p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"Chapter 4-Coming Clean/p
p class="MsoNormal"Even though both men slept well, Mike and Hank groaned loudly when Hank's alarm clock went off at 0530. Mike groaned and stretched his neck as he sat up and started waking up. Once he was awake enough, the engineer headed for the kitchen and started the coffee. Then he walked back into the living room and grabbed his uniform before heading to the hall bathroom./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ten minutes and a quick shower later, he walked out of the bathroom dressed for work. As Mike walked out of the bathroom, Hank walked out of his bedroom. He, too, was already in uniform./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled tiredly, "Good morning, Mike."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "Good morning, Cap. Did you sleep well?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I did. I think I was out before I hit the pillow. How about you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I know I was out before I hit the couch. Thanks for the blanket."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome." Hank smelled the coffee. "Thanks for getting the coffee started./p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, no problem, trust me, I know we can both use it."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Very true."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The men turned and headed for the kitchen. Mike poured the coffee while Hank whipped together a couple of bagel sandwiches for breakfast. "Here ya go, Pal."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "Thanks, Cap. It looks great."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks. I know it's quick, but I figured we don't need a heavy breakfast before work."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, no. I don't mind a food coma, but not behind the wheel of Big Red."/p
p class="MsoNormal""That's what I figured." Hank chuckled. He took a few bites of his sandwich before walking over to the counter. He picked up an ink pen and slid the small notepad over. As he took one more bite. He wrote/p
p class="MsoNormal"emGood Morning My Love,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"emMike and I are headed to work. It's just about six in the morning. Yes, that is his truck in the driveway. I am going to bring him home Tuesday morning to get it. I hope you had a wonderful trip. I cannot wait to hear your voice later tonight. Check our bed for a surprise from the weekend /ememspan style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Emoji',sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-symbol-font-family: 'Segoe UI Emoji';"😊/span Have a great day. I'll see you in the morning./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"emXOXOXOXOXOXOXO/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"emLove,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"emMe /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank stood up and ripped the note off of the notepad. He laid it on the table before he finished his breakfast. Mike smiled as he finished his breakfast. "That was just what I needed, Cap. Thanks."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome, Mike." Hank finished his breakfast. Mike grabbed the dishes and washed them. "Thank you."/p
p class="MsoNormal""My pleasure. Did you leave a note for Emily?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Right in the middle of the table." Hank smiled, "I put her new shirt from last night on the bed for her."/p
p class="MsoNormal""She'll love that." Mike's smile was as bright as his eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal""I hope so," Hank smiled as he checked the time. It was 0545. "You ready?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""After you."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The duo left the kitchen. Mike grabbed his gym bag on the way out while Hank grabbed his bag and extra uniforms. They headed outside before Hank turned, closed, and locked the door behind them./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank put his stuff next to Mike's behind the driver's side as Mike climbed in. Once the stuff was inside, Hank closed the door and then climbed behind the wheel./p
p class="MsoNormal"The drive was full of small talk as Mike gathered the card sets for the rest of the crew. Mike smiled as the station came into view just as the sun turned the sky from inky black to the rainbow of dawn. "God, I love that view."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "You and me both, my friend, you and me both."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Both men let out quick sighs of relief when they drove by the front and noticed the big bay doors were closed. Hank stopped just in front of the station as he saw the C shift engineer Nick approaching the flagpole with the folded flag in hand. Both men were silent as they locked their eyes on the pole./p
p class="MsoNormal"They were glad the street was clear as they didn't move until the flag was at full height. Once the flag was raised, Nick waved at his friends. Both men waved back before Hank turned and pulled in the driveway./p
p class="MsoNormal""Let's get after it, Michael," Hank said with a smile./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike grinned, "Sounds good to me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank pulled in his usual spot and shut the car off. Both men climbed out and reached in to grab their uniforms and bags. Armed with the stuff, they headed inside./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick met them just inside the bay. "Good morning, guys."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "Good morning, Nick."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Good morning, Nick. Thanks for taking care of the flag."/p
p class="MsoNormal""My pleasure, Hank. I was a bit surprised when I realized someone had stopped to watch me until I realized it was you."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sorry about that, old habits."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, I don't mind at all, just a bit surprised."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How were things last night?" Mike asked as the trio headed toward the locker room./p
p class="MsoNormal""Fair to partly cloudy, but not horrible. The engine had four different calls. The squad was up a bit more with six."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good to know," Hank said. "Let Dick know I'll be in just a few minutes. I just need to stow my gear."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Will do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick broke away. Mike and Hank walked into the locker room and headed for their lockers. It only took them a few minutes to put their bags away. Hank put the cards in his shirt pocket./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Both men left the locker room. Hank headed for the office while Mike started his early walk around Big Red. Nick was in the dayroom brewing the first pot of coffee for the day. Mike smiled as he heard the rest of the C shift groan when the morning tones woke them./p
p class="MsoNormal"He nodded at each tired man as he continued his morning walk. The four-man crew nodded, waved, or grunted good morning as they headed for the locker room. As they disappeared into the locker room, Mike walked into the dayroom./p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick smiled, "I hear the rest of them are awake."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike chuckled, "I don't think it's by choice, but yeah they are."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick laughed as he handed his counterpart a cup of coffee. "I cannot blame them. Although you know me, I sleep like a rock no matter what the night is like."/p
p class="MsoNormal""So, do I. I think it's something about the fact that we can fall asleep anywhere."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick laughed, "This is true."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Slowly the remaining members of the C shift shuffled into the room. They were greeted with smiles and coffee from their engineer./p
p class="MsoNormal"As they finished the first pot off, Mike started the first one for A shift. It had just finished brewing when more footsteps echoed through the bay./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Seconds later, Roy and Johnny popped into the dayroom./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike was surprised to see Johnny arrive so early. Normally, the junior paramedic was the last man in. "Good morning Roy, Johnny, did you guys carpool?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny smiled, "Good morning, good morning. Actually, yes we did."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy continued, "Good morning, Mike. Johnny came over yesterday and spent the night per the kids' request, so we figured why have both of us drive."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Makes sense. I crashed at Cap's place last night. That's why you don't see my truck."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How was your weekend at Timberland?" Johnny asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank walked in with Marco and Chet behind him before Mike could answer. "Storytime after you guys get dressed. Go on ya twits, ten minutes to roll call."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The time frame sent everyone but Mike to the locker room. On the way out, the guys waved good-bye to their C shift counterparts, including Captain Jackson./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled as Mike handed him a cup of coffee. "Thanks Mike."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome, Cap."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I only have one more question to figure out this morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What's that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Who's on latrine duty since all four of them showed up within minutes of each other."