Chapter 17
The information that Cap had been given was that Trucker Jack would be at the station sometime Thursday morning, no real time was given. However Julie was able to explain that her father hadn't been kidding when he said they would send the two trucks packed in wool. She went on to explain that the trucks would be pulled into the trailer one at a time and then the eight foot long bags of wool would be packed around them. No harm would be done to the trucks but the wool would have to be unloaded before the trucks could be unloaded so Jack would have to deliver the wool first and the trucks second.
Julie was also able to tell them that the wool processing plant was east of the station and that the dock opened at 5a.m. to receive the raw wool in order to make sure they had the material ready for the workers to spin into yarn when they reported for work.
With that information, Johnny and Chet arrived at the station a good hour before the previous shift's wake up call. They let themselves in and quietly worked at getting coffee on, making sure there was enough for the sleeping shift as well as themselves. Chet was seen paying a lot of attention to the bulletin board when John walked over carrying two cups of coffee.
The wake up tones had just sounded when Captain Stanley came through the door with Julie on his heels. She was carrying her own jump kits and her overnight bag that was bulging a little more than it had been before.
"Will you guys entertain Miss Clark here while I go inform the last shift that there's a woman in the building," Cap ordered before stepping into the bay and closing the door to the day room on the way.
"Good morning," Johnny greeted with his famous womanizing smile.
"Morning," Julie responded. "Looks like you guys got an early start of things."
"Yeah we wanted to be here so that your cousin didn't have to wait on us," Chet explained with a much calmer smile because he knew he already had a leg up on his crewmate.
"Dad called Henry to tell him they were at the wool refiners; he said it would take them about half an hour to unload and then another hour to get here. That was about an hour ago," Julie relayed the information. "Henry didn't want to get here before the other shift woke up. He said the station would be more woman friendly if we waited."
"Cap was right. You know how it is when it's just you and a bunch of other guys running around," Johnny rattled on.
"Can't say as I do," Julie responded and they all blushed.
With the word that there was a woman in the station the outgoing shift dressed in record time and started drifting into the day room to meet the object of their warning. Once Captain Stanley returned wearing his uniform Chet and Johnny quickly decided they should change into theirs and excused themselves to do so. They hadn't been back in the day room long before the sound of air brakes out in front of the station got someone's attention who then brought it to everyone else's.
The station as a whole moved through the front doors and met with the waiting semi as another man got out of a truck parked on the other side of the station drive and walked toward the gathered group at the same time throwing his arm above his head to signal to the semi driver that he needed to pull forward a few feet.
Jack understood and pulled forward until he was past the station's drive with room for the fire engine to pull out and check traffic before they pulled onto the road.
"Alright guys, he's in the best place possible but we better get those trucks unloaded as quickly as we can," Hank called out as Jack walked to the end of his trailer and threw up the back hatch.
"Yours is the last one on," Jack called out as he pointed to Johnny, "So it'll need to be the first one off. Something to do with loading all of your fishing gear on board along with all your fish."
"Um, yeah, Frank kept himself busy making sure you guys got all the fish you would have gotten yourself if you hadn't had to leave in such a hurry," Carl Clark explained as he reached out and shook hands with his former smoke jumper.
"Oh, he shouldn't have," Hank was quick to comment as the firemen around him snickered, at least the ones that knew of his love of, or rather lack of love, of fish.
Since Johnny was told his keys were in the ignition he worked his skinny body up the side of his rover and lifted himself into the driver's side window. In no time at all the truck was started and backed down the ramp that had been set up to the back of the trailer. Once it was on the road Chet walked up and pulled a tuft of raw wool from around the spare tire mounted to the hood of Johnny's truck.
"I think this is what they call a Rover in sheep's clothing," Chet joked then noticed the two ice chests stacked in the passenger seat of the Rover. "Are both of those ice chests full of fish?" Chet directed his inquiry to Julie's father who now had his arm around her shoulders.
"Like I said, Frank spent his spare time catching fish for you guys. They're cleaned but not filleted and I put a layer of dry ice down and then regular ice to keep 'em cold. I sure hope you have someone to share them with," Carl Clark smirked.
