Wet and Wild Wednesday (chapter 2)
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While Roy had arrived at the hospital with their patient, Johnny was still waiting for Charlie to arrive to help him with the squad's flat tire.
Hearing a beep behind him, Johnny looked in the squad's rearview mirror and saw that Charlie had finally arrived.
Muttering to himself, he got out of the squad and met Charlie at the side of the road, in the pouring rain.
"So what exactly did you do to her, Gage? Did you and your partner run over something?" asked the surly mechanic, as he squatted down to inspect the damaged tire.
"I don't know what to tell you, Charlie. We heard a noise and pulled over."
"Where is DeSoto now?"
"At the hospital. Shortly after we pulled over, a motorcycle zipped past us and the rider took a header. Roy is at Rampart with him…and I'm here. Can you help me? I'm not exactly thrilled at standing in this rain."
"Yeah, okay…I'll help ya." Charlie replied with a sigh.
Due to the pouring rain, it did take them a bit longer than it normally would have, but the two men were able to change the flat tire.
After they were finished, Charlie stood to look appraisingly over their work.
"Now…will you PLEASE be careful with her, Gage. I don't want to have to come back out here because you and that partner of yours had another issue with her."
Johnny stood silently. He felt like sticking his tongue out at the older man, but dared not to, as he had remembered that the mechanic was a former champion boxer.
"Yes, sir. We will be very careful…you have my word."
"And your partner's?"
"You have Roy's word, too. I'll vouch for him."
"Okay then…EASY…okay?"
Walking to the driver's side door, Johnny was relieved to be finally getting out of the rain, and away from this whole "flat tire situation." When he got inside, he put the key in the ignition and started her up. For a few seconds he was nervous that the squad wouldn't start.
Getting on the radio before pulling back onto the road, Johnny gave Dispatch an update on the squad's status.
"LA, Squad 51 back in service, on follow up to Rampart."
"Ten-four, 51."
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Nestled comfortably in the staff lounge, drinking a nice hot cup of coffee, Roy waited for his partner to catch up with him.
Entering the lounge, Dr. Morton walked over to the coffee pot, greeting the paramedic at the same time.
"Roy…"
"Hey, Doc."
"Where's your other half?" The doctor asked curiously.
"Probably still out in the rain. We had a flat on the squad. I came in with our last patient. Johnny was waiting for Charlie the mechanic to show up."
"And how did you two make the decision on who would go in the ambulance, and who would stay with the squad and wait?"
"It was a unilateral decision. Since I am the senior paramedic…I got first dibs…I'm no fool, Doc."
"Well…you know what they say about pay backs, Roy…don't you?" The doctor replied with a smile.
After pouring himself a cup of coffee, Morton walked out of the room.
Looking at his watch and realizing how much time had elapsed since he had left Johnny at the side of the road, Roy had become a little concerned about his partner's status. Doctor Morton's line of questioning had unexpectedly hit a nerve.
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Back at the station, Mike tried to lose himself in the drying off of his engine. Using an old rag, he was methodically wiping down Big Red.
Joining him out in the vehicle bay, Marco greeted him quietly so as not to startle or upset him.
"Hey there, Mike."
"Hey." The engineer replied softly, his eyes never making contact with the other man, nor did he even stop his wiping motion.
"Are you alright? I really had no idea that my whistling annoyed you so much."
Sighing loudly, Mike shook his head. "It doesn't…and I'm alright. I didn't mean to take it out on you, Marco…or anyone else for that matter."
"So what's going on with you?" Marco asked, genuinely concerned about his friend's state of mind.
Before Mike could reply, the alarms went off sending them back out into the extremely wet and unsettling weather.
"Engine 51, Squad 110 in place of Squad 51…MVA…intersection of Clark and Wheldon…"
Throwing the rag down that he had been using to dry off the engine Mike again grabbed his still wet turnout coat that had been hanging from the engine's side mirror, and put it on.
Hank responded on the radio, and Marco and Chet jumped into their seats, as well. None of the men were looking particularly forward to venturing back out into the rain. As the vehicle bay door went up, and Mike saw that it was still raining heavily, a rather loud sigh escaped his mouth.
