Fragile

Chapter 37

Ricky and Johnny strolled through the ambulance bay doors chatting amiably as they headed for the waiting squad. Engrossed in their conversation, neither man noticed the approach of a voluptuous blond dressed in a nurse's uniform sans cap.

Shelby had promised to cover the second half of Carol Hendrick's shift in the ER, and while making her way into the building she looked up to see two men in fire department blues exiting Rampart through the Emergency drop off area. Hastily Shelby gave each man the visual inspection. Both were brunette, slim and handsome. Her eyes lingered on the second fellow as her ears detected a familiar chortle and she recognized Johnny Gage. Obviously neither man had noticed her advancing toward them.

In a lascivious Mae West drawl Shelby called softly to the oncoming men. "Well hello boys. Mmmm mmmm, I do love a man in uniform and two is even better 'n one." She offered a flirtatious wink and licentious leer to the paramedics.

Immediately yanked from conversation, both men stopped mid stride and turned surprised attention toward the alluring greeting.

Ricky's face reflected only astonished surprise. Johnny's face broke into an inviting smile.

"Well hello there gorgeous!" Johnny was delighted to unexpectedly run in to Shelby. "I thought you were off today?"

Blue twinkling eyes regarded Johnny then. "I was, but Carol had something she needed to do this afternoon, and I agreed to fill in for her on the second half of her shift."

Now Ricky's astounded gaze turned to regard Johnny. Nudging Johnny with an elbow to get his attention, Ricky raised his eyebrows in silent questioning.

Johnny grinned again. "Hey, Shelby; meet Ricky. He's my temporary partner while Roy is laid up."

Shelby smiled warmly while extending a hand to greet Ricky. "Hello Ricky. So you're Roy's replacement huh?"

Accepting Shelby's hand in a friendly handshake Ricky offered the lovely woman a brilliant smile. "I'm not sure anyone could ever replace Roy, but I am filling in for him for the time being."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Good point, Roy would be hard to replace. But, uh…Ricky here is learning fast. He's gettin' Roy's Mother Hen routine down pat."

Shelby giggled. "Well, considering who he is partnered with, I'd wager the old saying about necessity being the mother of invention is pretty spot on."

Ricky chuckled in response to Shelby's quip.

Johnny sighed deeply with his face taking on an expression of annoyance as he glanced first at Shelby and then at Ricky. "All right you two, knock it off. I'm not that bad."

Just as both Shelby and Ricky were about to pursue Johnny's deflection, another voice chimed in from behind Shelby.

"Yeah you are." It was Charlie Dwyer dressed in civvies headed into Rampart to take his turn sitting with Roy.

Ricky and Shelby turned in surprise toward Dwyer's voice. Johnny glanced over Shelby's shoulder to see Dwyer and immediately rolled his eyes groaning aloud.

"Ya know what, I think it's time Ricky and I got back to work. Besides, I'm feelin' outnumbered. We are out'a here." Johnny declared waving his arm dismissively while skirting the group to open the driver's door of the waiting squad.

The assembled group chuckled in unison.

Ricky reached out and shook Dwyer's offered hand. "Hey Charlie, how are ya' doin'?"

"I'm good. I see you drew Gage again." Charlie replied.

"Yup." Ricky acknowledged glancing toward the squad. "And as he's senior, guess I'd better hop in the squad before he drives off and leaves me."

Waving a farewell, Ricky sauntered off to climb into squad 51 where Johnny waited, engine idling.

Dwyer turned to Shelby extending his hand. "Well hello there Ma'am. I'm Charlie Dwyer." And he smiled his brilliantly white charming smile.

Johnny had been watching the group disperse in the squad's mirror, and seeing Dwyer turn on the charm with Shelby, Johnny reached down and flipped the siren button on the squad allowing a brief yelp of sound to escape before flipping the switch back to the off position.

Dwyer and Shelby jumped in response to the sudden onslaught of sound, turning to look toward squad 51.

Johnny leaned his head out the driver's window and shook a teasingly warning finger at Dwyer. "Hey, don't be tryin' to make time with my girl." He cautioned smiling broadly and offing a wink for Shelby.

Dwyer raised both hands in silent surrender stepping back away from Shelby. "Wouldn't dream of it man."

"Uh huh…." Johnny offered with an eye roll.

