The Boot

Chapter Ten

By GCS

DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.

Johnny slowly dressed in jeans and a faded Doobie Brothers T-shirt. He slipped into his tennis shoes and pulled on his jean jacket. Thankfully it wasn't raining, but it was still windy. He stopped by the door and looked at his motorcycle helmet. Running his hand through his hair and leaning tiredly against the wall, he decided he didn't have the strength to ride his bike today. He would just have to walk to the bus stop. He reached over and pulled open the drawer of the small table by the door and took out an envelope. Opening it he pulled out the last of his money. It was only ten dollars. He slipped it into his wallet and closed the drawer.

Thinking about riding the bus again after yesterday's confrontation and near mugging made him shudder, but used to taking care of himself, he did not want to call Scotty. He had already done enough to help him. His and the Captain's fixing that tire was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him. Johnny really wanted to get something to make him feel better quick, so he could be back on shift as scheduled. The last thing he needed to do was call in sick. That wouldn't make a good impression during his probationary period. It never occurred to him that he was sick because of the near drowning of his shift mate and the day spent in the rain while working or that he was suffering from on the job injuries.

He made his way down the stairs, checked his bike to be sure it was still where he had locked it up and that no one had done any more damage to it, and then he headed down the sidewalk with his hands shoved into his pockets.

The closer he came to Jimbo's diner the slower he seemed to be walking. 'I think I'll just rest here a minute. He won't be busy this early…I hope. Maybe he'll have something cold to drink.' He pulled open the door just as a little boy pushed it trying to get out. His mother followed behind with a baby on her hip thanking Johnny for holding the door as she struggled to catch up to her little boy. Johnny ducked inside and slid into the nearest booth. He felt like he wouldn't make it another step without resting. 'I hate being sick.'

"Well hello there sunshine." A pretty blonde haired waitress Johnny didn't know appeared beside his booth. "What can I get ya?" She smacked her gum and held up her pen and order pad ready to write.

"Water." Johnny whispered and lay his head down on his folded arms.

"Huh uh sweetie, you can't come in here and not order something. Jimbo won't stand for no bums just camping out in his booths. You have to order or get out." She smacked louder and popped a bubble between her teeth.

He didn't remember ever seeing her there before, but then he wasn't usually there during the breakfast rush. "I would like some water please." He mumbled into his arm never raising his head.

"Hey Jimbo!" She yelled over her shoulder making Johnny's head hurt. "We got another loafer here." She stood with her hand on her hip. "Just wait fella, Jimbo will show you right on out of here." She again popped a bubble and snickered. "You just wait."

"What's going on here?" Jimbo asked as he walked over toward the booth. Johnny faced away from him, and he hadn't seen who the booth's occupant was. He continued speaking, "We don't need any loafers in here."

Johnny started to get up to leave. He didn't need Jimbo upset with him. He had just planned on resting for a minute and getting something cold to sooth his sore throat.

"Whoa there Johnny, I didn't know it was you. Man you look terrible. Sit down. Margie, get the man some water." Jimbo helped Johnny back into the booth. "Johnny what happened to you?"

"Don't feel good. I'm sorry Jimbo. I just wanted to rest. I'll get out of your way." He moved to get up again.

"Don't even think about it. Why aren't you at home in bed?" Jimbo put his hand on Johnny's shoulder.

"I was going to see the nurse that helped me the other day over at Rampart. The last thing I need is to be too sick to work. I'm still on probation. I can't miss work now." He coughed harshly.

"Is your bike still at the fire station?" Jimbo remembered he had told him he had a flat tire and had to leave it there until payday.

"No, a guy got my tire fixed for me. He and the Captain paid for it. He brought it over last night, but I don't think I can handle it right now…I'm just too tired." He lay his head back down on his crossed arms.

"Her you go." Margie slid the ice water across the table. "Need anything else Jimbo?" He waved her away without speaking. She turned and walked away blowing a huge bubble that burst against her lips. She pulled her gum out of her mouth, twisted it around her fingers and pulled the remains of the bubble from her lips.

"How are you planning on getting all the way over to Rampart? Isn't it near Carson?"

"Yeah. I was planning on catching the bus, but I don't know. That guy may still be hanging around." Johnny sat up and reached for the water. He sipped and allowed the cool liquid to run down his throat. It felt so good he sipped again.

Jimbo stood up and reached into his pocket pulling out his wallet. He threw some money on the table, "Here Johnny, take a cab."