"Where is Frank?" Julie questioned before she was waved into the trailer to back her truck out.
"He's in the sleeper, sleeping like a baby," Jack called out. "Someone better get him up and at 'em. I can't be parked here all day."
"I'll get him," Chet volunteered and hurried to the passenger side of the semi tractor to pull himself up. Since Julie's father was worried about her scraping the burn on her side he ordered her to stand down and climbed into the semi trailer to back her truck out.
Before the truck was started Chet was seen climbing out of the tractor with a still very sleepy Frank wearing his pajamas covered with fire hydrants and Dalmatians. Frank was carrying his duffle bag close to his chest as he reached the ground and was led to Julie's side. Julie just smiled like a proud parent as she watched every step Frank took in her direction.
"You got your hair cut," Julie observed. "You look very handsome, young man."
"You're going to have all the girls chasing after you," Chet added only to have Frank put both hands over his head and try to hide his head with his arms dropping his duffle bag in the process.
"I, I, I, n, n, need a, a, h, hat." Frank's muffled voice came around his arms.
"What do you say we go into the locker room and get you changed out of your pajamas and I'll see if I can find you one," Chet offered with a smile as he picked up Frank's duffle bag and started pulling him toward the locker room.
Once both trucks were off the trailer Jack waved good bye and said something about picking up a load of feed corn to haul back and got in his semi and was off.
"He's not one to let the grass grow under his feet is he?" John commented once he had parked his Rover behind the station and then came to say thank you and good-bye. If he'd have taken the time to move the ice chests of fish into the station he'd have missed the guy.
Carl Clark was instructed to park Julie's truck behind the station and the group congregated inside for the promise of a fresh cup of coffee. Once they were all through the door they noticed Chet guiding Frank to a corner of the bay where he was to set his duffle bag. He had found a pair of dark blue pants and a light blue shirt in his bag to wear, not quite the same colors at the uniforms his new friends were wearing but close enough for him. The addition of an official fireman's baseball cap on his head was the finishing touch.
"Okay, now before I show you the engine I have to make sure you understand," Chet started to explain to Frank. "You're not cleared to ride on our fire engine so if you hear a loud noise and then talking on the intercom telling us where we need to go you need to come right here and stand while we get our stuff on and leave."
"O, O, Okay," Frank was wringing his hands together and nearly bouncing on his feet.
The bag was set down and Frank was led over to the engine while every eye in the station kept watch.
"What's with the dummy," one man from the outgoing shift commented to a shift mate.
"He's the general public that we're supposed to treat with respect," Captain Hookraider admonished, pulling his man in line. "Didn't your mother ever teach you that if you can't say something nice you shouldn't say anything at all?" With a stern wave of the hand the men were sent to the day room.
Meanwhile, Frank's eyes were as big around as the dials on the engine before him as he reached up and placed his hand on one of the leavers.
"Don't touch that," Mike Stoker called out as he came running to protect his fire engine.
Chet stepped in between Mike and Frank, holding Mike off with an upheld hand he talked to Frank. "You shouldn't pull on any of these knobs," Chet counseled.
"No, of, of course n, n, not, t, t, that, w, w, would get w, water ev, everywhere, and th, that would be b, b, bad h, here, at the f, f, fire st, st, station."
Two men looked surprised at what Frank was saying but more so because it sounded like he knew how to get water out of the truck if he thought he needed to.
"Okay, Mikey, Frank here promises not to pull any of the levers so let's just let him look over the truck and then I'll personally wipe off every fingerprint, okay?" Chet chided his crewmate.
Mike took one step back but only one step as Frank continued to run his hands over the knobs and gages on the side of the truck.
In a short time Frank was able to tell them a lot about the differences of the truck back in his area and the one standing before him. The one he was looking at had two more hose connections on the side and had places for people to ride except just on the back of the truck. He also pointed out that the bar on the back wasn't bent like the one back in his town.