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike chuckled, "Uh…"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Exactly." Hank smiled as he checked his watch. "Want to go get them?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sure."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Both men headed for the bay. Hank stayed by the radio desk while Mike poked his head into the locker room. "Two minutes, gentlemen."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The call brought the rest of the crew to the door. In a rare move, Johnny was still dry as the Phantom forgot to set up his customary waterbomb. The group lined up for roll call./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Good morning, guys."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Morning Cap," five voices chorused./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank quickly went through the morning notes from headquarters. "Alright, boys, Chet, you have the bay and trash. Johnny, the dorms are yours. Roy, you have the kitchen. Mike, you are cooking. Can you also work with Chet on the hoses?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sure, Cap."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks. Marco, I hate to say it, but…"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Somebody's gotta keep the latrine clean, Cap. I don't mind."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks, pal. Oh Roy, Johnny, make sure you check your supplies really well. Nick said the squad had six different calls last night."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy smiled, "Will do Cap. Don't forget; we have our monthly paramedic meeting at ten."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks for the reminder, Roy. One more thing before we go, guys." Hank smiled as he reached in and grabbed the four sets of cards. "Mike and I got these for you at the game last night." He handed each pack out./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny was surprised, "Wow, thanks, Cap, Mike!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Marco added, "Thanks, guys, these are cool!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "You're welcome."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Confusion filled Johnny's voice. "H... How did you get these? I thought you were going to Timberland."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Before either Hank or Mike could answer, the klaxtons rang out in a continuous string. The tones sent both crews toward their trucks. Even though it was early, the long string of tones had them sliding into their heavy bunker gear before climbing inside. Mike was sliding into his turnout jacket when Sam's voice finally rang out. "Station 36, station 110, Station 51, Battalion 14, Engine 8, commercial structure fire. 2019 Industrial. That's 2-0-1-9 Industrial cross street Warehouse. Time out 0801."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike slammed his door closed as Hank turned and grabbed the radio after writing out the call slips. "Station 51 KMG 365." He put one copy of the call slips in his teeth before turning and handing the other to Roy. Then he ran for the engine, hitting the button to open the bay door on the way./p
p class="MsoNormal"The paper found its way to Johnny's hands as Roy hit the lights and sirens before pulling the Dodge utility truck out of the now open bay doors. Mike followed the smaller truck out of the station after Hank climbed aboard./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"After battling the first fire for nearly two hours, the crew was released. Mike took the engine back to the station while Roy and Johnny headed for Rampart. It was their third trip there since the first call had gone out. The other two saw them bringing in two of the four victims of the fire. Luckily, the full staff had yet to show up when the fire broke out./p
p class="MsoNormal"On the way back to the station, Mike stopped at the grocery store. "Figure get this out of the way early today."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Don't blame ya."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The four-man crew climbed off the truck, which Mike locked. Hank had an HT in his hand as they headed inside./p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet asked, "Can we do the chicken tonight?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "Sure, that'll be dinner. What about lunch?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Marco asked, "What about BLTs?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Sounds good to me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"With the menu set, the men headed inside. It was a divide and conquer mission as they split up to quickly gather the ingredients for the meals and some chips, a few other snacks, another gallon of milk, and some soda. On the way to the checkout, the crew handed Mike their share of the meal. The engineer knew he would get the rest from Roy and Johnny at some point during the shift./p
p class="MsoNormal"Checkout went smooth and quick as Hank kept an ear on the radio. Thankfully for the crew, the county had started to settle down. Groceries in hand, the four men, headed back to their beefy ride. Marco and Chet kept the food between their feet during the short trip back to the station./p
p class="MsoNormal"Once they got back to the station, Mike easily put the big rig back in her spot. The food was unloaded as the crew headed for the kitchen. Since the squad was not back yet, Mike put the food away while Chet and Marco headed off to do their chores. Hank retreated to his office to write up the report on the fire. He figured it was best to stay ahead of the paperwork while he could./p
p class="MsoNormal"After Mike was done putting the food away, he headed outside to the hose tower. He worked with Chet to swap out the hoses and repack them, just in case. The job was done at a steady pace, but it let the men enjoy the nice weather./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled as they finished, "Thanks, Chet."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome, Mike."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The duo headed back inside. Mike went to the truck to clean and wax it after the smoky mess that had been their first call./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"While the engine crew was shopping and working on their chores, Roy and Johnny were headed back to Rampart after picking up the squad from the fire. It took a few minutes for Roy to find a parking spot in the emergency room lot./p
p class="MsoNormal"Once Roy found a spot, Johnny picked up the radio. "LA squad 51."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Go ahead 51," Sam responded seconds later./p
p class="MsoNormal""LA show squad 51 at Rampart for a meeting until further notice."/p
p class="MsoNormal""10-4 squad 51. LA clear KMG 491."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny hung up the radio before he groaned as he stretched, getting out of the truck. "I can do without another morning call like that for a while."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy stretched and grabbed the HT before he locked the truck, "I hear you, Junior. Hopefully, we have some time to get some coffee before the meeting."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I hope so."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The duo headed inside and smiled as they waved at the blur that was a busy Dixie McCall. She was running between rooms helping with a few of the victims from the fire. Johnny and Roy headed for the staff lounge and grabbed some coffee to go before making their way to the classroom that hosted their monthly meetings./p
p class="MsoNormal"The paramedics exchanged greetings with the other attendees, including Bellingham and Brice. While neither was normally a fan of working with the almost robotic Brice, they were still kind enough to say good morning./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellingham walked over. "Morning, boys, how was the beast?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy smiled, "Morning Bob, nothing that a surround and drowned couldn't handle. 110s and 8s are still out there doing the cleanup."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Ugh."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, a lovely way to get moving this morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The trio chuckled as they found their seats. Johnny sat next to Roy, who was next to Bellingham with Brice at the end of their four-man row. It was just after ten when Doctor Kelly Bracket walked into the room./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"The head of the emergency room and the paramedic program smiled at the group of twelve men gathered in front of him. His voice was warm, "Good morning, gentlemen."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good morning Doc," the group replied as one./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel stood in front of the group. "Let's get started."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The first part of the meeting covered several trainings that the group had coming up. Then they went into discussing several calls over the last month./p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellingham waited until they had covered several incidents before he raised his hand. Brackett acknowledged him with, "Yes, Bob?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Doctor Brackett, I was just wondering how the family Brice and I brought in from Timberland yesterday morning?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The mention of the location and timeframe caught Johnny and Roy's attention./p
p class="MsoNormal""The two men with concussions were released to the cops after a couple of hours of observation."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How are the young boy, Cameron, and his family? I know he had Captain Stanley practically in a bear hug in the field."/p