Shelby smiled warmly at Johnny and stepped over to the driver's side door. "So I'm your girl huh?"

Johnny smiled warmly and nodded. "I was sort'a hopin' you were anyway."

Shelby grinned. She really liked Johnny, and found this hint of jealousy on his part a sweet gesture. "Well, we'll see." She offered coyly.

"Wan'ta get together tomorrow afternoon?" Johnny offered hopefully.

Shelby nodded smiling broadly. "That would be great. As luck would have it, I have tomorrow off. Why don't you give me a call after you get off tomorrow morning?"

"I'll do it." Johnny replied, a brilliant smile claiming his face now. "See ya' later." He said with a wave while shifting the squad into drive.

Dwyer stood quietly in the ambulance entryway grinning. 'Well! Looks like Gage hooked up with a real winner this time. Some guys have all the luck.' He pondered admiringly.

Shelby stepped away from the squad as it pulled out of the ambulance bay, and she turned to walk into Rampart with Dwyer accompanying her.

Mrs. Harrison left Rampart shortly after she had assured herself Roy was finished with lunch, and ready for a medicated afternoon nap. Emily Stanley had informed her there would be another paramedic coming that afternoon to be with Roy.

Roy awoke in the early evening on Wednesday to find Charlie Dwyer sitting vigil. Shifting uncomfortably in the bed, Roy again silently struggled with the notion of becoming the Station 51 project. How he longed to be able to manage everyday tasks alone once again. Having to get help for just about everything was almost more humiliation than one strong willed control freak to handle. But attempts at denial of his needs would not stop them from coming, and Roy knew he'd yet again have to ask for assistance with basic personal care.

Roy cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Charlie's attention immediately shifted from the periodical he'd been perusing to Roy. "Hey Roy, I see you've decided to wake up."

"Hey Charlie. Emily recruited you too huh?"

Dwyer grinned amiably while rising to walk over to the bedside. "Nope, I volunteered." He defiantly declared while reaching out to fill Roy's water glass, then offering the straw in the glass to Roy.

Roy took a few sips of water studying the other man as he drank. When he'd had enough he allowed the straw to slip from his lips. "Oh? And how'd you come to 'volunteer'?" The suspicion Roy felt leaked into his demeanor.

Charlie smirked innocently while shrugging his shoulders. "Hey, when Emily Stanley asks for volunteers it's easy to step up. Besides man, you'd do it for me if I needed you."

Roy closed his eyes and groaned aloud. "Yeah well, you're right I would and I do appreciate you coming by today. I'd just never planned on being the guy who needed all the help." And the words spoken aloud were punctuated by thoughts for Roy. 'Oh my God, Emily made some public plea for assistance on my behalf. Just let me die now, and get it over with. All this is so embarrassing!' Roy's ears began to take on an extra bit of heat and color while his mind reeled from the humiliation he was feeling

Dwyer carefully sat on the edge of Roy's bed so he would be facing Roy. "Nobody plans to end up here." And he waved his hands in a graceful gesture indicating the room and building surrounding them. "But life doesn't always follow our plans. Sometimes shit happens, ya know. And look at it this way, if it didn't we'd be out of a job."

Roy made eye contact with Charlie then and shrugged his shoulders. Exhaling a long sigh he nodded. "Yeah, guess you've got a point there." But his reddened face and ears visibly broadcast his state of mind.

Charlie understood how Roy must be feeling, and realized discussing details of the group 'schedule' for DeSoto assistance were likely not a great topic. Roy was obviously still having some trouble adjusting to being the patient here. Given the guy's propensity for natural leadership and independence, Roy's reaction wasn't all that surprising. Still, it didn't matter how much Roy disliked needing help. It was simply the way things were right now.

Lead by Dwyer, the dialogue between the two men drifted to less philosophic topics then, and Roy found himself relaxing, and beginning to enjoy Charlie's company. The man was an excellent conversationalist. After a time the topic eased into firehouse scuttlebutt.

"So, who is that gorgeous blond I saw Gage flirting with when I came in this afternoon?" Dwyer had been dying to find out about Shelby since he'd seen the interaction between her and Gage earlier.