"I can't take that Jimbo." Johnny slid the money back toward his friend.

"Yes you can. I don't want you on that bus again. That guy slipped out right after he finished eating and never did the chores we agreed on. He's trouble and trouble you do not need right now. You can pay me back, or fix the light in that bathroom like we talked about yesterday. Besides, it's take the cab or I'll get Margie to drive you in my car. Choice is yours." He crossed his arms and waited for Johnny's decision.

Johnny reached across the table and took the money, wadded it up and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Good I'll go call the taxi company. Have you had breakfast?" Jimbo smiled proud that Johnny took the money. One thing about Johnny Gage he never took charity. Whoever those men were who fixed his flat would get payment somehow, either through money or favors. Johnny would have to make restitution so he could live with himself. Otherwise he would make himself crazy worrying about it. He hated charity or the thought that someone might pity him.

"I'm not hungry Jimbo. I don't think I could eat." Johnny sipped some more of the water.

"Man, you must be sick. The only other time I remember you not hungry you were passed out in the alley beside the dumpster." Jimbo chuckled. Johnny smiled and nodded his agreement. "Okay, Johnny, but I'm gonna fix you something good for dinner. You just call me when you get back home. I'll run it down to you. Got it?"

"Yeah, okay, thanks Jimbo. Really." Johnny sighed and raised his hand in offering. Jimbo took it and they shook hands. "Thanks man." They had an understanding made long ago that whenever Jimbo fed Johnny, he would pay him back with handiwork or chores around the diner, and that in itself had saved Jimbo quite a bit of money in equipment repairs. Johnny could fix just about anything.

When Jimbo had found Johnny passed out in the alley after getting beaten up and robbed he brought him inside the diner, cleaned him up and stayed with him through the night. Johnny had adamantly denied a trip to the hospital. Jimbo could tell there was something different about the young man. He wasn't the typical teen. Something in his eyes had caused Jimbo to trust him instantly.

He fed Johnny and before he left Johnny had worked for hours washing dishes and cleaning up the place before feeling he had paid him back for his kindness. That had become the norm for them over the next year. Jimbo had offered to let Johnny stay in the back room of the diner, but he had refused saying it was charity. He got a job bagging groceries; had managed to get off the streets into a low rent apartment and completed his training at the fire academy. Now he was a boot at a fire station.

Jimbo could remember how nervous he was at the police department as a rookie. How he thought he might make a mistake and get kicked off the force. He understood how Johnny felt. He knew deep down that Johnny was probably a wonderful fireman and that there was little risk of him getting washed out, but Johnny had to figure that out for himself. Jimbo chuckled at that thought. John Gage definitely had his own way of thinking, and wouldn't listen to anyone's advice. He had to figure things out his way.

Jimbo turned and walked back toward the serving counter. "Margie, get that boy some more water while I call him a cab." Margie saluted her boss and grabbed a fresh glass.

Johnny didn't know how long he waited for the taxi. He drifted off to sleep with his head resting on his arms. He awoke to Jimbo shaking him. "Hey kid, taxi's here. Come on wake up."

He squinted up at his friend and slowly stood. He yawned and stretched before Jimbo took him by the arm and led him out to the yellow car. "Thanks again Jimbo." He said as he climbed into the back seat. Jimbo closed the door and waved the driver on his way. He stood on the sidewalk and watched until the car turned down another street.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked.

"Rampart General Hospital." Johnny said hoarsely.

In a short while the cabbie pulled up at the main entrance to the hospital. Johnny paid him and climbed out. The only time he had been to Rampart was through the Emergency entrance. He went through the glass doors into a large lobby area filled with chairs and couches.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, he stopped in his tracks feeling the same uneasiness he always got when he had to go to the clinic on the reservation. He had been taken there when he fell out of a tree and broke his arm, and the times he had gotten pneumonia. One of those times he had been given penicillin which caused a severe allergic reaction almost costing him his life. The last time he went to that dreadful place was when his parents died. They had been hit head on by a large truck while driving home from the city. His mother had died instantly, but his father hung on until they got him to the clinic. Johnny had been in the back seat and only sustained minor injuries. He had stayed by his father's side watching him slip away, leaving him completely alone.

That's when they started sedating him to get him to be quiet. The needles hurt when they jabbed them into him. He fought them at every step. Then he felt lost…even more lost than he had when he realized he was alone. He fought the sedative with everything inside himself, but it always won out.