p class="MsoNormal"This news made Johnny and Roy exchange a quick look before turning their full attention to their friend. Brackett replied, "I checked on them this morning. The parents and young girl should be released later today. Doctor Jackson wants to keep Cameron a little longer. He is still having a lot of pain from the burns and his ankle."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bob shook his hand. "That is one strong little boy."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The last comment broke Roy's curiosity. "Bob, what happened at Timberland? Mike and Cap didn't say anything this morning,"/p
p class="MsoNormal""They didn't?" Brice's monotone voice rang out with a tinge of surprise./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not a word," Johnny said. "I know I recommended the campground to them for the weekend."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brackett spoke up, "I'm curious what happened to. I've seen the reports, but there's only so much paper tells me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellingham sat back and walked the intrigued crowd through the call./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny looked surprised at the end of the story. "Those two certainly have some explaining to do when we get back."/p
p class="MsoNormal""To say the least, partner," Roy commented./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny looked over, "Doc, do you think we can go up and see the family before we head back? If I know Hank and Mike, they are going to want to know how the family is doing."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brackett smiled, "I'll take you up there myself when we are done. Joe said they stopped by yesterday and spent quite a bit of time with them."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellingham asked, "How did Captain Stanley pry Cameron out his arms? It took him passing out before he released his grip at the scene."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Apparently, lunch showed up."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Ah."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brackett looked at the rest of the room. "Does anybody else have anything they want to talk about before we go?" Nobody said anything. "Alright guys, that's it for this month. Stay safe out there today."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The meeting broke up as the crowd said good-bye to one another. Brice and Bellingham were going to follow Johnny and Roy, but they were dispatched to a call./p
p class="MsoNormal"Bob called out, "Roy, Johnny, please tell them we said hi." as the pair ran to answer the call./p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy called back, "Will do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel, Johnny, and Roy walked over to the elevator and stepped inside. As the doctor hit the button for the burn floor, he said, "I'm surprised they didn't say anything to you guys."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny smiled, "Well, they did give us packs of Dodgers cards. I tried to ask them where they got the cards, but the county had other plans before they could answer."/p
p class="MsoNormal""From what Joe said, he gave them his tickets for the game against the Tigers last night."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy asked, "Why didn't he go?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""He was covering for Morton, who is still out with a wicked stomach bug and the friend he was supposed to go to the game with also has the bug."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny groaned, "I hope he stays home with that. God knows we don't need it here."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The doctor smiled at his young friend. "Don't worry, Johnny. He's under strict orders to stay home until he can keep food down for three straight days. That's not exactly going well for him yet."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy and Johnny winced in sympathy. "Please give him our best," Roy said./p
p class="MsoNormal""I will, guys."/p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny grew serious as they stepped off the elevator. "What are we walking into, Doc?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The doctor's voice changed to match the paramedic's tone. "They're okay, Johnny. They got lucky; I'll be honest with you. If Mike didn't pull them out of the water when he did, we could be looking at a completely different set of circumstances."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy asked, "What about Cameron?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""He has a mix of burn injuries and a dislocated ankle."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yowch."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, I stayed with him until it was casted, but it's still bugging him."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The trio walked into the burn ward with Roy and Johnny following their mentor. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey were halfway to the family's rooms when Kel spotted Doctor Jackson./p
p class="MsoNormal""Doctor Jackson!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The doctor turned at the mention of his name and smiled at his counterpart. He walked over to the new arrivals. "Good morning, Kel."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good morning, Kyle."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Who's your friends?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Paramedic Roy Desoto and Paramedic John Gage," Kel smiled as he pointed to each man./p
p class="MsoNormal""Good to meet you, gentlemen," Kyle shook hands with Roy and Johnny./p
p class="MsoNormal""You too," Roy and Johnny said at the same time./p
p class="MsoNormal""What can I do for you?" Kyle asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel spoke on behalf of his friends. "They are here to check on Cameron and his family. Their captain and engineer were the duo that rescued them."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kyle smiled, "Ah, that's who Captain Stanley and Mike are."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy smiled, "Yes, Sir."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I was just about to check on Cameron and drop off the discharge paperwork for his parents and sister. Come on." Kyle led the group toward Cameron's room./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"As they were when Hank and Mike visited the day before, the family of four was in the kids' room. That was now just for Cameron. Kyle knocked on the door./p
p class="MsoNormal""Come in," Brent called out from behind the semi-closed door./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kyle opened the door and walked in with Brackett, Roy, and Johnny on his heels. "Good morning, Brent."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good morning, Doctor Kyle. How are you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Doing well. I have your discharge paperwork along with the paperwork for Becky and Julie."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Awesome!" Julie yelled out./p
p class="MsoNormal"The adults and a surprisingly awake Cameron laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal"Becky noticed Johnny and Roy with Kel. "Good morning Doctor Brackett."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brackett smiled, "Good morning Becky."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Who are your friends?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny smiled as he stepped up. "My name is John Gage; this is Roy Desoto." Johnny pointed to Roy. "We came up to check on you on behalf of…"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Cameron smiled broadly, "Captain Stanley and Mister Mike, right?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy smiled, "That's right, buddy. I take it you are Cameron?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""That's me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy and Johnny walked over to the young boy who was sitting in a wheelchair. "I hear you made quite an impression on our boss," Roy smiled at Cameron./p
p class="MsoNormal""He…he was so calm even when I was screaming in his arms. He held me close and even gave me his shirt before Mister Bob put that splint on my leg." Cameron's voice was honest./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny smiled, "He's good at keeping people calm, Cameron. He does that for all of us every shift, including this morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What happened this morning?" A curious Julie walked over and asked./p
p class="MsoNormal""We had to work a big fire just after we started work."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brent gasped, "Is everyone okay?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, Sir." Johnny turned to the concerned father. "The engine crew headed back to the station while we came over here for our monthly paramedic meeting."/p
p class="MsoNormal"A sigh of relief echoed through the family of four. "Good to hear."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Cameron sighed, "Wish I could see him, but I'm stuck here for a bit longer."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Julie spoke up. "Remember Cam. He said we can see him at the station when we all get out of here."/p
p class="MsoNormal""B…but you guys get to leave today, and I don't." The young boy sounded dejected./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny bent down and took the young boy's hand. "Cameron, I promise you we will all be waiting for you guys when you get out of here. Ask Doctor Brackett, he'll know when we are duty after you get out."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Really?" The boy sounded dejected but slightly more hopeful./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel's smooth voice rang out, "Really, my friend. See besides Captain Stanley, I am also Roy and Johnny's boss. I have their schedule downstairs. When you are ready to go home, I'll give you a copy so you know when you can go visit them."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Alright." Cameron's face started to light up again. He looked up at the two paramedics. "D... Do you guys have enough time to sign my cast?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Of course, pal," Johnny smiled and grabbed the permanent marker. He quickly added a small message and smile to the cast before he signed it. Then he handed the marker to Roy. The senior medic added his name and Get Well, Soon to the growing collection of signatures./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel walked over as the boys' HT came to life. Sam's voice rang out. "Squad 51, what is your status?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy keyed the radio, "Squad 51, available from Rampart General." The duo quickly waved good-bye, turned, and ran out the door./p