Hearing the engineer's sigh, Hank wondered to himself what exactly was going on with his engineer. It was very unusual for Mike to display his frustration, and he'd been doing just that all morning.
Turning left out of the station, Mike drove them to the sight of the MVA. Arriving on scene, they were met by the paramedics of Squad 110.
Hopping carefully down from the engine, Hank was greeted by 110's senior paramedic, Bill Lackey.
"Cap, two victims…doesn't seem to be too bad."
"Will you guys need the jaws?"
"No, we can get to them. We will need help with the extrication though."
Hank nodded his head and gave his crew some directions.
While Engine 51 and Squad 110 were at the accident scene, Johnny had just arrived at Rampart, backing into a parking space.
Roy had been standing at the base station when the call about the MVA that Squad 110 was on, had come through. For a split second he had wondered if that had involved Johnny and the squad, as it seemed to him that it was taking his partner far too long to make it back to the hospital.
Sitting in the squad's cab, Johnny looked out the window at the pouring rain. Seeing the heavy sheets coming down, he was debating with himself as to whether or not he should get out, or just try to get someone to go in and get Roy. He really didn't want to go back outside. However, he knew what he needed to do, and after letting out a rather loud sigh of resignation, he pulled up the collar on his turnout coat, and ventured outside.
As he walked into the ER, shaking off some of the rain, and running his hand through his thick black hair, Roy happened to look up.
"Johnny…you're okay."
Looking at his partner with a curious look, Johnny wasn't quite sure why Roy would say something like that. "Roy? Am I missing something?"
"Uh…maybe not…guess it's my imagination running wild on me. What took you so long…everything okay?"
"Everything is fine, Roy. I had to wait for Charlie to arrive. And when he did…he gave me a lecture about driving the squad, and making sure that we didn't do anything stupid with it…or rather HER. He even made me promise…and I had to give him YOUR word, too. But anyway, the tire is changed. So tell me, what made you think that something might have happened to me?"
Johnny stood shivering slightly, waiting patiently for his partner's explanation.
"I heard a report of an MVA…Squad 110 is there. It wasn't too far from where you'd have been on your way to Rampart."
"Well, I am fine, as you can see…just wet and cold. I really wish this rain would stop already."
"Yeah, me too… might as well head back to the station now."
Handing Johnny the bio-phone, Roy took the rest of their equipment that had been sitting by the base station.
When they got to the ER entrance, both men paused, looking at the falling rain.
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly, Roy. I debated with myself about whether or not to get out of the squad before…my conscience won."
Making their way outside, the paramedics quickly put away their equipment, and got inside the squad's cab.
Picking up the mike, Johnny made them available.
"LA, Squad 51 available…returning to quarters."
"Ten-four, 51."
Replacing the mike into its holder, Johnny settled back into his seat. Staring out the window, he could only hope that the extremely inclement weather would end soon, and that they finished the shift in one piece.
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Once the two victims were extricated and safely in the ambulance, 51's engine crew set about cleaning up the accident scene. Hank was able to see how anxious Mike was. The engineer's face was a bit on the pale side, and his jaw was clenched tightly. He also continued to pace, even after they were mostly cleaned up. After 20 minutes, they were all safely in the engine's cab.
Starting up the engine, Mike wanted nothing more than to return to the station, hopefully in one piece, climb into bed, pull the blanket over his head, go to sleep, and wake up at the end of the shift…the rain and miserable weather over.
On the return trip to the station, Hank made sure not to whistle…not that he even wanted to do so anymore. His good mood was starting to be replaced by the same frustration as the rest of his crew was feeling, as well as concern over his engineer's increasingly worrisome demeanor. Being out in the driving rain was not what he would call great conditions to work in.
In the back of the cab, Chet observed his buddy looking out the window with a smile on his face.
"Marco…why are you so happy? I mean I know WHY you're so happy, but…well, you know what I mean."
