The Boot

Chapter Twenty One

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.

Dixie helped Cody get settled back in his bed. She smoothed the covers over him and then took his pulse and respirations. Next she felt his forehead with the back of her hand to test for temperature. He felt a little warm and his skin felt clammy, but not hot enough to cause any concern. "How do you feel?"

"My chest feels achy." Cody leaned back against the pillow and turned off the TV. "I'm tired." He turned away from the nurse.

"Does your chest feel worse than before?"

Cody nodded, but didn't turn to look at her. Jim remained out of the way, but noticed the way his brother avoided looking at the nurse. 'Are you embarrassed or are you feeling that bad?' He wondered to himself. "Is he going to be okay?"

Dixie looked up at Jim and smiled. "Yes, he is going to be just fine, but no more excitement for either of them. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Jim returned her smile. "Sorry, I guess that was my fault." He shrugged.

Dixie adjusted the head of Cody's bed to a semi sitting position like Johnny's. "I'm going to step out for a moment. I want you to relax." She patted Cody's shoulder. She turned to Jim, "Can I see you in the hall for a moment?"

Jim followed Dixie into the hall without a word leaving the room very quiet.

"Thanks," Johnny said softly.

Cody rolled over and looked across the room. For a second he thought he was hearing things, but Johnny was looking at him with the mask in his hand. "No problem, Gage."

Johnny slid the mask back into place. Lifted it again, "Well thanks anyway."

The room became quiet once more.

In the hall Dixie turned to Jim placing her hands on her hips, "Spill."

Jim was startled by the one word demand. "What?"

"Tell me what that was all about."

"What, what was about?" Jim tried to act like he didn't know what she was talking about. 'Who do you think you are anyway? I don't have to tell you anything.' He averted his eyes from looking at her.

"That." Dixie calmly waved at the door to the room where Cody and Johnny were. "What did you think your brother was doing to John Gage? And don't try to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about Mr. Graves. I need to know if it's safe to keep them in a room together." Her hands moved to her hips poised in a no nonsense stance, and she glared at him with a look that prompted him to open up.

"It's safe. Cody wouldn't do anything to him. You heard him just like I did. He was only trying to help him."

"Why did you think he was hurting him then?" Normally a patient woman, Dixie was quickly becoming aggravated.

"It's just that…" Jim paused. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Cody has been playing some pranks on Gage. He's an Indian; Cody's been leaving things in his locker. You know to be funny."

"Things?" Dixie waited for more of an explanation.

Jim fidgeted. This woman was making him very uncomfortable, but at the same time he felt that he should tell her everything. How could she get so much out of him with one word? He wondered. "Tomahawks, bow and arrow, you know that kind of stuff."

"Why on earth would he do that?" Dixie couldn't believe the cruelty in that. "Did anyone think that was funny?"

Jim started to answer her defensively, "Firemen are well known for playing pranks on each other to lighten things up around the station." Dixie continued glaring at him through her amazingly long eyelashes. Jim's defenses faded quickly, and he thought at that moment he would tell that beautiful woman, with the gorgeous blue eyes, anything she wanted to know; even without her one word questions. "Well, he's really good." He shrugged. "I mean he seems to have a natural ability for firefighting. He finished at the top of his class. He beat Scotty's hydrant time. He can handle a hose, and he sensed a flash over before he even started at the station. Cody…he uh…after my dad died. My dad was a fireman too. He…uh, Cody wanted to be the best you know?" He looked at her for understanding. "So dad would be proud of him. He just isn't as good as Gage." He paused again realizing he understood his brother better than he thought. "He got angry. Things have just gotten a little out of hand." Jim leaned heavily against the wall. He felt drained.

"Okay." Dixie seemed satisfied with his answer and summed it up with a one word response again.

"Okay?" Jim looked at her with his mouth gaping and his eyebrows raised, trying to understand this confusing woman.

"Yes, okay." Dixie smiled. 'I think those two have some issues they need to work out. Maybe this time together will be good for them.' Her hands slid down to her sides. In the blink of an eye she had returned to the calm friendly nurse that had accompanied Jim in the elevator. "I'll just check on their breathing treatments. Your brother said his chest was achy. It sounds like his lungs need opening up a little. I know Johnny needs his treatment. I'll be back." With that she turned and walked away.

Jim stood there for a few minutes watching the nurse move down the hall; undecided as to what he needed to do next. Then he pushed off the wall and went back in the room. He walked over and sat on the side of Cody's bed. "Hey Bro." Cody cracked his eyes open. "I'm going to call Mom and let her know what's going on."

Cody sat up abruptly. "No Jim, you can't! She'll freak out! You know how she's been since dad died. Every little cold we get throws here into panic mode. I don't want to do that to her. Wait and see what happens. Dr. Early might let me out of here tomorrow. He said I needed some IV antibiotics, but he also said I might just be here for tonight." He ended with a strangled cough.

"Cody, she needs to know."

"Jim, please, just wait until tomorrow. If you call her now you'll have to explain about the dock fire. You'll have to tell her I almost drowned. You can't do that to her. You just can't." He fell back against the pillow totally spent. In a much softer voice he almost begged his brother. "Please don't do that to her."

"Okay bro, I'll wait until tomorrow, but when she finds out, you can tell her it was your idea not to call. I think she's going to have her feelings hurt. She's going to be angry at us for not calling her."