p class="MsoNormal"As Kel signed the cast, Sam's voice drifted into the room. "Squad 51, stand by for a response."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Cameron asked, "Doctor Brackett, do you know when I can leave?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I wish I did, my friend. However, that's Doctor Jackson's call now."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay." The young boy's head dropped. "I just want to see my friend again."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel smiled, "I know you do, but I know Captain Stanley very well. If he promised you could visit the station, he'd keep that promise to you. You know what you can do for him right now?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""What?" The young boy was curious./p
p class="MsoNormal""Keep getting stronger and feeling better."/p
p class="MsoNormal""That I can do."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good. I have to get going for now, but I will stop by and see you again soon."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel put the marker back on the tray table. He turned and shook hands with Brent and Becky and high fived Julie before he left the room./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"It was almost 1300 before Roy finally backed the squad into its spot in the station. They had answered three minor calls back to back after they left the hospital./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny grumbled as they climbed from the truck. "I think we need to keep a bottle of cooking oil in the truck. It seems the new favorite past time for kids is sticking their head in places where it shouldn't go."/p
p class="MsoNormal"For once, Roy had to agree with his partner's observation. "Ya know Junior, that's not a bad idea."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet chuckled as he watched the duo from the doorway to the dayroom. "Well, if you boys are done playing unstick the kid, Mike made BLTs for lunch with chips and sodas."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, alright," Johnny's mood brightened instantly as they walked into the room./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike met them at the table with the aforementioned food. "Here you goy boys."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks, Mike," Roy said with a smile./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny took a bite and swallowed before he said, "Just what the doctor ordered. This is perfect, Mike."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled warmly, "Glad you guys like them."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Marco asked, "Anything good come up at the meeting, guys?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy took a drink of his soda before he looked at Mike and Hank. "Yeah, Marco, in fact, we learned these two," Roy pointed at the men, "had an interesting early morning yesterday before they went to the game."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike gulped, "Let me guess Bellingham brought it up."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny spoke, "Actually yeah, because he was asking about Cameron and his family."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The mention of the little boy's name made Hank look up after lowering his head slightly. "H…how are they?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy reached over and gripped his superior's shoulder. "Easy Cap, everybody, but Cameron is getting released today. He's still dealing with some pain and stuff, so they want to keep him a little longer."/p
p class="MsoNormal""His main concern was you after we told him about the fire," Johnny added./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled as he shook his head. "That kid really is something else."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny looked at Hank in the eye. "Bellingham told us what happened from their point of view…but…."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy picked up his partner's train of thought. "We wanna know what happened before help got there."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike and Hank looked at each other. Then they turned and faced the crew, guilt written on their faces. Both men took turns filling in the details of their time at Timberland. The rest of the crew hang on every detail./p
p class="MsoNormal"Marco slapped the chef on the shoulder. "Nice job, mi amigo."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike blushed, "I was just doing my job. Couldn't let them down."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The group nodded. Johnny asked, "Is that why you guys went to the game last night?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Actually, yes. As beautiful as Timberland is, we wanted to get away from the fun and find something relaxing to do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike chuckled, "So we spent the night with about twenty thousand of our closest friends screaming our heads off."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet laughed, "Hey, now that's not a bad way to relax."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Especially when the boys in blue win," Mike smiled./p
p class="MsoNormal""Very true, my friend very true."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The men settled in for the rest of their lunch and the rest of their shift. It was a relatively busy day for both style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe engine was home at dusk just long enough for the men to enjoy dinner and Mike to bring the flag in./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"It was nearly 2100 before the county finally settled down. Hank disappeared into his office but left the door open as he made his nightly call to Emily. The phone rang twice before she answered it./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled as he spoke, "Hi, honey."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Emily's smile found her voice, "Hi Sweetheart. Thank you so much for my shirt."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome. I hope it fits okay."/p
p class="MsoNormal""It fits perfectly. In fact, I have it on right now."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Great!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""How did you get it, though? I thought you guys were going camping."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Plans changed. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow when I get home."/p
p class="MsoNormal""O..okay." Emily was curious but enjoyed hearing her husband's stories in person./p
p class="MsoNormal""How was your trip?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Great! No ring news yet, but we had fun shopping."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm glad you had fun, baby," Hank said as he tried to stifle a yawn./p
p class="MsoNormal"Emily heard the yawn and said, "Honey, get the boys and go to bed. We'll talk more when you get home tomorrow."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay, honey," Hank yawned again. "I'll see you in the morning. I love you."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I love you too, baby, sleep well."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Do my best, you too."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Will do. Good night."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good night."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The couple hung up. Hank finished up the last of his paperwork and then left the office. He ducked his head into the dayroom. The men were gathered around the television watching some B rated movie. "Alright boys, it's bedtime."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet whined, "But Cap, the meatballs haven't attacked yet."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank shook his head. He really didn't want to ask what that comment meant. "Kelly, it's been a long day. Now I am in a good mood, but if you drag this out, you're going to have latrine duty the next two shifts."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet was on his feet in a second, as was the rest of the crew. "Alright, alright."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I thought so," Hank smiled tiredly./p
p class="MsoNormal"The crew made their way to the dorms and settled into their nightly routine. Their beds set up Their bunker pants and boots before each man stripped down to their undershirts and shorts. Then they started the parade to the bathroom./p
p class="MsoNormal"It was a routine they had down to a twenty-minute science. Soon, six tired men were tucked into their beds. A smattering of good nights filled the room before Hank reached over and shut off the lamp on the desk next to the bed. The lack of light from the lamp sent the room into a sea of darkness./p
p class="MsoNormal"It took a few minutes, but eventually, the six beds went quiet except for soft snoring sounds. Hank knew a few of them were also drooling, although the men's secrets were safe with him. As the captain closed his eyes, he listened to his family fall asleep./p
p class="MsoNormal"His last thought before falling asleep was of Cameron. "Keep fighting, my friend. You've got this, Cam." He thought before his mind shut off, and he drifted as deep asleep as he dared while on duty./p