"Why shouldn't I be happy, Chet? I feel bad that Mike and most of the others are all gloomy on a day like today…but I got a great gal waiting for me at the end of the shift. So…with that in mind…why SHOULDN'T I be happy?"
"I suppose…but just remember…we have to survive the rest of the shift, FIRST."
Meanwhile the two paramedics had returned to the station, and were now both sitting on the couch drinking coffee, and trying to warm up.
"You never really did answer me, Roy…why did you think that something had happened to me before?"
Roy was momentarily speechless. It was usually his more imaginative partner who tended to let his thoughts run wild.
"It was something that Morton had said to me…and then I realized that it had been awhile since I had left you. I'm just glad you ARE okay."
Hearing the bay door go up, the two men looked up.
"The guys must be back. I sure hope they fared okay out there…or at least better than we did." Johnny commented with a small smile.
"Yeah, especially Mike." Roy answered solemnly.
Wearily the four members of the engine crew dismounted their vehicle, leaving their turnouts hanging from various parts of the engine to dry off, and trudged into the squad room.
"Hi guys. How long have you been back?" Captain Stanley asked his two paramedics.
"Not long…maybe 20 minutes or so, Cap. Where are you guys coming back from?" Roy asked.
"MVA…we were on scene with the paramedics from 110's. How's the squad doing? Tire fixed, and everything okay now?"
Johnny nodded. "Yeah, everything is fine…thanks to Charlie. Unfortunately it didn't come without a lecture…but we don't have to go there."
Not seeing Mike come into the room with the others, Roy asked their captain about him.
"How's Mike? Is he uh…any better now?"
"I don't know what to tell you, Roy." Hank replied with a sigh. "This rain has him bugged for some reason. He's not talking…at least not to me."
While the rest of his crewmates were in the squad room, Mike was on his bed looking at a magazine that he had grabbed off of one of his friend's bed. He wanted so badly to get his mind off of the horrid weather. He knew that he was being a bit of a bear to his friends, not to mention how he was treating his captain, but he just couldn't help himself.
Deciding to get something that he had left in the dorms, Johnny got up to get it. As the paramedic entered the room, an apparently startled Mike nearly jumped out of his skin at the intrusion.
When Johnny realized what he had inadvertently done, he felt bad, especially knowing how out of sorts the engineer had been that day.
"I'm sorry, Mike…didn't mean to disturb you…or scare you for that matter. I was just coming in to get my magazine."
When he didn't receive an answer or any other kind of reaction, Johnny stood and observed Mike a little closer. Seeing his friend's pale face, the paramedic had a sense that his friend was still very much bugged by something, and went over to him.
"Mike…you alright? You're really starting to worry everyone. Far be it for me to say anything…but you're usually the one normal guy around here…and today…"
Putting the magazine down, Mike looked around the room then signaled for Johnny to come sit down next to him on the bed.
"You want me to sit down?" Johnny asked a little uncertainly.
"Yeah…I might as well tell someone about this."
Johnny sat down on the bed, looking patiently at the engineer. However, just when it seemed that Mike was finally about to open up to him, they were interrupted.
"Chet…" Johnny called out.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here. I was looking for a book that I had left on my bed. I'll get it, and be on my merry way."
Grabbing his book from the bed, Chet did leave the room, but unfortunately, only moments later, the alarms sounded.
"Station 51…man trapped…2147 Sunrise Drive…"
Johnny got up quickly, then looked down at Mike, who merely let out a loud groan, then got up himself.
By the time Hank was off the radio, the entire crew was in place to head off to their destination.
As Roy pulled out of the station, making the right turn, Johnny glanced over at him and smirked.
"Easy does it with this thing, Roy…something else happens to it…you're dealing with Charlie…NOT me."
In the engine, Mike focused intently on the road, not wanting to have an accident.
Pulling up to the house in question, it became obvious to all of them what the problem was. The house was one of the houses that had been built on stilts. In the heavy rains of the past 12 hours or so, the ground under the house had become muddy and weak, and the house had started to collapse and give way. Their trapped victim probably was somewhere under the house.
Getting out of their vehicles, it was Hank and his two paramedics who went to the front door to see what the situation was.
