It's All Relative

A/N - Like I said in the summary - "it's complicated" as Johnny is finding out. Not sure if his headache is from his injury or from information overload. ;) Anyway hope you enjoy my story. Reviews are always welcome.

Chapter 2

Johnny woke with a start and sat straight up in bed. That was not a wise thing to do. He grabbed his head with both hands and moaned. It felt like there was the whole drum section of the USC marching band practicing inside his skull.

"Whoa, easy there son. You really don't want to be making any sudden moves just now," a disembodied voice told him from somewhere beyond his left shoulder.

Johnny didn't recognize the voice. He slowly turned to see who was speaking. A man sat in a wooden swivel chair at a large roll-top desk in the corner of the room. He was wearing a dark suit and had a stethoscope around his neck. What looked like a kerosene lamp was casting a dim light over the surface of the desk. Above the desk on the wall were several framed diplomas. Next to the desk was a clothes tree on which a white lab coat was hanging along with a holster and gun.

As his gaze roamed slowly around the room he noticed the walls were wood paneled; there were cabinets with glass doors along one wall with :)a variety of brown bottles and medical supplies on the shelves. On the wall opposite his bed there was a doorway with a curtain. To his right was another bed and between the beds was a window with drawn curtains that allowed filtered sunlight to enter the room.

Johnny slowly turned and slid his legs off the bed to sit on the edge. He faced the man whom he assumed was a doctor. "Who are you? How did I get here… wherever 'here' is?"

The man turned up the lamp so that Johnny could see him better and slid his chair closer to Johnny's bed. Johnny stared in disbelief.

"OK, young man," he chuckled. "I'll answer your questions then you get to answer mine. Is that a deal?" He smiled at Johnny with a slightly crooked smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Johnny just nodded.

"My name is J. Rodney Gage. That's quite a mouthful so my friends just call me Rod or JR or just Doc – 'cause I'm a doctor. 'Course I guess you guessed that didn't you." The smile never left his face as he talked and his eyes searched Johnny's face. He quietly checked Johnny's pulse as he was talking.

"I'm sorry. I apologize for staring, but you seem familiar. Have we ever met before?

"No, Doc we've never met." 'Man! This is some whopper of a dream! I must have really hit my head hard at that fire or else Brackett's given me some really powerful pain meds.'

"Well anyway, as to where you are and how you got here…. You are in the doctor's office in the town of Laramie, Wyoming. Jess Harper found you lying by the side of the road about half way between here and the Sherman relay station. He was driving Miss Daisy into town for supplies. He loaded you into the wagon and brought you to me. That was about an hour ago. Now,… you get to answer my questions."

Johnny was trying to digest all that Doc had said. He knew he had to be careful how he answered or Doc would think he was an escapee from the mental hospital.

"First off son, what's your name?

"My friends call me Johnny."

'Good, he knows his name. Not unusual for people around here to give only one name.' "OK Johnny, where do you hail from?"

"Well, I'm from California – the Los Angeles area." '

Hmmm…he's a long way from home.' "Have you always lived there?"

"No. I grew up on a ranch in northwest Nevada. My dad raised horses." '

Well, he's not a greenhorn.' "I can't help but notice your clothes. Pardon me for saying so, but they seem a bit strange for this part of the country. What do you do for a living?"

"I work for the fire department."

'Good. He's not lying about who he is. It would be hard for him to explain the badge he's wearing if he was. Not like any fire department uniform I've seen though. Maybe there's some Mexican influence in its design.' "How did you come to be in these parts?

"I I'm …," Johnny stammered trying to gather his thoughts.

Just then they heard the front door to the office open and footsteps along with the jingle of spurs were coming closer to the curtained doorway.

"Doc, you in there? A voice called softly from the other side of the curtain.

"Come on in Jess. I want you to meet someone."

A man pushed the curtain aside and entered the room. He was wearing a light blue shirt, jeans and a dark blue bandana tied around his neck. Black leather gloves were tucked under his belt. He held his black hat in his left hand and was wearing a gun low on his right hip. He seemed to be about Johnny's age. He wasn't as tall as Johnny but was powerfully built with strong shoulders and narrow hips. He had dark wavy hair and blue eyes that could be as hard as nails one minute and as soft as cotton the next.

Doc made the introductions. "Jess Harper this is Johnny. Johnny this is Jess – the fellow who brought you to me."

"Hey, I'm right glad to see you lookin' better. I was a bit concerned when I found you out on the road. Did your horse throw 'ya?" Jess smiled as he extended his hand to Johnny but Johnny could tell Jess was studying his reaction. Johnny shook his hand and returned the smile, trying to keep his emotions in check. His mind was reeling. If he hadn't been sitting down he probably would have collapsed in shock. 'This guy looked enough like Brackett to be his twin!'

"Thanks for helpin' me."

"Johnny was just about to tell me how he got here when you arrived." Turning to Johnny Doc smiled encouragingly. "Well, Johnny, do you remember how you got here?"

"Sorry Doc," he answered in all honesty. Things are kinda fuzzy and the little bits that are clearer aren't makin' much sense right now." Johnny ran his hand through his hair and hung his head in frustration.

"That's quite alright, Johnny." Doc laid a comforting hand on Johnny's shoulder and looked over at Jess and nodded. "What you're experiencing is quite common in people with head injuries. It's as if the body is trying to protect itself from a traumatic experience."

"Doc," Jess broke the silence, "have you heard anything from Doc Peters?"

"Got a letter from him today. He's due back in about 2 weeks."

"Guess that means you'll be heading for California soon after," Jess continued with a smile.

"You are quite right," Doc laughed.

Jess noticed the look of confusion on Johnny's face and chuckled.

"Doc didn't tell ya he was getting' hitched, did he – to the Fort Humboldt Commandant's daughter no less.""

"Well I guess 'congratulations' are in order, Doc." Johnny's eyes twinkled as he reached out his hand to shake Doc's. Both men smiled at the good news.

Jess stared at the two men, his eyes going from one face to the other. 'These two have never met. They're from opposite ends of the country, but they sure look like… Nah!' Jess shook his head to get the crazy thought out of his mind.

"Listen, Johnny, when Doc here says you're OK to ride, come on out to the Sherman Relay Station I want you to meet my partner, Slim Sherman. Daisy Cooper our housekeeper has already told me she thinks you're too skinny and wants to fix you a real meal." Jess and Johnny both chuckled. "We have a young orphan boy living with us and I'm sure he would like to hear stories about California. What do ya say, Johnny?"

"I say that sounds real good, Jess. Thanks. When do you think I could ride out there, Doc?"

"Well,… let's give it a day or two. Don't want to rush things. Let's give your head a chance to heal a little."

"Great, Doc. I'll tell Daisy to expect Johnny on Friday then. Speakin' of Daisy, I'd better get amovin' before she buys out the entire general store! Bye Doc. See ya Friday, Johnny." Jess waved as he turned and went back through the curtain and out the front office door.

Johnny sat on the bed trying to get a handle on all that was going on, but his headache was preventing him from thinking clearly.

Doc noticed the serious look on Johnny's face and tried to cheer him up.

"Would you like to see a picture of my fiancé?

"Sure Doc. How did you meet her?"

Doc walked over to his desk and took a picture from the top drawer. "I met her when her father was stationed near Washington, DC right after the War. She was a nurse in the Army hospital where I worked."

He handed the picture to Johnny. His eyes widened in shock and he was finding it difficult to catch a breath. He was holding one of the pictures his aunt had sent him!

TBC