"Yeah, but at least she won't see me like this. I'll already be better by then. She won't be afraid that I'm going to die like dad." He rubbed his hand on his chest. "Oh man."

"What's wrong, Cody?"

"My chest is really tight. I don't feel so good. Jim, can we talk about this later?" Cody looked over at his brother with a pleading look.

"Sure kid." Jim stood up. "I'm going to find some coffee. I'll be back in a little while."

"Jim?" Jim stopped and turned back to his little brother. "Don't stay gone long, okay?" Cody looked like he had when their parents had started leaving him alone in his bedroom for the first time after they moved him to a "big" bed. He looked small and slightly afraid to be alone. Jim remembered sneaking into Cody's room and staying with him until he fell asleep. "I'll be right back."

Cody relaxed a little. He pulled the covers closer to his chin and closed his eyes. Jim glanced over at the other bed and noticed that Johnny had been watching and listening to them. That realization made him a little uneasy. He and Cody didn't usually talk about their parents in front of anyone. Men were supposed to be strong and not get all emotional. Their mom had a hard time dealing with their father's death and their subsequent career choices. She had become very obsessive and her emotions were constantly on an unstable roller coaster. John Gage had just witnessed their personal vulnerabilities where their mother was concerned, and that left Jim feeling very exposed. He quickly left the room.

Not wanting to make Cody and Jim any more uncomfortable, Johnny turned over on his back and threw his arm over his eyes hoping to let sleep claim him.

He knew what it was like to lose a parent. That hurt went very deep. It must have been really hard for their mother, left to raise two boys by herself. Even though he was still bothered by the way Cody treated him, he had a little more understanding about why Cody lashed out at him. A person could choose to take their anger at their loss out on others or channel it into something more productive. At least Cody still had his mother and his brother. Losing both of his parents had left Johnny alone. Needing people in his life; wanting to fit in, had made Johnny work even harder to be liked and accepted. He didn't have the luxury of staying angry or taking his feelings out on others. Instead his loss had made him much more forgiving and openly social. He had to work harder and be the best he could at everything he attempted, because he had no one to fall back on, no one to catch him if he fell. So he understood why Jim had looked uncomfortable with his hearing their conversation. He never told anyone about his parents. He didn't want their pity.

"Well that went well." Tony sat down next to Scotty and remarked sarcastically.

Most of the other guys had made their excuses and already left. Only Tony remained at the table with Scotty. Bill had moved to the bar to talk to some linemen from other stations. He wanted to stay close to keep an eye on his engineer. He would offer to drive him home if need be. He hadn't had as much to drink.

"Humph." Scotty turned and rested his elbows on the table. Tony slid another beer his direction. He nodded his thanks and raised it to his lips.

"What do we do now?"

"We don't do anything. I will go talk to Jim. He's too good of a friend to let this go any further."

Tony turned and rested his elbows on the table too; his chin in his hands. "Okay, but let me know how that goes. He's my friend too."

"Okay." Scotty downed the rest of his beer and pushed back from the table.

"You okay to drive?" Tony asked knowing Scotty had finished off several beers. He hadn't expected him to leave so soon. If he had he would never have given him another beer.

"I'm okay." Taking Tony's hint, he sat back down. "But maybe some coffee and a burger would be a good idea."

Tony relaxed. "I'll go order it. Want a soda while we wait for a fresh pot of coffee?"

"Yeah that sounds good." Scotty resumed his earlier position and lost himself in thought. 'Man this is such a mess. I've got to figure out a way to get things back to normal before our whole shift goes up in flames. This kind of upset can lead to complications among the crew and that leads to injuries. Whether Cody put that nail in that tire or not, it's time for this to end.'

Officer Vince Howard of the Los Angeles Police Department made his way into the open bay door at Station 10. He moved past the engine parked at the front and found his way to the office. He'd been there before, so he knew where it was. He knocked and pulled the door open after hearing "Come" from the Captain on duty.

"Excuse me for the interruption." The tall black officer reached a hand of greeting to the seated man.

"Hey Vince, what brings you down here?"

"I'm investigating a recent rash of gang vandalism in the area." He pulled a small black notepad and pen from his shirt pocket. "I had a report from one of the nearby stations that you had an incident here."

Captain Hayes shifted in his chair. "An incident…here? I don't know about any vandalism to the station. I can check with the other shift captains and let you know."

Vince cleared his throat. "I don't believe it was to the station. One of the men said one of your men had some damage done to his motorcycle."

"Oh…I did hear something about that, but rumor has it that it may have been done by one of our own. We'd rather not have the police involved. Thank you for checking on us Vince." Captain Hayes stood up and extended his hand. Firemen were a close knit group. They would handle their own without police intervention.

Vince was not ready to be "dismissed" and didn't take the outstretched hand. Instead the stoic officer continued in his pursuit of information. "We have had other situations at some of the nearby stations. We believe the damage to that motorcycle may be connected to some gang initiation. I would like to speak with the owner of the bike."

"You really think gangs are hitting on fire stations?"

"And police stations. We've had some damage to some of the CHIPS unit vehicles."

"Man, that's not good." Captain Hayes resumed his seat. Thinking maybe this was not an inside act, he decided to help the officer. "Well the man you want to speak with is John Gage. He's a new boot on Ben's shift. They are back on day after tomorrow." He reached for a pen and paper jotting down a number. "Here is Ben's number. He can tell you where you can find Gage."

Vince took the paper, thanked Captain Hayes for the information and left to find John Gage.