"Thank God you're here." greeted an almost panic-stricken woman.
"What's the problem, ma'am? We see that your house isn't holding up very well…" asked the captain.
"It's my husband, Rick. He fell through the floor."
"So he IS under the house?"
"Yes…went right through. Please help him. I'm afraid that…well that the house is gonna fall on top of him."
"Is he hurt?" Roy asked.
"I'm not sure. He's talking and all…but there's stuff on top of him, and he just can't get free."
Nodding his head in understanding, Hank suggested that the woman leave her house to go someplace safer and out of the rain.
"Ma'am…"
"It's Donna…"
"Donna, why don't you go to a neighbor's house across the street or something? Your house isn't safe anymore…and anyone on this side of the street faces the same situation that your husband is in…so please."
Grabbing her rain coat, Donna left the house, and walked across the street to her neighbor's house, where she would watch the proceedings from.
Walking to the side of the house, Hank, Johnny and Roy went to see what was going on with their victim.
Calling out to Rick, they wanted to gauge the situation.
"Rick…I'm John Gage. I'm a paramedic with the County Fire Department. Can you hear me?"
"Yeah…I hear you fine…just get me outta here. This entire house is gonna go…and when it does…I really don't feel like being underneath it."
"What's the problem? What are you trapped on?"
"You mean under. I have a bunch of stuff piled on top of me…including a chair."
"Are you hurt?"
"I don't know…get me outta here, and I'll tell you later."
Considering the seriousness of the situation, the three firefighters were impressed with how calm their victim appeared to be and sound.
"Okay…hang in there…we'll get you out real soon."
"Cap…it's a lot like that guy that was trapped under a similar house, a few years ago. We went in through the floor and lifted him out that way."
"I don't know, John…much weight IN the house…with this mud…"
"But if we go under the house…there's no traction because of the mud." Roy was quick to point out.
Knowing that it would be his junior paramedic who would be the one to get their victim, because of his slighter frame, Hank left the decision up to him.
"John…what do you think?"
"The same way as before…through the floor. There ain't no way that he's coming out this way."
Nodding his head in agreement, Hank led his two men back up the hill.
After giving his remaining crew some directions, Hank entered the house with Johnny, Roy, and Marco.
"Easy, fellas…we don't need this baby to go down right now."
Gauging where their victim was under the house, Hank ripped up the carpeting, and Marco used the K-12 to saw out a space where Johnny would lower himself down to get their victim.
Three minutes later, Johnny was in fact under the house. Looking up at the hole that he had come down from, he let out a small shudder.
"You alright down there, John?"
"I'm fine, Cap. He's got a pile of junk on top of him. He should be free as soon as I get it off of him."
Having a hard time with his footing, Johnny was having some difficulty in getting their victim freed. Hearing a creak above him, he went into a higher gear. Ten minutes later he had his victim free.
"Okay, he's free." He shouted up to his captain. Then turning to his attention to Rick, he asked him about any injuries. "Anything hurt? Your head, back, or neck?"
Barely taking the time to check, Rick shook his head. "No…just get me outta here."
Helping him to stand up, Johnny helped to hoist Rick up through the hole in the floor, and then waited for someone to help him, as well. While Marco helped to walk Rick out to the awaiting ambulance, Roy and Captain Stanley tried to help Johnny back up, but the junior medic's footing was making it increasingly difficult for him to be able to stand in one place long enough for them to get a grip on him.
"Johnny…" Roy called out anxiously.
"I'm alright, Roy…just get me outta here."
After two more tries, the two men were finally able to hoist Johnny back up onto somewhat safer ground.
Bending down to pick up the K-12, Hank pointed towards the door. "Out…NOW."
Not wasting any time, the two paramedics followed their captain's order and got out of the house…just as it slid off of the stilts and down the hill.
Standing at the side of the road, next to their squad, Johnny looked down the hill where the house now sat in a pile of rubble.
"You okay, pal?" Hank asked anxiously.
"I'm…I'm fine…or I will be once I stop shaking." Johnny replied with a smile. "We should check this guy out, Roy…I'll go in with him."
