A/N: This is it; the final chapter. It is much longer than most but it completes the story. Thank you all for reading this and sharing this journey with me.
The Gage Secret-37
"Hey Johnny?"
"Yea, Mike?" Johnny answered.
"Head's up!"
John looked up to see the ropes and harnesses being lowered for him and Alyssa. He'd requested supplies with which to splint her ankle before the ride up to prevent it from being further injured. Within a few minutes he had her ankle stabilized and began preparing them for their assent.
"Ok, now we don't have far to go so don't be afraid. I'm going to secure your belt to mine so you won't fall no matter what." He said in his most confident voice.
"How will they pull us both up at the same time?" She asked still not convinced of the safety of the impending rescue.
"Pure brute strength, Alyssa." He answered with a crooked grin. "They're firefighters and if they can haul hose and air tanks and other equipment up multiple flights of stairs in a burning building then they can surely pull the two of us up those few feet to the top…..don't you think?"
When he put it that way, she had to agree.
E!
By the time the ambulance arrived with Tanner's parents, Roy had the small boy packaged and ready for transport. Dr. Morton had instructed him to ride in with the child even though no IV had been ordered. Under the circumstances, Dr. Morton didn't want to take any chances with his condition.
Roy watched the scene unfolding around him and felt it tugging at his heart strings. Tanner's mother cradled him in her arms as her hot tears seared her cheeks and pooled on the face of the dark eyed child. The young father kneeled down with one arm around his wife and the other caressing his small son. Roy thought of how easily the characters in the scene could be replaced with his own wife, son and himself. He hastily brushed a tear away as he climbed inside the ambulance for the ride to Rampart. Just before the door closed, he caught a glimpse of his partner's dark hair rising above the ledge and then he saw Chet reaching out for Alyssa.
"Watch those elbows, Chet." Mike cautioned with a glint in his eyes. He watched as his words made their way into Chet's brain and caused a smile to spread rapidly across the young lineman's face.
Chet caught himself blushing at Mike's good natured ribbing. Even the Phantom had no catchy comeback for those words. "Here you go, Alyssa. Grab hold." He said reaching for her jittery hand.
Marco, Mike and Hank held their positions on the ropes long enough for Chet to assist John and Alyssa onto solid high ground again.
"Nice work, fellas." John said with a smile.
"John, you need me to request another ambulance?" Hank asked looking at the splinted right ankle of the young woman.
"Nah, Cap. If it's a'right with you I can run her in to Rampart in the squad. I can have her there by the time an ambulance can get here."
"You need to clear that with Rampart first?" Hank questioned.
"I will just to be sure." John responded reaching for the biophone. In less than a minute, he was granted permission to bring Alyssa in by squad.
With Hank on one side and John on the other, she hobbled her way over to the squad. Chet jogged over carrying her backpack and blanket while Marco and Mike stored the equipment away in the compartments on the squad.
"Alright, pal." Hank smiled at his young paramedic who was climbing behind the wheel. "We'll see you back at the station….unless you need a replacement." He added with a wink as John felt his Captain discreetly drop something small into his hand. He immediately knew what it was and gave his superior a silent 'Thank You.'
"I'll let you know." He smiled and slowly pulled away from the scene crossing his pasture and passing through his gate on his way to Rampart with his patient tucked safely in the squad beside him; her foot elevated on the seat.
"That was really a smart thing you did with the necklace." Johnny said without ever looking at her. He waited for a moment to see if she'd ask.
"Oh, no! I forgot it. It's still on Patches."
John cast her a huge smile as he allowed the sentimental piece to dangle from his fingers between them.
Alyssa carefully picked the necklace away from his fingers and gave an audible sigh as she clasped it back around her own neck.
"Cap got it for you…..not that Patches wouldn't have taken very good care of it until you got back home."
Home. She let her head lean back against the seat as she closed her eyes and thought about what that small four lettered word really meant.