p class="MsoNormal"Even though both men slept well, Mike and Hank groaned loudly when Hank's alarm clock went off at 0530. Mike groaned and stretched his neck as he sat up and started waking up. Once he was awake enough, the engineer headed for the kitchen and started the coffee. Then he walked back into the living room and grabbed his uniform before heading to the hall bathroom./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ten minutes and a quick shower later, he walked out of the bathroom dressed for work. As Mike walked out of the bathroom, Hank walked out of his bedroom. He, too, was already in uniform./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled tiredly, "Good morning, Mike."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "Good morning, Cap. Did you sleep well?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I did. I think I was out before I hit the pillow. How about you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I know I was out before I hit the couch. Thanks for the blanket."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome." Hank smelled the coffee. "Thanks for getting the coffee started./p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, no problem, trust me, I know we can both use it."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Very true."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The men turned and headed for the kitchen. Mike poured the coffee while Hank whipped together a couple of bagel sandwiches for breakfast. "Here ya go, Pal."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "Thanks, Cap. It looks great."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks. I know it's quick, but I figured we don't need a heavy breakfast before work."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, no. I don't mind a food coma, but not behind the wheel of Big Red."/p
p class="MsoNormal""That's what I figured." Hank chuckled. He took a few bites of his sandwich before walking over to the counter. He picked up an ink pen and slid the small notepad over. As he took one more bite. He wrote/p
p class="MsoNormal"emGood Morning My Love,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"emMike and I are headed to work. It's just about six in the morning. Yes, that is his truck in the driveway. I am going to bring him home Tuesday morning to get it. I hope you had a wonderful trip. I cannot wait to hear your voice later tonight. Check our bed for a surprise from the weekend /ememspan style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Emoji',sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-symbol-font-family: 'Segoe UI Emoji';"😊/span Have a great day. I'll see you in the morning./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"emXOXOXOXOXOXOXO/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"emLove,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"emMe /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank stood up and ripped the note off of the notepad. He laid it on the table before he finished his breakfast. Mike smiled as he finished his breakfast. "That was just what I needed, Cap. Thanks."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome, Mike." Hank finished his breakfast. Mike grabbed the dishes and washed them. "Thank you."/p
p class="MsoNormal""My pleasure. Did you leave a note for Emily?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Right in the middle of the table." Hank smiled, "I put her new shirt from last night on the bed for her."/p
p class="MsoNormal""She'll love that." Mike's smile was as bright as his eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal""I hope so," Hank smiled as he checked the time. It was 0545. "You ready?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""After you."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The duo left the kitchen. Mike grabbed his gym bag on the way out while Hank grabbed his bag and extra uniforms. They headed outside before Hank turned, closed, and locked the door behind them./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank put his stuff next to Mike's behind the driver's side as Mike climbed in. Once the stuff was inside, Hank closed the door and then climbed behind the wheel./p
p class="MsoNormal"The drive was full of small talk as Mike gathered the card sets for the rest of the crew. Mike smiled as the station came into view just as the sun turned the sky from inky black to the rainbow of dawn. "God, I love that view."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "You and me both, my friend, you and me both."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Both men let out quick sighs of relief when they drove by the front and noticed the big bay doors were closed. Hank stopped just in front of the station as he saw the C shift engineer Nick approaching the flagpole with the folded flag in hand. Both men were silent as they locked their eyes on the pole./p
p class="MsoNormal"They were glad the street was clear as they didn't move until the flag was at full height. Once the flag was raised, Nick waved at his friends. Both men waved back before Hank turned and pulled in the driveway./p
p class="MsoNormal""Let's get after it, Michael," Hank said with a smile./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike grinned, "Sounds good to me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank pulled in his usual spot and shut the car off. Both men climbed out and reached in to grab their uniforms and bags. Armed with the stuff, they headed inside./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick met them just inside the bay. "Good morning, guys."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "Good morning, Nick."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Good morning, Nick. Thanks for taking care of the flag."/p
p class="MsoNormal""My pleasure, Hank. I was a bit surprised when I realized someone had stopped to watch me until I realized it was you."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sorry about that, old habits."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, I don't mind at all, just a bit surprised."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How were things last night?" Mike asked as the trio headed toward the locker room./p
p class="MsoNormal""Fair to partly cloudy, but not horrible. The engine had four different calls. The squad was up a bit more with six."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good to know," Hank said. "Let Dick know I'll be in just a few minutes. I just need to stow my gear."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Will do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick broke away. Mike and Hank walked into the locker room and headed for their lockers. It only took them a few minutes to put their bags away. Hank put the cards in his shirt pocket./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Both men left the locker room. Hank headed for the office while Mike started his early walk around Big Red. Nick was in the dayroom brewing the first pot of coffee for the day. Mike smiled as he heard the rest of the C shift groan when the morning tones woke them./p
p class="MsoNormal"He nodded at each tired man as he continued his morning walk. The four-man crew nodded, waved, or grunted good morning as they headed for the locker room. As they disappeared into the locker room, Mike walked into the dayroom./p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick smiled, "I hear the rest of them are awake."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike chuckled, "I don't think it's by choice, but yeah they are."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick laughed as he handed his counterpart a cup of coffee. "I cannot blame them. Although you know me, I sleep like a rock no matter what the night is like."/p
p class="MsoNormal""So, do I. I think it's something about the fact that we can fall asleep anywhere."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nick laughed, "This is true."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Slowly the remaining members of the C shift shuffled into the room. They were greeted with smiles and coffee from their engineer./p
p class="MsoNormal"As they finished the first pot off, Mike started the first one for A shift. It had just finished brewing when more footsteps echoed through the bay./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Seconds later, Roy and Johnny popped into the dayroom./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike was surprised to see Johnny arrive so early. Normally, the junior paramedic was the last man in. "Good morning Roy, Johnny, did you guys carpool?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny smiled, "Good morning, good morning. Actually, yes we did."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy continued, "Good morning, Mike. Johnny came over yesterday and spent the night per the kids' request, so we figured why have both of us drive."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Makes sense. I crashed at Cap's place last night. That's why you don't see my truck."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How was your weekend at Timberland?" Johnny asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank walked in with Marco and Chet behind him before Mike could answer. "Storytime after you guys get dressed. Go on ya twits, ten minutes to roll call."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The time frame sent everyone but Mike to the locker room. On the way out, the guys waved good-bye to their C shift counterparts, including Captain Jackson./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled as Mike handed him a cup of coffee. "Thanks Mike."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome, Cap."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I only have one more question to figure out this morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What's that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Who's on latrine duty since all four of them showed up within minutes of each other."