"Sure." Getting out the bio-phone and drug box, Roy handed it to Johnny, once he was inside the back of the ambulance.
Meanwhile, back at the engine, after having watched the house slide down the hill, Mike and Chet were both glad that Johnny appeared to be okay.
"Wow…that was something. Johnny sure cut that rather close, Mike…didn't he?"
"Yeah." Mike replied softly.
Putting the K-12 back into its compartment on the engine, Marco hoisted himself into the cab where he took his seat, and waited for Mike to get them back on the road.
After talking briefly with the cops on scene, Hank joined the rest of his engine crew in the engine.
"Well…that was a close one. Johnny's fine…a little muddy, but no worse for the wear. The victim appears to only have minor injuries…he was pretty lucky too. You ready to head back now?"
Inhaling deeply and then letting it out slowly, Mike turned the key and started Big Red up.
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In the ambulance, Johnny quickly examined Rick, and made contact with Rampart. After giving them an update, he received his treatment orders.
"Ten-four, Rampart. ETA is about ten minutes."
After dressing Rick's various scrapes, Johnny let out a loud sigh.
"Glad you're okay." The paramedic said sincerely.
"Me too. Thanks for getting me."
"No problem…that's my job. I am sorry about your house, though."
"Thanks. There's a bit of irony there…I never wanted to buy that house. But my wife, Donna…she fell in love with it. I told her when we bought it that something like this would happen…and it did. Where is she?"
"Donna? I think she was catching a ride to the hospital with your neighbor. Look, just lie back and try to relax. You'll be at Rampart soon, and they'll clean you up and check you out…you'll be just fine."
When the ambulance arrived at Rampart, Johnny was glad. He wanted so badly to clean up. He felt like he had just spent the last half hour playing in one giant mud pie. It was great to play in one as a kid, but when you were in danger of getting trapped under a house because of it…not so much.
On the drive back to the station, Hank wanted to say something to Mike about his gloomy mood, but decided against it, not wanting to distract him from his driving.
"Cap…" called Chet from behind, "that was a close one…Johnny almost didn't make it out in time."
"Yeah, it sure was close, Chet…too close."
Hearing Chet's comment about Johnny, Mike was reminded just how much more dangerous their jobs were in the rain.
"Cap, when we get back…I'll start lunch. How do tacos sound?" Marco said, turning around to talk to his captain.
"Sounds great, Marco."
Hearing the seemingly idle chit chat around him, irritated the heck out of Mike…and he desperately wished that they would stop. He did not need to be reminded about how close to being trapped under the sliding house, Johnny was, and he also was not particularly hungry…so hearing about Marco's tacos did nothing to lift his spirits.
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During the ride to Rampart, Johnny and Rick were able to share a few laughs about their near miss, despite both almost getting killed.
"So what are you gonna do about a place to live?" Johnny asked curiously.
"Not sure." Rick replied with a sigh. "No doubt we'll be moving…out of the neighborhood, I mean. You got any good leads on a new place, Johnny?"
"Sorry, I don't…but I WILL keep my eyes and ears open. If I hear of anything, I'll let you and Donna know."
"Thanks, I really appreciate it. Where do you live? I mean if I may ask."
"I live in a two-bedroom apartment in Carson. It's nothing fancy, but it's comfortable…and I can afford it." Johnny said with a chuckle.
"Apartment living…that's what I wanted. Donna insisted on buying a house…and THIS house in particular. It's a total wash now. We were only able to afford it because her folks helped us out. There is NO way that they're gonna help us out a second time."
"Sorry…wish I could help you."
"You wish you could help me? You and the rest of the guys saved my life…I think you helped me plenty. Not to be nosy or anything, but you married?"
"Nope." Johnny replied a bit emphatically.
"Smart guy."
Johnny looked over at Rick with a bit of confusion. "What do you mean? Donna seems like an okay kinda girl."
"High maintenance."
"So why did you marry her?" Johnny asked innocently.
"Right now…I couldn't even tell you. We met about six months ago…went out on a few dates…the rest is history."
"Huh? You married her after only a few dates?"
