Chapter 26

It had been over two months since A.J. and Brice had nearly died. He had already been back to work for a few weeks. She had been told by her station mates that she should hurry up to get back to them. Apparently her replacement was having the same fantasies that she used to have about clocking him upside the head.

She had one of her last scheduled appointments with Dr. Brackett, to see how her hip fracture was progressing. The ribs and sternum had already completely healed. If they had been her only injuries, she would have probably been back to work already.

Sitting in the exam room, she was doing her best to steer her mind and body from thinking about the one activity she hadn't been able to do, at all, since the accident. Oh, how she ached to be with him again. He was quite the gentlemen, never really mentioning it much at all. Every time he held her, it was getting more and more difficult for both of them, to keep their hands to themselves.

The door opened and Kel Brackett walked in. "How's my favorite patient?" The sound of his voice declaring her dead had finally silenced itself from playing in his head none stop.

"So Doc, when can I starting running shifts again?" She ached on a whole different level to go back to work. Laying around being bored out of her skull was not putting her in her 'happy place'.

"Well everything is coming alone wonderfully. I am not concerned with the other fractures, they are completely healed. The hip fracture is doing excellent too; I just want another week or so, just to make absolutely certain that it is operating at 100% capacity. You can start doing your yoga and pilatates exercises, just don't over do it."

He asked her to lie down on the table, so he could do some range motion tests. After two years he knew this young woman pretty well. There was a question on her mind. "Is there something you would like to ask me A.J.?"

"So everything seems to be functioning? I mean, I don't really have any pain now, once and a while it aches a little..." It was stupid to feel so self conscious about what she really wanted to know. It wasn't as if Johnny and she hadn't been dating each other for over a year. Besides, he is a doctor. This would be a question hundreds of patients would have asked over his career, right?

"A.J., you can ask me anything, you know that. Is it something you need to ask a doctor or a friend?"

"This time it would be Dr. B. I need to talk to. Although, if history has told us anything, it would be that sooner than later....I'll have use for the friend side of the equation!!" She finally relaxed; Kel has always been a good friend, not just an excellent doctor.

"So come out with it already!" He had a feeling he knew what she was trying to get at. At this moment he was trying not to smile, he knew she was more than just a little embarrassed.

"OK, OK....since I am walking with out a crutch now, and it's should only be a couple of more weeks till I am back at the station.....do you think it would be alright....if Johnny and I start to play doctor again?" Her grin was contagious.

"I think as long as neither one of you get too creative right away, that should be something you could explore doing." A.J. had always known what Dix saw in this man but now it was evident, if only by his grin and sparklingly eyes that were staring at her.

With a slightly more serious tone he added, "The same rules apply, if it is painful or begins to bother you in any way, at all, you tell me about it ASAP. You're in the home stretch of recovery; you don't want to have anything go wrong now."

"You don't have to even bring it up; I am not going to do anything to mess this up now! I am about at my wits end, doing cross word puzzles!"

She left the exam room to only to see very familiar faces standing next to the nurse's station. "So you two are being your usual selves, standing there slacking, talking Dix's ear off?"

Both men turned around; at first glance Johnny was alarmed to see her walking out away from an exam room. He then remembered her appointment with Brackett.

"Is everything alright?" Over time, most of his fears had been quelled, realizing that there are no absolutes in life. The best any of them could do was to live life with no regrets, telling the ones we care about how we feel, everyday.

"I am almost as perfect as I was two months ago." Attempting not to be real obvious she asks, "Hey Roy, would it be alright if I stole Johnny for just a minute?"

"I think that can be arranged. Junior, do you mind getting our supplies?" He was more than OK with doing whatever he could to make both of his friends happy. There was still and probably always would be the extra boost of joy at just seeing her alive and whole again.

"Sure Roy, but only because you asked nicely!" The infamous Gage grin had returned.