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike chuckled, "Uh…"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Exactly." Hank smiled as he checked his watch. "Want to go get them?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sure."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Both men headed for the bay. Hank stayed by the radio desk while Mike poked his head into the locker room. "Two minutes, gentlemen."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The call brought the rest of the crew to the door. In a rare move, Johnny was still dry as the Phantom forgot to set up his customary waterbomb. The group lined up for roll call./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Good morning, guys."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Morning Cap," five voices chorused./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank quickly went through the morning notes from headquarters. "Alright, boys, Chet, you have the bay and trash. Johnny, the dorms are yours. Roy, you have the kitchen. Mike, you are cooking. Can you also work with Chet on the hoses?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sure, Cap."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks. Marco, I hate to say it, but…"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Somebody's gotta keep the latrine clean, Cap. I don't mind."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks, pal. Oh Roy, Johnny, make sure you check your supplies really well. Nick said the squad had six different calls last night."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy smiled, "Will do Cap. Don't forget; we have our monthly paramedic meeting at ten."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks for the reminder, Roy. One more thing before we go, guys." Hank smiled as he reached in and grabbed the four sets of cards. "Mike and I got these for you at the game last night." He handed each pack out./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny was surprised, "Wow, thanks, Cap, Mike!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Marco added, "Thanks, guys, these are cool!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "You're welcome."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Confusion filled Johnny's voice. "H... How did you get these? I thought you were going to Timberland."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Before either Hank or Mike could answer, the klaxtons rang out in a continuous string. The tones sent both crews toward their trucks. Even though it was early, the long string of tones had them sliding into their heavy bunker gear before climbing inside. Mike was sliding into his turnout jacket when Sam's voice finally rang out. "Station 36, station 110, Station 51, Battalion 14, Engine 8, commercial structure fire. 2019 Industrial. That's 2-0-1-9 Industrial cross street Warehouse. Time out 0801."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike slammed his door closed as Hank turned and grabbed the radio after writing out the call slips. "Station 51 KMG 365." He put one copy of the call slips in his teeth before turning and handing the other to Roy. Then he ran for the engine, hitting the button to open the bay door on the way./p
p class="MsoNormal"The paper found its way to Johnny's hands as Roy hit the lights and sirens before pulling the Dodge utility truck out of the now open bay doors. Mike followed the smaller truck out of the station after Hank climbed aboard./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"After battling the first fire for nearly two hours, the crew was released. Mike took the engine back to the station while Roy and Johnny headed for Rampart. It was their third trip there since the first call had gone out. The other two saw them bringing in two of the four victims of the fire. Luckily, the full staff had yet to show up when the fire broke out./p
p class="MsoNormal"On the way back to the station, Mike stopped at the grocery store. "Figure get this out of the way early today."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Don't blame ya."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The four-man crew climbed off the truck, which Mike locked. Hank had an HT in his hand as they headed inside./p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet asked, "Can we do the chicken tonight?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled, "Sure, that'll be dinner. What about lunch?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Marco asked, "What about BLTs?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Sounds good to me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"With the menu set, the men headed inside. It was a divide and conquer mission as they split up to quickly gather the ingredients for the meals and some chips, a few other snacks, another gallon of milk, and some soda. On the way to the checkout, the crew handed Mike their share of the meal. The engineer knew he would get the rest from Roy and Johnny at some point during the shift./p
p class="MsoNormal"Checkout went smooth and quick as Hank kept an ear on the radio. Thankfully for the crew, the county had started to settle down. Groceries in hand, the four men, headed back to their beefy ride. Marco and Chet kept the food between their feet during the short trip back to the station./p
p class="MsoNormal"Once they got back to the station, Mike easily put the big rig back in her spot. The food was unloaded as the crew headed for the kitchen. Since the squad was not back yet, Mike put the food away while Chet and Marco headed off to do their chores. Hank retreated to his office to write up the report on the fire. He figured it was best to stay ahead of the paperwork while he could./p
p class="MsoNormal"After Mike was done putting the food away, he headed outside to the hose tower. He worked with Chet to swap out the hoses and repack them, just in case. The job was done at a steady pace, but it let the men enjoy the nice weather./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled as they finished, "Thanks, Chet."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome, Mike."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The duo headed back inside. Mike went to the truck to clean and wax it after the smoky mess that had been their first call./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"While the engine crew was shopping and working on their chores, Roy and Johnny were headed back to Rampart after picking up the squad from the fire. It took a few minutes for Roy to find a parking spot in the emergency room lot./p
p class="MsoNormal"Once Roy found a spot, Johnny picked up the radio. "LA squad 51."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Go ahead 51," Sam responded seconds later./p
p class="MsoNormal""LA show squad 51 at Rampart for a meeting until further notice."/p
p class="MsoNormal""10-4 squad 51. LA clear KMG 491."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny hung up the radio before he groaned as he stretched, getting out of the truck. "I can do without another morning call like that for a while."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy stretched and grabbed the HT before he locked the truck, "I hear you, Junior. Hopefully, we have some time to get some coffee before the meeting."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I hope so."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The duo headed inside and smiled as they waved at the blur that was a busy Dixie McCall. She was running between rooms helping with a few of the victims from the fire. Johnny and Roy headed for the staff lounge and grabbed some coffee to go before making their way to the classroom that hosted their monthly meetings./p
p class="MsoNormal"The paramedics exchanged greetings with the other attendees, including Bellingham and Brice. While neither was normally a fan of working with the almost robotic Brice, they were still kind enough to say good morning./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellingham walked over. "Morning, boys, how was the beast?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy smiled, "Morning Bob, nothing that a surround and drowned couldn't handle. 110s and 8s are still out there doing the cleanup."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Ugh."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, a lovely way to get moving this morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The trio chuckled as they found their seats. Johnny sat next to Roy, who was next to Bellingham with Brice at the end of their four-man row. It was just after ten when Doctor Kelly Bracket walked into the room./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"The head of the emergency room and the paramedic program smiled at the group of twelve men gathered in front of him. His voice was warm, "Good morning, gentlemen."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good morning Doc," the group replied as one./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel stood in front of the group. "Let's get started."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The first part of the meeting covered several trainings that the group had coming up. Then they went into discussing several calls over the last month./p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellingham waited until they had covered several incidents before he raised his hand. Brackett acknowledged him with, "Yes, Bob?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Doctor Brackett, I was just wondering how the family Brice and I brought in from Timberland yesterday morning?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The mention of the location and timeframe caught Johnny and Roy's attention./p
p class="MsoNormal""The two men with concussions were released to the cops after a couple of hours of observation."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How are the young boy, Cameron, and his family? I know he had Captain Stanley practically in a bear hug in the field."/p