The fog would finally lift. The upset would return, and then the doctors would plunge him into darkness again. Once he was released into foster care, he had vowed never to return to that or any other clinic or hospital ever again. Of course that was the thinking of a twelve year old. He shuddered at the memory only coming back to the present when an older woman cleared her throat trying to get him to move out of the doorway he hadn't realized he was blocking.

He stepped aside and tried to determine which way to go. Looking around the large open area he saw there was a map of the facility on the wall on the other side of the room. Once he figured out where the Emergency Department was and how to get there, he headed toward the elevators, punched the down button and waited. When the doors opened a small group of people had gathered to ride down. He ended up at the back of the full car. When the doors finally opened, he followed everyone out into the ER lobby. Then suddenly he felt very unsure of what to do next. The check in desk stood at one end of the hall near the entrance and another smaller desk about midway down the row of rooms. He remembered seeing Nurse McCall at that desk, but he didn't see her there now. Making a decision he walked up to the check-in desk to ask if she was there.

"May I help you?" The pretty young nurse asked.

"Um…I I was looking for N Nurse M McCall." He stuttered nervously followed by a coughing spell.

"Miss McCall won't be in for an hour. Do you need to see a doctor?" She slid a clipboard of papers across the counter in his direction. "I'll need you to fill these out."

"No…no doctor, I just wanted to talk to Di..um M Miss McCall. I'll w wait if that's o okay." He took a step back.

"I think that would be okay." She smiled at the handsome man.

He turned and found a familiar chair in the corner against the wall. The same spot he had sat in on his first visit to Rampart. He slid down into the hard plastic chair to wait. He leaned his head against the wall and in a short while drifted in an uneasy sleep.

Dixie was running late. She usually arrived at least fifteen minutes before her scheduled shift to make sure she had time to put her things away and check to see what was going on in the ER before assuming her duties. He long hair pooled delicately on her shoulders. She stopped by the check-in desk on the way to her locker. "Hi Diane, looks kind of busy today." She slid the list of patients over and quickly read the reasons for visits to the ER, a fall on a bicycle, a high fever and flu like symptoms, a stomach ache, a broken arm and a cigarette burn. "Looks like our standard list of ailments. I'll be right back as soon as I stow my things." She slipped through the door behind the counter that led to the nurse's locker room.

A few minutes later she reappeared looking more like the in-control head nurse everyone was accustomed to seeing with her hair tucked into a bun and her nurse's cap firmly in place. She breezed past Diane so quickly she forgot to tell Dixie about the good looking young man dozing in the corner. Dixie hurried down the hall to her station and immediately began scanning over the patient's charts in the rack on her desk.

Hearing the soft snores coming from the sleeping man reminded her that he was waiting for Dixie. Diane made her way over to Dixie, "Excuse me Miss McCall, I forgot there is a man over there that was inquiring about you. He asked if he could wait for you. He didn't sign in or fill out any papers, but I think he's sick.

Dixie looked up concern in her eyes. "Where is he?" She followed Diane back to the rows of chairs that made up the waiting area. In the corner where she had first seen him sat the young new fireman she had been so drawn to the other day. She walked over and sat down in the chair next to the sleeping man. Out of habit she pressed the back of her hand against his forehead feeling the fever she suspected he had by the flushed look that crossed his high cheekbones. He stirred and sleepy brown eyes looked over at her. "Hello Johnny. I understand you were looking for me."

He sat up and ran his hand through his hair. Clearing his throat he returned her greeting. "Hi." He still sounded like he had a frog in his throat.

"You don't sound too good. Why don't you sign in? I'll have one of the doctors take a look." She stood.

"I…no. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" He stood also and turned to leave.

"Hey hold on." She wrapped her hand around his wrist.

He lowered his eyes to stare at his shoes. "I don't have any money to see the doctor." He whispered almost too quietly for her to hear. "I thought maybe you could tell me what to take to get better. I'm new in the fire department, still on probation. I can't miss work." He finished his sentence with several deep coughs.

Dixie patted his arm. "You don't have to pay, Johnny. You were treated the other day for on the job injuries. This would be a follow up visit. It's already covered. Let me get you in to see a doctor. You sound like your have built up a bit of congestion. You already told us you have had pneumonia before. You don't need to let this get out of hand." She didn't know why she remembered so much about this particular patient among all the one's she'd seen the past few days. Something about him tugged at her heart. He was special.