Johnny watched her relax as they made their way to Rampart General Hospital. He knew he had to have a heart to heart conversation with her very soon. He just hoped he'd have the right words to explain things to her; the same thing his Aunt Kitty had to explain to him not so many years ago under very similar circumstances.
E!
John walked out of treatment room 1 while the portable x-ray machine was being maneuvered into place. He looked down the hallway and saw Roy shaking hands with the young man he recognized as Tanner's father. He sauntered over to join them.
"Hello again. How's Tanner?" He asked reaching out his right hand to the smiling young man.
"Oh, he's going to be just fine thanks to everyone; especially that young woman. I understand she's a relative of yours?"
"Yea, we're, uh, we're cousins." He said rocking back on his heels with his hands in his pockets.
"How is she, Johnny?" Roy asked turning to face his partner.
"She's getting some x-rays of her ankle now. I don't think it's broken but Doc wants to make sure, ya know?"
"She's truly a brave young lady." Tanner's father said as he stared down at his feet. "Please let her know how much we appreciate what she did for us…..and especially for Tanner." He mentioned as he turned to walk back into treatment room 3.
"Sure will." John said with a smile.
"Johnny, can I talk to you for a minute?" Roy asked in an emotion-laden voice.
"Yea…sure. What's up?" John asked nervously as they walked casually toward the staff lounge.
"Well, it's just something she said out there. I was wondering if you caught it and…."
Johnny stopped walking and held his hand up to interrupt Roy. "Roy….yea, yea I did….and I agree with you."
"Then are you gonna talk to her? I mean, she obviously doesn't know does she?" Roy spoke barely above a whisper.
"No, I don't see how she could know. And yes, as soon as we get home we're gonna have a heart to heart."
"Want me to ask Cap to call in a sub for you? I know Bellingham is signed up for some over time and I can handle him for a few hours, I guess." Roy offered as he placed a light hearted slap on his young partner's shoulders.
Johnny thought for a couple of minutes before he answered. "Yea…yea, I think so, Roy. This is really important….and I don't want to put it off."
E!
Roy took Johnny back to the station to retrieve his rover while Alyssa's x-rays were being viewed by Dr. Morton.
"Ok, Alyssa, it looks like you just have a badly sprained ankle. Keep it rested and elevated for a couple of days and use ice packs for the next 12 hours or so, ok?" Mike instructed her just as John walked through the door of the treatment room.
"What's the verdict, Doc?"
"Oh I think she can be released on her own recognizance, John. Unless of course, you are willing to post her bail." Dr. Morton said with an uncharacteristic smile.
"That I am, Doc. I'll keep a close eye on her."
"John, you don't have to babysit me. I'm a big girl now." She chided with a smile that finally lit up her entire face.
"I know you are but let me pamper you a little, a'right?"
Dr. Morton shook his head as the two of them continued with their friendly banter.
By the time they reached the ranch, they were still bantering but the tone was growing a little more serious.
"Alyssa, do you feel up to talking for a little while tonight? There's something very important I want you to know and it involves you." John looked at his younger cousin with a seriousness that made her heart skip a beat.
"Yea, of course." She said in a very subdued voice. Her biggest fear at the moment was of being asked to leave his home; the home, and now family, that she was just beginning to accept. She felt her pulse begin to race and her respirations quicken. John must have noticed it too because he quickly tried to calm her fears.
"Hey, take it easy, a'right. It's nothing bad. In fact, it's something quite positive." He said as he helped her into the house and over to the sofa. "Want something to drink?"
She only shook her head and looked downward. John, seeing how her countenance had fallen, started to mentally berate himself for how he'd approached the subject. He quickly prepared himself a glass of water and then sat down in the chair beside her. Then he decided just to jump in with both feet.
"I need to share something with you about our family…something that Aunt Kitty and I used to refer to as 'The Gage Secret.'"
Alyssa looked up at him with her eyebrows knit together questioningly as she watched him sit down. "The what?"
John exhaled loudly. "Ok, just promise me you'll hear me out before you cast judgement on what I'm about to say."
"I promise." She said meekly.
