Chapter Two
When she got back, Chet and Marco were in the kitchen. They were in fresh uniforms and, like Johnny, injury free. The three of them had moved Mike from the kitchen chair to the recliner. His coat, button up shirt, and boots were gone, piled in the corner. A blanket was draped over him. Where the blanket came from, she had no idea. Johnny looked up when she came into eyesight. "He fell asleep." he said to Joann. Turning back to his coworkers he said "We'll have to do neuro checks until Beth gets here." Chet and Marco nodded, hoping Mike's wife was on her way, he would be more comfortable at home.
"Hi." and "Hola." came from the linemen simultaneously when they saw her.
"Hey guys." she replied. "Dinners ready whenever you are." she said to the room.
"Let me wrangle Cap in here." Marco said.
"He's already on his way." Johnny said. Both firemen looked confused. "I asked Joann to get him." Johnny explained, grinning apologetically at her. "See, he'd actually come if you asked." he said in explanation.
"I see." Joann said, surprised she had fallen for Johnny's ruse.
"Sorry Joann, we have to get him to eat somehow in situations like this." Johnny said, adding to his defense.
"Situations like what?" she thought, wondering what actually happened.
Roy entered the room, the bruising on his face standing out more, now that the soot was gone. "How is he?" he asked, looking at the engineer laid out on the chair.
"Sleeping." Chet replied, looking worriedly at the quiet firefighter. He sat on the coffee table, inches from the chair, watching the falling and rising of Mike's chest.
Captain Stanley finally walked in, Charlie on his heels. Hank's face was taught with stress, still covered in soot. "How is he?" he repeated Roy's question, walking the few steps to stand over the sleeping man.
"Sleeping. Let's eat." Johnny said, sounding almost like an order. Everyone automatically followed and walked to the table, Charlie hanging back, unsure if he was invited.
"Come on over Charlie." Stanley said, pointing at the seat next to him.
"I made plenty." Joann added. She waited for everyone to take their seats, noticing that Johnny had 'his' spot earlier.
"Sit over here Joann." Roy said, beckoning her over to his left. She smiled at him, relieved.
They dug into dinner with gusto. Charlie and Hank quietly discussed the engine while they ate, several partially filled forms were on the table in front of Hank. Joann noticed Chet and Johnny were quiet, uncharacteristically so. "What happened Roy?" she asked with a cautious lilt to her voice. She wanted to know what happened, but didn't want to reverse any healing or rehash any memories.
Roy shared a look with his shiftmates before he started, asking their permission. When they all nodded, he began. "There was a fire, the one you heard the engine get called out for. It was a pretty big one. Johnny and I, and Chet and Marco were taking a line in. Mike was, of course, at the pump panel, and Cap was with the Batt Chief." Joann nodded, affirming she understood so far. Roy continued, "Batt hit the evac tones, so the four of us left the building to regroup. Everything was going fine. Then Cap asked me to check in with Mike, since I speak pumps." Roy said, referencing the fact he had passed the engineer's exam, but choose to stay on the squad. Captain Stanley had stopped filling out paperwork when he heard his title and his friend's name for a second time. He looked up at the group, listening. There was silence around the table as Roy finished retelling their call. "I was standing with Mike, our backs to the fire, looking at the pumps and checking the pressure gauges, when the building behind us exploded." Joann saw in the corner of her eyes Johnny wincing slightly at the word 'explosion'. Roy kept going, unaware of his wife's observations. "Mike and I were thrown at the pump panel. I was lucky, I landed on mostly compartments, only got only one pump to the face." Roy shook his head, "Mike wasn't so fortunate." Roy automatically looked over at Mike. Joann thought about Mike's face, the bruising and cuts now making sense.
"Speaking of the engine," Stanley interrupted. "We're getting a reserve, one's already on the way in."
Charlie mournfully shook his head. "She needs a whole new pump panel and siding." Marco and Chet groaned, not looking forward to stripping all the equipment and dealing with a reserve.
"After dinner, we're going to get right on that." Stanley looked apologetically at Joann but didn't stop. "Roy, John, when we finish here, go ahead and call back in service, then help out if you can. Beth's on her way to take Mike home." There were nods as orders were given out. "Joann, thank you for bringing dinner, I don't think any of us had the time or energy to make it." Everyone nodded their heads.
