shadow cross over Alyssa's freckled face.
"Plus, John is like a little brother to me and an Uncle to our kids so I guess in a roundabout way….we're family."
"Humph." Alyssa grumbled.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?" Joanne knew very well what she'd heard but she was not about to let Alyssa continue unchallenged.
"Nothing….um, John send you to see me?" Alyssa asked.
"No, he didn't. See, I spent most of yesterday and the day before helping him look for you; both Roy and I did. He tried so hard to find you when you left here against medical advice and then when the two of them went on shift, I continued searching the homeless shelters for you." She sat down on the edge of Alyssa's bed letting her words sink in.
"Oh. Well, you found me." Alyssa said looking anywhere but at Joanne. "If you're looking for John, he left a few minutes ago."
A knock on the door interrupted them as Charlotte came in for another vitals check. Joanne took those few precious moments to develop a strategy. She needed to move quickly.
"Didn't feel like eating?" Charlotte asked.
"Not really hungry." Alyssa answered without looking up.
Charlotte and Joanne exchanged a silent communication. "Well, if you feel hungry before lunch just let me know and I'll get you something."
"Thank you." Alyssa said as the older nurse left her alone again with Joanne.
"Johnny doesn't like the food here either so I usually bring him something in. Would you mind if I brought you a plate later on?" Joanne asked hoping Alyssa would consent.
"I guess so. Um, why?"
"Why what?" Joanne questioned.
"Why would you bring me something to eat? You don't even know me." She said feeling a little more spunky.
"No, but I'd like to get to know you better."
"He sent you up here didn't he?" Alyssa asked accusatorily.
"Absolutely not! But I did happen to see him in the lobby. He didn't look too happy to be leaving you, Alyssa." Joanne watched as Alyssa shrugged her shoulders.
"He'll get over it. He didn't know me a few days ago so it won't take him long. Don't worry about him."
Joanne felt a twinge of anger deep in her gut. "Oh, but I do worry about him. He's my friend and what affects him affects me and my family. See, he went for a long time without a family. Then his aunt, your mother, took him in and gave him what he'd been missing. According to Johnny, she saved his life. Has he told you much about her?" Joanne dangled the carrot hoping the young woman would head in that direction.
"No, he doesn't have time for me. And I unders.."
"Whoa…wait just a minute. Doesn't have time for you?" Joanne interrupted. "How can you say that? He spent the night here with you last night. He never went back on shift once they brought you in."
Alyssa felt her blood pressure begin to rise. "No, he didn't. Dr. Early talked me into allowing him to stay if he wanted too but I never saw him until after he got off work this morning. So see, he didn't want to."
Joanne could feel her facial expressions changing. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"Talking to Dr. Early." Alyssa spoke softly.
"Uh huh…and did you sleep all through the night?"
"Yes, why?" Alyssa asked.
Joanne sat up straighter. "I'll tell you why. Because, Johnny slept right there in that uncomfortable chair." She pointed to the light blue chair in the corner. "I know because I've slept there myself many nights when either he or Roy was hospitalized. And that blanket folded up there is something I recognize too."
Alyssa gulped audibly. Oh no, maybe he had stayed. Well, didn't matter. She still did the right thing.
"Well, I didn't ask him too." Alyssa told Joanne.
"No, no you didn't…and it feels kinda good now doesn't it? Someone stayed with you without being asked. He stayed here with you ignoring his own comfort just to be near you. He did that without asking you for anything in return and without you having to ask him to…..and you kicked him out? Why?" Joanne needed answers to her questions too.
Alyssa froze. She couldn't answer this woman's questions. She couldn't verbalize what she was feeling because she couldn't make sense of it herself. She just knew that it was true.
"I'm tired. I'd like to sleep now." Alyssa said pulling the covers up near her shoulders and turning on her side; away from Joanne.
Joanne was at a loss. Part of her wanted to reach out and hold onto the poor young girl who certainly never asked to be in this predicament. But the other half wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her unmercifully until she saw what she was doing to Johnny. Finally, common sense won the battle and she stood up and approached the door. John Gage might be quick to give up but not Joanne DeSoto. I can see right through you, Alyssa. And you have met your match.
Joanne dropped her head as she opened the door to exit
"Alyssa, I'm gonna let you rest now but I'll be back later with some home cooked food for you. Take care."
Alyssa curled up in the bed after Joanne left. If John had stayed with her last night then perhaps the dream she'd had of him holding her while she wept at her mother's funeral wasn't entirely a dream at all. No, John. Please don't. I can't let you do this. I can't let you get hurt too.