"I don't remember how much I've told you about my past or how much you might have learned from Aunt Kitty. If I repeat you already know then I'm sorry." He paused, waiting for her to acknowledge his statement.
"Please….go on." She said in a raspy voice.
"You know my parents died when I was nine, right?"
She nodded in agreement.
"You also know that I was sent to live with Aunt Louise and Uncle Gabe but they…..well, he….didn't treat me very well." Old emotions fought their way to the surface of Johnny's face as his grown-up mind remembered his childhood.
"He, uh, well….he'd lock me in a closet several times a week and deny me food. He slapped me around quite a bit too. And that was while Aunt Louise was around." He looked down at his trembling fingers as he gathered up his courage to continue.
"Anyway, when I was eleven or so, Aunt Louise announced that she was pregnant and I thought that'd make things better but it didn't. Uncle Gabe didn't want the baby any more than he wanted me. He thought they'd get insurance money for taking me in but that didn't happen. Anyway, on the morning of my 12th birthday, Aunt Louise had the baby….but it didn't live but a few minutes."
Alyssa could feel tears stinging the backs of her eyes as she heard John's voice cracking.
"She was never the same after that day. Uncle Gabe got meaner and she just sat around and grieved. I…well, I began to wish…" Johnny drew in a deep cleansing breath and took a sip of water. He had to get this out in order for her to understand. "I began to wish that I'd never been born."
A tear made its way down Alyssa's face then. She'd had those same thoughts many times over the last couple of years.
John swallowed hard and then pressed onward with his story. "Then on the morning of my 13th birthday, she….Aunt Louise….went to visit the baby's grave and she…..she killed herself there. I began to blame myself for what happened to both her and the baby….and my parents. All I wanted to do was die." He reached trembling fingers up to wipe away the tears that were freely falling now. His mouth felt as dry as a desert. He took a long drink of the cool water he'd prepared and set the glass back down on the end table between them. He inhaled deeply and then began again.
"At her funeral, I saw Aunt Kitty for the first time in several years. I'd been told that she was taking care of our sick grandmother but after I read her journals…..I understood that she was actually giving birth to you when my folks were killed." He said with a smile and a squeeze of her hand. "Later, after our grandmother died she assumed that I was settled with Aunt Louise and Uncle Gabe and she didn't want to disrupt that arrangement even though she wanted me to come and live with her. She, uh…..she thought she was doing right by me to leave me where I was." He hung his head as the memories washed over him.
"I had already made up my mind to go home from the funeral and finish myself off." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't give her any more details than that; saying it was hard enough. "I knew I couldn't take another minute of living with Uncle Gabe and I knew my life would never get better. But, when Aunt Kitty hugged me at the funeral…..I don't know….it was like she knew what I was thinking. I didn't know how but she just knew. She,….she held me close for a long time and she whispered into my ear to just hold on a few more days because she was coming to get me." He looked at her red rimmed eyes then and saw dark pools of compassion and understanding. Obviously, his young cousin had felt similarly before as well.
"She heard my thoughts, Alyssa. Just like she heard the thoughts of Paul, your dad, when he was being beaten by our grandfather in the barn that day. Aunt Kitty was nowhere near the barn and had no idea what was happening but she swore she heard Paul calling for her. But he didn't; at least not audibly."
John paused to lick his lips so he could continue. "When I was a senior in high school a few friends and I went on an outing to the beach. I was taking a nap right after lunch when I heard this small voice calling for her Daddy. I got up and looked around but I didn't see anyone. Still, that voice kept calling so I followed it…straight to the edge of the water…..I saw a small child being continuously knocked down by the waves. She wasn't shouting or anything but I swear I could hear her voice…even though her lips never moved." He sucked in a ragged breath as he remembered the small tow-headed child coughing and sputtering at the water's edge. "I reached for her just as a wave pulled her out and she went under the water. I was able to grab her by her hair and pull her back up." He hesitated momentarily. "As I pulled her out of the water I heard a man's voice screaming. It was her father. He'd seen her go under but wasn't able to get to her."