"Yeah. I know it sounds pretty amazing, but that's what happened."
Making the face that only he could make when he was a combination of confused, embarrassed, and maybe even a bit surprised, Johnny decided to ask THE question.
"Is she…uh…good in…"
"Bed?" Rick offered.
"Well, yeah…I guess that's what I was asking. Is she?"
Before Rick could answer, the ambulance arrived at Rampart, and was backing into the ER entrance…putting an end to their conversation, and leaving Johnny hanging in the process.
As the ambulance stopped, the doors were opened, and the two attendants started to take Rick out.
Jumping out behind him, Johnny looked up at the pouring rain, wishing that it would stop already.
Following the stretcher, Johnny was met by a sympathetic Dr. Early.
"Johnny, you okay? You look a bit…muddy."
"I'm fine, Doc…no worse for the wear. This is Rick…he's the lucky one." Johnny commented with a smile. "You need me inside?"
"No, I got it from here…you go wash up."
"Thanks. I guess it's pretty noticeable, huh?" Turning his attention to Rick, Johnny shook his hand. "You take care, buddy. If there's anything I can help you with…call me…Station 51."
"I will…thanks a lot, Johnny."
Once Rick was wheeled into the treatment room, Johnny started to make his way to the restroom to wash up. On his way, he bumped into Dr. Morton.
"Gage, glad to see you're in one piece. Next time…YOU come in the ambulance…let your partner drive."
"Huh? I DID come in with the ambulance. What are YOU talking about?"
Noticing the mud that was caked onto the paramedic, the doctor realized that he had somehow gotten his wires crossed.
"I'm sorry…you must be coming back from another rescue or something. I was referring to this morning…the flat tire."
"Oh…so that's why Roy was all weird about things. Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, I'd love to chat, Doc…but I gotta get cleaned up. I'll check with ya later."
"Sure."
Walking away, Dr. Morton met Roy as he approached the base station.
"Guess your partner got the short end of the stick this time too, huh?"
Roy looked at the doctor in puzzlement.
"Short end of the stick? What are you talking about?"
"Being the one to go in the mud."
"Honestly, that was Johnny's decision. But under the circumstances, he was the best man for the job. Is Johnny around?"
"Washing up."
"Okay. I'll be in the lounge…if you happen to see him."
As he walked away from Dr. Morton, Roy thought that it had been a rather strange attitude for the doctor to have. But he gave the other man the benefit of the doubt…chalking it up to the miserable weather that was surely getting on everyone's nerves.
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Finally returning to the station, the men all climbed out of the engine, leaving their turnout coats hanging to dry.
While Marco headed to the squad room to start on lunch, and Chet followed him in for some coffee, Hank stood for a moment to observe his engineer.
"Mike…you okay?"
"Uh…yeah…dandy." He replied sarcastically, not turning around right away.
"Listen, it's not usually my place to pry…but I gotta say, the way you're acting…it's not normal for you."
In a very serious tone, Mike practically snapped back. "I see…now you're an expert on Mike Stoker, and how he should be acting?"
"Whoa…I'm just trying make sure you're okay, Mike. If something is wrong…you gotta let me know. A whole shift of this…I don't think we can all take it."
"I'm fine…really. The rain is just getting to me."
"I can see that. But why? I don't recall you ever being this down during a rainy day before."
Sighing loudly, Mike shook his head. "I really don't want to talk about it."
Walking away, the engineer headed back to the dorms, leaving his captain to scratch his head.
Inside, Marco was starting his lunch preparations, while Chet was leaning against the counter drinking coffee, and going on and on about the miserable weather.
Finally having heard enough of his friend's ranting about the weather, Marco stopped cutting up the lettuce long enough to send the message to his buddy to be quiet.
"What? I can't speak my opinion? This is America, Marco…we have something called freedom of speech."
"Fine…you want freedom of speech, Chet…you can cut up the onion while you're talking."
Handing Chet a knife and an onion, Marco gave his friend a look that dared him to defy him.
"Fine…I'll do it…but if anyone asks…I'm crying from the onion…"