p class="MsoNormal"This news made Johnny and Roy exchange a quick look before turning their full attention to their friend. Brackett replied, "I checked on them this morning. The parents and young girl should be released later today. Doctor Jackson wants to keep Cameron a little longer. He is still having a lot of pain from the burns and his ankle."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bob shook his hand. "That is one strong little boy."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The last comment broke Roy's curiosity. "Bob, what happened at Timberland? Mike and Cap didn't say anything this morning,"/p
p class="MsoNormal""They didn't?" Brice's monotone voice rang out with a tinge of surprise./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not a word," Johnny said. "I know I recommended the campground to them for the weekend."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brackett spoke up, "I'm curious what happened to. I've seen the reports, but there's only so much paper tells me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellingham sat back and walked the intrigued crowd through the call./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny looked surprised at the end of the story. "Those two certainly have some explaining to do when we get back."/p
p class="MsoNormal""To say the least, partner," Roy commented./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny looked over, "Doc, do you think we can go up and see the family before we head back? If I know Hank and Mike, they are going to want to know how the family is doing."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brackett smiled, "I'll take you up there myself when we are done. Joe said they stopped by yesterday and spent quite a bit of time with them."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Bellingham asked, "How did Captain Stanley pry Cameron out his arms? It took him passing out before he released his grip at the scene."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Apparently, lunch showed up."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Ah."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brackett looked at the rest of the room. "Does anybody else have anything they want to talk about before we go?" Nobody said anything. "Alright guys, that's it for this month. Stay safe out there today."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The meeting broke up as the crowd said good-bye to one another. Brice and Bellingham were going to follow Johnny and Roy, but they were dispatched to a call./p
p class="MsoNormal"Bob called out, "Roy, Johnny, please tell them we said hi." as the pair ran to answer the call./p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy called back, "Will do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel, Johnny, and Roy walked over to the elevator and stepped inside. As the doctor hit the button for the burn floor, he said, "I'm surprised they didn't say anything to you guys."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny smiled, "Well, they did give us packs of Dodgers cards. I tried to ask them where they got the cards, but the county had other plans before they could answer."/p
p class="MsoNormal""From what Joe said, he gave them his tickets for the game against the Tigers last night."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy asked, "Why didn't he go?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""He was covering for Morton, who is still out with a wicked stomach bug and the friend he was supposed to go to the game with also has the bug."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny groaned, "I hope he stays home with that. God knows we don't need it here."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The doctor smiled at his young friend. "Don't worry, Johnny. He's under strict orders to stay home until he can keep food down for three straight days. That's not exactly going well for him yet."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy and Johnny winced in sympathy. "Please give him our best," Roy said./p
p class="MsoNormal""I will, guys."/p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny grew serious as they stepped off the elevator. "What are we walking into, Doc?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The doctor's voice changed to match the paramedic's tone. "They're okay, Johnny. They got lucky; I'll be honest with you. If Mike didn't pull them out of the water when he did, we could be looking at a completely different set of circumstances."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy asked, "What about Cameron?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""He has a mix of burn injuries and a dislocated ankle."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yowch."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, I stayed with him until it was casted, but it's still bugging him."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The trio walked into the burn ward with Roy and Johnny following their mentor. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey were halfway to the family's rooms when Kel spotted Doctor Jackson./p
p class="MsoNormal""Doctor Jackson!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The doctor turned at the mention of his name and smiled at his counterpart. He walked over to the new arrivals. "Good morning, Kel."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good morning, Kyle."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Who's your friends?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Paramedic Roy Desoto and Paramedic John Gage," Kel smiled as he pointed to each man./p
p class="MsoNormal""Good to meet you, gentlemen," Kyle shook hands with Roy and Johnny./p
p class="MsoNormal""You too," Roy and Johnny said at the same time./p
p class="MsoNormal""What can I do for you?" Kyle asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel spoke on behalf of his friends. "They are here to check on Cameron and his family. Their captain and engineer were the duo that rescued them."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kyle smiled, "Ah, that's who Captain Stanley and Mike are."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy smiled, "Yes, Sir."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I was just about to check on Cameron and drop off the discharge paperwork for his parents and sister. Come on." Kyle led the group toward Cameron's room./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"As they were when Hank and Mike visited the day before, the family of four was in the kids' room. That was now just for Cameron. Kyle knocked on the door./p
p class="MsoNormal""Come in," Brent called out from behind the semi-closed door./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kyle opened the door and walked in with Brackett, Roy, and Johnny on his heels. "Good morning, Brent."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good morning, Doctor Kyle. How are you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Doing well. I have your discharge paperwork along with the paperwork for Becky and Julie."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Awesome!" Julie yelled out./p
p class="MsoNormal"The adults and a surprisingly awake Cameron laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal"Becky noticed Johnny and Roy with Kel. "Good morning Doctor Brackett."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brackett smiled, "Good morning Becky."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Who are your friends?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny smiled as he stepped up. "My name is John Gage; this is Roy Desoto." Johnny pointed to Roy. "We came up to check on you on behalf of…"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Cameron smiled broadly, "Captain Stanley and Mister Mike, right?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy smiled, "That's right, buddy. I take it you are Cameron?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""That's me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy and Johnny walked over to the young boy who was sitting in a wheelchair. "I hear you made quite an impression on our boss," Roy smiled at Cameron./p
p class="MsoNormal""He…he was so calm even when I was screaming in his arms. He held me close and even gave me his shirt before Mister Bob put that splint on my leg." Cameron's voice was honest./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny smiled, "He's good at keeping people calm, Cameron. He does that for all of us every shift, including this morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What happened this morning?" A curious Julie walked over and asked./p
p class="MsoNormal""We had to work a big fire just after we started work."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Brent gasped, "Is everyone okay?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, Sir." Johnny turned to the concerned father. "The engine crew headed back to the station while we came over here for our monthly paramedic meeting."/p
p class="MsoNormal"A sigh of relief echoed through the family of four. "Good to hear."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Cameron sighed, "Wish I could see him, but I'm stuck here for a bit longer."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Julie spoke up. "Remember Cam. He said we can see him at the station when we all get out of here."/p
p class="MsoNormal""B…but you guys get to leave today, and I don't." The young boy sounded dejected./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny bent down and took the young boy's hand. "Cameron, I promise you we will all be waiting for you guys when you get out of here. Ask Doctor Brackett, he'll know when we are duty after you get out."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Really?" The boy sounded dejected but slightly more hopeful./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel's smooth voice rang out, "Really, my friend. See besides Captain Stanley, I am also Roy and Johnny's boss. I have their schedule downstairs. When you are ready to go home, I'll give you a copy so you know when you can go visit them."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Alright." Cameron's face started to light up again. He looked up at the two paramedics. "D... Do you guys have enough time to sign my cast?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Of course, pal," Johnny smiled and grabbed the permanent marker. He quickly added a small message and smile to the cast before he signed it. Then he handed the marker to Roy. The senior medic added his name and Get Well, Soon to the growing collection of signatures./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel walked over as the boys' HT came to life. Sam's voice rang out. "Squad 51, what is your status?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy keyed the radio, "Squad 51, available from Rampart General." The duo quickly waved good-bye, turned, and ran out the door./p