Marco was now in uniform and stopped to see what all the excitement was. Frank's stuttering was just the first clue that this wasn't the run of the mill guest at the fire station. But Marco just smiled and said nothing as the tour continued. After hauling the two ice chests full of fish into the station, Johnny joined the tour and was quick to place a hand on Frank's shoulder and welcome him to the station.
"M, m, mister, Gage!" Frank looked surprised to see Johnny there. "Wh, wh, where's R, R, Roy?"
"Right here," a voice surprised everyone as they all turned to see Roy walking into the bay with JoAnne under his arm helping to steady him. He was looking a bit under the weather and held his head stiffly but he looked better than he had. He'd just come from checking in with Dr. Early and thought he ought to get his camping gear, he also had hope of catching Frank and Julie, he had something to give Frank.
"Roy!" Frank exclaimed and ran to his side, "D, Did th, they fix your head?"
"Yep, I'm going to be alright now; I'll even be able to come back to work in a couple of shifts," Roy responded with a smile.
"Is, is, is this y your left hand or a n nurse." Frank pointed to JoAnne at Roy's side.
"Right now a little of both," Roy answered with a giggle. "Most of all she's my right hand and my best part. JoAnne, this if my new friend Frank that I was telling you about, Frank this is my wife."
"I want to thank you for taking such good care of my husband." JoAnne reached from around her husband's waist and took one of Frank's hands in both of hers. "I really appreciate all that you did for my husband."
Frank blushed severely and ducked his face down while Roy pulled something from his wife's bag.
"Here are the pajama's you loaned me, my wife fixed them for you so that they shouldn't be too big anymore."
Frank took the pajamas and looked them over to see the stitching that had reduced the waist size. His smile grew for JoAnne.
"Th, Thank y, you, Mrs. Roy. Th, that was v v very nice of you." Frank then looked around at all the smiles surrounding him. "Now, ma ma, maybe I, c , can c, come to the f, fire station, f, f, for a sleep over."
Everyone giggled but no one had the nerve to tell the young man who was even younger than he looked that there wasn't much of a chance of the desired sleep over.
"Hey, we're off shift tomorrow, do you want to go bowling?" Chet was quick to change the subject.
"Hey, yeah, we can all go tomorrow night," Johnny added not stopping to think who all the 'all' was going to be.
Across the bay Hank turned his attention to the old friend at his side and as he did so he noticed the look on Julie's face. It was a look he remembered well, that total awe struck look of admiration that had consumed their one and only date. He looked back at the group gathered around the engine and wondered just which one of the men there was the recipient of her glance. His first feelings were one of jealousy but he quickly shook that off and felt some relief knowing that she had moved on from that summer he had been in her sights. He still felt protective and just a little possessive of this girl but he could now see her as sort of a little sister. Those feelings surprised him as he let them sort themselves out in his head.
Carl Clark also noticed the look on his daughter's face. A look he hadn't seen for many years, not since this man who was now a captain had come to his ranch to see if he could give anything other than fire fighting a place as his career. But it wasn't Henry she was looking at this time. He wasn't sure which of the men in front of him she was focusing on but he did realize one thing. Each one of them had treated this boy that his daughter was determined to protect, with the respect that he truly deserved. As he watched the men interact with Frank he realized that there was indeed men around and that right here in this room were men that were of much higher caliber than the guys he had been hoping his daughter would find interesting.
"Alright, Station 51's crew, it's time for roll call," Hank bellowed out, "And Roy don't you dare leave without taking a whole lot of fish with you."
Carl stepped up to his daughter and her charge. "Well what do you say we let these men get to work and I'll take us out to breakfast before we start moving you two in?"
Author's note: This is the end of the story and yes I do understand that there is more story to tell. After the holidays are over I'll tackle the sequel that I have decided to call the Wana'bes
Thank you to all of you who have ridden with me and the support you have given me to help me through the roller costar of emotions since the passing of both my mother and my father-in-law. I still have my days but as I think of this season and the true reason we celebrate is to remember the birth of our Savior and all that he did for us. I know my mother and father-in-law are in a better place and that neither of them are in pain any longer. I also know that I'll see them again once my time here on earth has been accomplished.