"Just think guys, only 12 more hours to go." Chet said unhelpfully from his seat. Everyone glared at him and Joann darkly chuckled.
"See, someone here appreciates my humor." he said, hand pointing at Joann.
"I wouldn't count on that Chester B." she replied, smirking.
"Leave my wife out of it." Roy said, only half teasing. Chet raised his arms in surrender, fork still in one hand. Joann laughed again, amused at the crew. This is what she was used too.
"Everyone's got fifteen minutes to finish eating before we have to get a move on." Stanley ordered. "I want us stripping Big Red by the time Mike's replacement gets here." Everyone nodded and began eating, story time over.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
When Joann finished her plate, she stood and took Marco and Johnny's empty plates. Neither of them had been talking so they finished the same time she did. Johnny was still silent and she was worried. A silent John Gage was never a good thing. She tried catching her husband's eye, but he was concentrating on eating. Slowly, the men of A shift trickled out, Roy giving her a kiss before he left. Charlie also left, using Hank's office to make some phone calls. Joann was left alone again, save the sleeping engineer and basset hound. She started to work on dishes when she heard someone come through the door. Johnny walked up next to her and started drying them. "I know where they go." he explained before she could argue.
"Don't you need to go and lift heavy things or something?" she asked.
John smiled, "Roy told me to come over and help you, Cap agreed." He paused as he put a plate away. "Thanks for bringing dinner. We were planning to eat after we had done everything, but that would've taken a while." he put another plate away.
"What needed to be done?" Joann asked, trying to get him to open up.
"Calling Charlie, two injury packets, calling for another engineer to finish Mike's shift. If we need a reserve engine, paperwork for it, stripping Big Red, putting everything back on the reserve piece, hanging used hoses, racking dry hoses, refilling SCBAs. Not to mention showering and eating. Plus," he added, "The squad's filthy. She's all sooty from the explosion."
"That is a lot." she said, trying to give him the space to talk. He remained silent. She finally gave up her tactic and asked him outright. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, uh," he sighed, "Yeah." Joann remained silent, he was not convincing. "It was just, not right." He finally admitted.
"Oh?" she said, scrubbing a tough spot on a pan.
"Yeah," he paused only to put a cup away. "Cap drove the engine to the hospital with Marco up front. Chet drove the squad with Roy in the passenger seat. I was in the back of the engine with Mike, who was floating in and out of consciousness." Joann had no problem picturing the scene, but it didn't feel wrong, other than Mike's unconscious state.
"That does sound strange." she said.
"It's not strange, it's wrong." he said passionately. "Cap should never have to drive because his engineer is out cold, Roy should never be in the passenger seat cause his head is bleeding and has to hold his own pressure to stop it." He burst out. "And no one should have to watch the whole damn thing happen right in front of 'em." he stopped, "Sorry Joann, didn't mean to yell, or curse." he added quietly.
Joann was silent, "So this is what Roy meant." "It's okay Johnny." she said, realizing Johnny had apologized, "It's okay to vent."
"Not to you, you shouldn't have to hear this shi-tuff." he corrected mid-word.
Joann smirked, "No need to filter yourself Johnny, I've heard and said them all before." It was Johnny's turn to smirk. "Seriously John," she said, turning the conversation back. "I'm a veteran's and firefighter's wife. I get it."
"Thanks Joann." he said seriously.
"GAGE! ENGINE'S HERE" Stanley's stressed, high pitched, yell announced.
Johnny dried his hands, "Duty calls." he said, "Thanks for bringing dinner again." He stopped, his hands holding the door frame he was standing in, "You staying until Beth gets here?" he asked.
"Yeah I will. Don't let Hank overdo it huh?"
Gage grinned, "I'll try my best!"
When he left she said, "They're all idiots." Grinning, she dried her own hands. She picked up a magazine from her bag and sat on the couch, across from the occupied chair. She was content to sit there, listening to the breathing coming from the recliner and the teasing coming from the bay. She sighed contentedly, taking occasional glances at Mike. Yes, this was the quiet she was used to.