He looked at Alyssa's eyes and saw amazement. "Nothing ever felt as good as being able to put that little girl back into her father's arms."
"Is that why you decided to be a paramedic?" She asked seemingly mesmerized by his story.
"No, but that's the reason I decided to be a rescue man. See, we didn't have paramedics when I first started with the fire department. I wasn't completely sold on the idea at first either. I mean, I knew I had a gift for rescuing people…..and I didn't want to give that up to be a paramedic. After a lot of thinking and soul searching….and some convincing by Roy and my first Captain, I decided to join the paramedic program." He watched her closely wondering if he was revealing too much too quickly. He decided he had delved in this far so he might as well continue all the way.
"Alyssa, my shift mates think I'm a foolish daredevil most of the time. They see me rushing into burning buildings or diving into murky waters…before anyone else does. What they don't know is that I'm doing it because sometimes I too can hear people's thoughts when they are in a life and death struggle. I rush in first so the rest of my crew will think I heard the victims calling out for help. If I went in last but still managed to find the victims first then I'd have no explanation for it and they'd get suspicious."
Alyssa sat wide-eyed waiting for him to continue.
"The only person who knows about this gift is Roy. We have an agreement. It's why he drives the squad all the time. Everyone else thinks it's just because he's the senior man but really it's so that I can concentrate on 'listening' for our victims as we travel to the scene. He trusts me and we work well together. He doesn't understand it but…hell, I don't understand it but…..he trusts my instincts."
"But John, what does that have to do with me tonight?" Alyssa asked confused.
"Sweetie, that little boy, Tanner, is autistic. You repeatedly said that you heard him calling out to his Momma for help…I was with his mother for quite a while….he's never spoken any words, Alyssa. Never. He makes guttural noises at times and he cries just like any child but he's never communicated verbally. Do you understand what I'm saying?" He asked; his eyes pleading with her for understanding.
Suddenly, her eyes grew large and owl-like. "John…..you think I have it too? The Gage Secret?"
Johnny wiped away the tears that began to pour from her eyes. "Yes, I know you do."
She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She opened her mouth so speak but no words escaped her trembling lips.
"I also know that the day you kicked me out of your hospital room, you really were wanting me to come back in." She nodded as he drew her near him and felt her rest her head on his shoulders. "And the day you were here when you had the reaction to diazepam…..you left me the ring and the letter from Alice Keener….because they were your most treasured possessions at the time weren't they? You were leaving them for me because you were planning on hurting yourself too weren't you?" He whispered softly.
He felt her stiffen beneath his embrace.
"Oh, God, John….I'm sorry I did that to you….I'm so sorry." She said through muffled tears.
"No, no more I'm sorry. Nothing to apologize for. We've both survived desperate times and we both know we have a gift. You know how I use mine." He said pulling back away from her enough to look her in the eyes. "The question is: How will you use yours?"
Alyssa shivered as she contemplated his question. She had no idea what the future held for her or for the gift she shared with John and Kitty. But, what she did know was that now she felt a strong kinship with John that went beyond familial ties.
John closed his eyes as he protectively embraced again his younger cousin; feeling an invisible thread tying them together in some unique way. Before he released her from the embrace, he opened his eyes and saw the picture he treasured positioned on his wall. The picture of himself as a skinny frightened child standing beside his Aunt Kitty and then the other side of the frame where he stood proudly beside her at his graduation from the Fire Academy. Then, another image formed within his field of vision. One that was much more realistic than even the photographs. This time it was the specter of Katherine Gage standing beside John and Alyssa; smiling down at the two young people she had so greatly influenced and who both now shared her gift.
John blinked his eyes rapidly just to make sure he was actually seeing her again. Within a few heartbeats her image faded from view but not before he had the chance to mouth the words to her he'd been denied the chance to say before her untimely death. I love you, Aunt Kitty. I'll take good care of her.
The End
A/N: We've come to the end of our journey. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading this story. For those who were kind enough to review it, I especially thank you for taking the time to do so. Each one means so much!