They both stood in the supply closet gathering the supplies that were needed. Out of no where she reached down and groped his ever firm butt. He nearly dropped everything he had already gathered. "Baby, what are you doing?" Not that he didn't know what she was doing, just that she was never this forward in public. Now in private, that was an entire other story.

"That's just a sample of what you have coming....Doc says that if we don't get too creative right away....we can let our fingers do the walking...."

"Are you sure...I...I mean....I don't want to hurt you or mess up your recovery..." He wanted to consume her in the worst way but he would never forgive himself if he did anything to hurt her, not ever.

"No worries, everything is healed and working just fine." He removed the box of supplies from his hands and placed it on a shelf. She pulled him towards her, leaned in and gave him a kiss with such passion, the hair on the back of his neck stood up and saluted. Her hands drifted down and she smacked him on the ass.

He looked into her eyes, "Tease! No fair, now what am I going to do for the next 12hours?"

"Suffer, my darling....suffer." With that she left the closet, leaving him standing there in a daze of desire.

Roy looked quite confused when Wolfie strolled by alone, clapping Roy on the shoulder with a shitty grin. "See ya later Roy...Dix..."

Minutes later Gage emerged from the supply closet, carrying the box of supplies. "Is everything alright, Johnny?"

Glancing at Dixie then back to his partner he replies, "Can we just get going Roy.....I mean after all Marco is cooking..." What confused Roy even more was the unusual grimace that was on Gage's face.

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The shift seemed to last forever. Once they got back to the station Johnny was so quiet yet his energy level was through the roof. Roy was still mystified. He wasn't worried, exactly just wondering what on earth had gotten into his best friend. As they were changing into their civilian clothes, he finally asked him what was going on. The locker room had cleared out, except for Roy and Johnny. Roy had purposefully waited so that it would be timed out that way.

"Johnny what is up with you? Since we left Rampart, you've been bouncing from about jumping out of your skin with energy and down to looking like you're giving yourself a headache, thinking too hard about something."

Gage just stared at his partner for a few moments, "Does he really want to know?" He knew the answer to his own question, besides he could really use him to bounce his thoughts off of. "Can we talk out by the cars?" He really didn't want the B-Shift to over hear the conversation.

They both walked outside and Roy awaited what he had to say. This wasn't anything bad, at least he didn't believe so. He had seen this man stretched to his limitations in these last two months.

"Uh Roy, can I ask you something? Am I crazy?" The expression on Roy's face made him smile. "I know, I know, that's a loaded question!!"

"Partner, what has got you so confused?"

"OK, she told me today that well, Brackett said we could start to.....well you know. It's been over 2 months, Roy." His eyes were shifted to the ground.

Suddenly it occurred to him, what the exchange must have been in the supply closet! "Now I am confused, that is a good thing, right?" He couldn't imagine not being close to Joanne in that way, for such a long period of time.

"Of course it is....it's just.....I'm afraid. What if I accidentally do something to hurt her.....maybe it's too soon." His eyes were still shifting, trying to avoid looking at Roy.

It all made sense now, Johnny had come so close to losing her and had seen her at her most fragile, broken state. "Johnny, she wouldn't do anything to endanger her recovery. Besides, Brackett wouldn't have given to OK, if there was any chance of anything bad happening." A smile now came to his own face. "You did nothing to break her then, and you won't now, she's not exactly a China doll, in case you haven't noticed."

Releasing a huge sigh, he finally looked his friend in the eye. "Thanks Roy! You're right…I do feel better." A gigantic smile spread across his face. "Well it that case....I'm outta here!"

Thanks for reading an commenting on my little story. Please let more reviews and if you would like to read more stories with A.J./Wolfie in them, I have plenty ideas in mind.

Myself and my researcher M.W. did our best to get the medical and and Native American details and ideals correct. If there is something that is incorrect or not clear in anyway, please let me know.

I will have an additional non published edition to this chapter as well. Message me if you would care to read it.

Thanks again.