Roy smiled mysteriously. He knew how the firehouse rumor mill could be, and he also knew Charlie was much like Johnny in that they both dated around quite a lot, and were always on the lookout for an attractive woman. Taking a moment, Roy carefully devised an answer that would provide a tidbit of information while protecting most of Johnny and Shelby's privacy.

"You must be talking about Shelby Makee. She's a nurse here. Johnny's been going out with her for a couple of weeks now I guess."

"Oh yeah. You think it's serious?" Charlie quarried wistfully. Dwyer obviously had no qualms about pursuing hand-me-downs.

Roy couldn't help but smile. "Couldn't tell ya' really. For that information you'll have to ask Johnny personally. You know how it is. But she does seem like a keeper if you ask me."

Dwyer looked a bit crestfallen. "Well, she's a looker, that's for sure. I tell ya', Gage has all the luck."

Roy chuckled, then winced as his own laughter caused his healing ribs to jab him back to awareness of their presence. When he'd breathed through the worst of the pain he continued. "I don't know about all the luck, I mean looks to me like if he had that he'd have found one of these keepers to marry."

Dwyer a confirmed bachelor shivered visibly. "Ah, Roy, I think that's a matter of perspective. You married guys are all alike; trying to rope single fellas into giving up their freedom so they'll end up shackled into domesticity like you are. Somethin' about misery lovin' company I believe."

Dwyer's reaction and remarks caused Roy to laugh involuntarily. The agony laughing caused in those healing ribs almost took his breath away.

Dwyer reached out with a calming hand. "Take it easy there Roy. I don't think those ribs are far enough along for you to be laughing."

Unable to speak just yet, Roy nodded his agreement. When he'd recovered the power of speech, the two men again continued their chat.

And so the evening passed for Roy and Dwyer. Pleasant conversation, some mindless television viewing and the inevitable personal care routine Roy was unfortunately becoming accustomed to. When Roy had received medication and drifted off to sleep, Charlie Dwyer sat quietly passing the late evening by reading.

Johnny and Ricky drove away from Rampart with Johnny regaling Ricky with Brice/Bellingham stories. The two men had almost made it back to the station when three rapid beeps from the radio signaled an incoming call.

"Squad 51, stand by for response." Sam Lanier's disembodied voice warned from the radio.

A long series of tones followed, and the squad was instructed to respond on a first alarm assignment for a structure fire at the Aarco refinery just across the street from Station 51. Johnny flipped on the reds and siren increasing speed as he headed for the call.

Scanning the skyline, neither man could detect smoke showing in the direction of their call.

"Huh, wonder if this is a false alarm." Ricky speculated aloud.

Before Johnny could offer an opinion a gigantic rumbling boom reverberated through the squad. A cloud of black smoke began to billow from a small building on the refinery property.

Johnny turned into the parking lot of the facility. "I'd say that answer would be a resounding no."

"Uh, yeah. No kiddin'!"

Following his nose, Johnny hastily drove toward the epicenter of the explosion. Upon arrival he found Engine 51 already on scene. After parking the squad, both paramedics jumped from the vehicle to don turnout coats before jogging over to check in with Captain Stanley who was talking with what looked to be a security guard.

Johnny called to his Captain as he ran. "Hey Cap, what have we got?"

Turning in the direction of Johnny's voice, Hank Stanley replied. "We've got a utility building fully involved. The security guard tells me he saw one of the refinery workers head inside a few minutes ago. He's not sure if the guy got out before the building went up. You and Wesley gear up and do a quick search. Marco and Chet'll clear you a path."

Johnny turned to Ricky. "You heard the man, let's go."

Both medics jogged back to squad 51 grabbing SCBA before heading for the now heavily smoking building.

Authors Note: Yeah, I know….it's been a while since I've updated, and now I'm leaving you on a bit of a cliffy. Not to worry though, I'll update again in another day or so. I plan to finish this story up before I write anything else. I claimed three letters in the second round of the alphabet challenge, and I'm itching to jump into those. So hang in there loyal readers. More story on the way soon.

As for the two months between posts….well, let's just say you know it's been a stressful school year when you can gauge your anxiety level with a sphygmomanometer. And gentle reader, should you think it might be the students that cause anxiety; please let me correct any misunderstanding. Students are the reward for teachers. Even parents are not a problem for me as I always view them in an ally role. School district administration on the other hand is the leading cause of teacher defection and retirement (Mutiny comes to mind as well).