p class="MsoNormal"As Kel signed the cast, Sam's voice drifted into the room. "Squad 51, stand by for a response."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Cameron asked, "Doctor Brackett, do you know when I can leave?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I wish I did, my friend. However, that's Doctor Jackson's call now."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay." The young boy's head dropped. "I just want to see my friend again."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel smiled, "I know you do, but I know Captain Stanley very well. If he promised you could visit the station, he'd keep that promise to you. You know what you can do for him right now?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""What?" The young boy was curious./p
p class="MsoNormal""Keep getting stronger and feeling better."/p
p class="MsoNormal""That I can do."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good. I have to get going for now, but I will stop by and see you again soon."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kel put the marker back on the tray table. He turned and shook hands with Brent and Becky and high fived Julie before he left the room./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"It was almost 1300 before Roy finally backed the squad into its spot in the station. They had answered three minor calls back to back after they left the hospital./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny grumbled as they climbed from the truck. "I think we need to keep a bottle of cooking oil in the truck. It seems the new favorite past time for kids is sticking their head in places where it shouldn't go."/p
p class="MsoNormal"For once, Roy had to agree with his partner's observation. "Ya know Junior, that's not a bad idea."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet chuckled as he watched the duo from the doorway to the dayroom. "Well, if you boys are done playing unstick the kid, Mike made BLTs for lunch with chips and sodas."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, alright," Johnny's mood brightened instantly as they walked into the room./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike met them at the table with the aforementioned food. "Here you goy boys."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks, Mike," Roy said with a smile./p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny took a bite and swallowed before he said, "Just what the doctor ordered. This is perfect, Mike."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike smiled warmly, "Glad you guys like them."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Marco asked, "Anything good come up at the meeting, guys?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy took a drink of his soda before he looked at Mike and Hank. "Yeah, Marco, in fact, we learned these two," Roy pointed at the men, "had an interesting early morning yesterday before they went to the game."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike gulped, "Let me guess Bellingham brought it up."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny spoke, "Actually yeah, because he was asking about Cameron and his family."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The mention of the little boy's name made Hank look up after lowering his head slightly. "H…how are they?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy reached over and gripped his superior's shoulder. "Easy Cap, everybody, but Cameron is getting released today. He's still dealing with some pain and stuff, so they want to keep him a little longer."/p
p class="MsoNormal""His main concern was you after we told him about the fire," Johnny added./p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled as he shook his head. "That kid really is something else."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Johnny looked at Hank in the eye. "Bellingham told us what happened from their point of view…but…."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Roy picked up his partner's train of thought. "We wanna know what happened before help got there."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike and Hank looked at each other. Then they turned and faced the crew, guilt written on their faces. Both men took turns filling in the details of their time at Timberland. The rest of the crew hang on every detail./p
p class="MsoNormal"Marco slapped the chef on the shoulder. "Nice job, mi amigo."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike blushed, "I was just doing my job. Couldn't let them down."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The group nodded. Johnny asked, "Is that why you guys went to the game last night?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled, "Actually, yes. As beautiful as Timberland is, we wanted to get away from the fun and find something relaxing to do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Mike chuckled, "So we spent the night with about twenty thousand of our closest friends screaming our heads off."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet laughed, "Hey, now that's not a bad way to relax."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Especially when the boys in blue win," Mike smiled./p
p class="MsoNormal""Very true, my friend very true."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The men settled in for the rest of their lunch and the rest of their shift. It was a relatively busy day for both style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe engine was home at dusk just long enough for the men to enjoy dinner and Mike to bring the flag in./p
p class="MsoNormal"KMG 365/p
p class="MsoNormal"It was nearly 2100 before the county finally settled down. Hank disappeared into his office but left the door open as he made his nightly call to Emily. The phone rang twice before she answered it./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank smiled as he spoke, "Hi, honey."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Emily's smile found her voice, "Hi Sweetheart. Thank you so much for my shirt."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're welcome. I hope it fits okay."/p
p class="MsoNormal""It fits perfectly. In fact, I have it on right now."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Great!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""How did you get it, though? I thought you guys were going camping."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Plans changed. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow when I get home."/p
p class="MsoNormal""O..okay." Emily was curious but enjoyed hearing her husband's stories in person./p
p class="MsoNormal""How was your trip?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Great! No ring news yet, but we had fun shopping."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm glad you had fun, baby," Hank said as he tried to stifle a yawn./p
p class="MsoNormal"Emily heard the yawn and said, "Honey, get the boys and go to bed. We'll talk more when you get home tomorrow."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay, honey," Hank yawned again. "I'll see you in the morning. I love you."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I love you too, baby, sleep well."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Do my best, you too."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Will do. Good night."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Good night."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The couple hung up. Hank finished up the last of his paperwork and then left the office. He ducked his head into the dayroom. The men were gathered around the television watching some B rated movie. "Alright boys, it's bedtime."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet whined, "But Cap, the meatballs haven't attacked yet."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hank shook his head. He really didn't want to ask what that comment meant. "Kelly, it's been a long day. Now I am in a good mood, but if you drag this out, you're going to have latrine duty the next two shifts."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Chet was on his feet in a second, as was the rest of the crew. "Alright, alright."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I thought so," Hank smiled tiredly./p
p class="MsoNormal"The crew made their way to the dorms and settled into their nightly routine. Their beds set up Their bunker pants and boots before each man stripped down to their undershirts and shorts. Then they started the parade to the bathroom./p
p class="MsoNormal"It was a routine they had down to a twenty-minute science. Soon, six tired men were tucked into their beds. A smattering of good nights filled the room before Hank reached over and shut off the lamp on the desk next to the bed. The lack of light from the lamp sent the room into a sea of darkness./p
p class="MsoNormal"It took a few minutes, but eventually, the six beds went quiet except for soft snoring sounds. Hank knew a few of them were also drooling, although the men's secrets were safe with him. As the captain closed his eyes, he listened to his family fall asleep./p
p class="MsoNormal"His last thought before falling asleep was of Cameron. "Keep fighting, my friend. You've got this, Cam." He thought before his mind shut off, and he drifted as deep asleep as he dared while on duty./p