He closed his eyes and nodded his agreement.

Not wanting to give him time to reconsider she decided to get him into a room right now. "Come on." She tugged his arm and he followed her down the hall and into a treatment room. "Up on the table." She reached for his jacket and helped him remove it. "Lay back on the table for me." She helped him recline, then she slid a thermometer into his mouth and took his vitals making notes on a note pad. She checked the thermometer noting his temperature as 101.6. "I'll be right back. I need to pull your chart and see if I can find you a doctor."

Laying down felt good; he threw his arm over his eyes to block out the light. Something about Nurse Dixie McCall made him forget all about his distaste for hospitals.

When she returned she had a tall dark headed doctor in tow. "Dr. Brackett, this is John Gage. He is a fireman from Station 10. He came in a few days ago with deep bruising to his back and congestion following a water rescue. He seems to have developed some kind of respiratory infection." She proceeded to go over Johnny's vitals and history.

Johnny looked up at the man. He looked like the doctors he remembered from the clinic. He had a serious no nonsense expression. His eyes were dark and his mouth set in a thin line. Johnny tried to sit up. He was having second thoughts about this. He had thought he would get to see the nice doctor he had seen the other day. He didn't like this man. "I think I made a mistake."

Dr. Brackett put his hand on Johnny's shoulder. "Hey now wait a minute. I just want to listen to your lungs." He pushed Johnny back down on the table. He put the ice cold stethoscope against his chest making Johnny try to pull away. "Oh sorry." Kel pulled it back and rubbed it on his hand to warm it. "Now, this should be better." He began his examination again. "Cough for me." Johnny did. "Again."

Dr. Brackett proceeded to have Johnny cough and then he would listen for several minutes. "Sit up please." He helped ease Johnny up to a sitting position, and then he listened on his back in several places on his back just as he had his chest. "Dixie, get me a full blood work up." He looked over Johnny's chart. "Looks like Joe gave him some antibiotics the other day, but they don't seem to be doing the trick. Maybe we should try penicillin."

Johnny bolted off the table grabbing his shirt. "No!" He started toward the door.

Dixie grabbed him by the arm. She moved in front of him and looked up into his dark eyes. "Now you just get back on that table." Johnny ducked his head and returned to sit on the table never letting go of the fist that held his shirt. His breathing was fast. He looked fearful. "He's allergic to penicillin."

Dr. Brackett looked up from the chart alarmed. Then he looked back down and flipped a couple of pages. "Ah yes, here it is. I didn't see that before. Well then we'll have to try something else. My apologies young man, I guess you've had a bad experience with it before."

Johnny nodded curtly.

Dixie moved to his side to take some blood samples. Johnny looked at the needle and turned away tensing. "It's okay. I'll try to make it quick." She remembered from the other day his dislike of needles.

Dr. Brackett just sighed and nodded his head. He didn't have time to play games. This fireman definitely needed something to stop the progression of the infection in his lungs, but how can a fireman be so squeamish? Brackett thought that Johnny's behavior seemed a little bit ridiculous, a man that runs into the face of danger for a living, and he can't even face a little needle prick. He left the room after giving Dixie the medicine instructions.

Walking over to the nurse's desk to get a quick cup of coffee Dr. Brackett ran into Dr. Joe Early. "I tell you Joe those hose jockeys get younger and younger all the time.

"Why do you say that Kel? I don't remember seeing any of the fire department vehicles outside when I came in." Joe grabbed a cup for himself.

"Oh I just treated one you saw a couple of days ago who got sick from a water rescue or something. He looks and acts like an overgrown kid. I think he's scared of needles or something." Kel rolled his eyes at the thought.

"You must mean John Gage."

"How did you know?" Kel looked at Joe with a raised eyebrow.

"He went into that water to pull out one of his co-workers. That man would be dead right now if John Gage hadn't moved so quickly to fish him out. They had to do CPR to get his friend back. Then the next day he crawled into an impossibly small space to try to rescue a woman from a crushed vehicle at an MVA during that torrential rain storm we had. I'm surprised he didn't get pneumonia. That over grown kid is something else Kel. I hope he sticks around. I think he would be an asset to one of the Rescue Squads in time." He finished his coffee and headed off to the next patient.

"I just don't see it Joe." Kel sipped his coffee. "I just don't see it."