"Hey John, need a hand?" Marco asked as he opened his door.
"Nah, it's cool. These things aren't that heavy." John was carrying a large box into the house. "Let's get started."
"Would you like a drink or something to eat first Johnny?" Marco asked not knowing about John's visit with Cap.
Shaking his head and walking towards Marco's en-suite John put the box down. "Let's just get a start on this first." He stated, mindful of Kelly's comments last shift.
Within a couple of hours the skylight was securely in and John was sanding back the plastering around the edges. "All that's left to do is a coat of paint." Just then there was a knock on the door.
"John I need to answer the door. Will you be ok on the ladder?" Marco asked. It really was a two man job because there was little room for the ladder and Marco.
"Yeah sure….I'll hold still till you get back." Johnny relaxed and waited for Marco.
Johnny stiffened; Kelly's voice travelled through to the en-suite. "This looks good Marco." Kelly observed.
"Just needs a coat of paint." Stated Marco.
A thought came to John that would hopefully appeal to Chet. "You want to help Marco with the painting Kelly?"
"Why? Too much work for you Gage?" Kelly retorted but inside he was excited to help his best friend, so he changed his attitude abruptly. "Yeah I can do that, take a break Gage."
"Thanks, if it's ok with Marco I'll just call it a day. I have some things to do at home before shift tomorrow." Gage quickly washed his hands and started gathering his tools.
"At least have something to eat first Johnny. Mama sent over some burritos for you."
"That's ok Marco, share them with Chet. I'm having supper at Roys, so I really must get going." Gage picked up his tool box, said his farewells and left.
Chet and Marco finished off the en-suite, ate and drank and bantered like their old selves. It was just like old times Kelly thought, back with his best friend enjoying their comradeship.
John for his part wondered if Chet just wanted to spend more time with his friend. Maybe he'll cut me some slack he thought to himself. His stomach growled. He showered, did some quick cleaning around the apartment, grabbed his dirty uniforms and was out of his apartment in just under two hours. He dropped off his uniforms and picked up the clean ones and headed for the Roy's. He was spending the night at Roy's. After their next shift was the committee meeting so John and Roy were going together from the Roy's house.
"How did the talk go with Cap?" Roy asked as he handed John a beer. They were sitting on his recently built deck. Johnny couldn't help but compare it to his Captains, which was twice the size.
"I think it went ok. He didn't really commit to changing much around the station….Asked me a lot of questions about chief. I think it really bothered him that he came to see me at the station." John declared frowning. "But…." He shrugged. "Other than that it went ok. Roy you should see his house. It's a mansion. His wife is a good cook too. Not as good as Joanne, but good."
Roy smiled, everything seemed grander to his partner. He couldn't help but think that Johnny must have missed out on a lot of things growing up. His zest for life and wonder rubbed off on his partner causing him to appreciate his wonderful family more.
The next shift went more smoothly. "Cap do you want a lift to the meeting, we can pick you up on the way?" Roy asked as they were leaving.
"That would be good. John knows where I live." Stanley smiled. He was taking Kelly to a nearby diner, suggested by the Irishman himself, to have their talk. The atmosphere within the station had been better than his first shift; Stanley wasn't sure what had changed. Kelly still stirred Gage but not as much as previously.
Captain Stanley followed Kelly to the diner. They ordered their breakfast and it was Cap who broke the ice. "So Chet….I see in your file that your brother is a fire-fighter also."
"Yeah, so were my dad and his brother. My brother works up north." He shrugged. "What about you Cap, you come from a fire-fighter family?"
"No Chet, I'm the first and probably the last. Fire-fighting doesn't impress my son. He has other interests. You've been a lineman for five years, any thoughts on taking the engineer's exam?"
"Trying to get rid of me Cap?" Chet smirked.
"Well that would depend on you taking the exam and then passing it." Stanley countered.
"Fact is...I have thought about it...but...I love what I do and the guys I work with. They're the best so I'd hate to break up a good team."
"The best…hey? Seems to me someone else said that. Hmmm…." Stanley waited for the waitress to place their plates in front of them. "Yes what was his word….That's right….Awesome."
"Only one person uses that word at the station...Gage." Kelly stated smiling. "What else did Gage say?"
"Oh, nothing that concerns you, but he did say he regarded you as a friend but wasn't sure if you considered him a friend." Calmly stated Stanley watching carefully for a reaction.
"Huh...trust Gage to whinge...can't take a joke." Kelly complained, scowling.
"No he wasn't whingeing just stating a fact." Hank tried to make Chet understand.
"Well he's wrong, I respect Gage and his paramedicing thing...Him and Roy are the best. He just doesn't have a sense of humour. You see, he's the phantom's pigeon...easy target."
"Phantom….pigeon….what are you talking about Kelly?" Stanley was totally confused.
"Tell you what Cap, wait till next shift and you'll see." Kelly smiled and was already planning how to get Gage for whingeing to the Cap.
Stanley for his part couldn't help but wonder if he had just made things worse. They talked for another half hour about general interests and Cap saw a complicated personality in Kelly.
The committee meeting turned out to be very 'medical orientated' to Hank. He was very impressed with his paramedics and their interaction with Dr Brackett and Chief Houts. He didn't quite understand all that was being discussed but he did realise how dedicated his two crew members were. He felt very proud to have them as part of his team.
Lunch was at the paramedics favourite restaurant.
"How did you find the meeting?" asked Roy.
"Informative." Hank didn't want to sound overly impressed with his paramedics, even though he was. He thought impartiality was an important aspect of his leadership. He wasn't sure if he praised them too much that they would share his feelings with the rest of the crew, and they would, in turn, see it as favouritism. He did go on to say, "I was very proud of how you guys handled yourselves in that meeting."
"Thanks." Roy eyed his partner, John was smiling to himself. Roy elbowed him.
"Ahhh...thanks Cap." John said absently, never quite sure how to take praise.
Roy sensing his partner's uncomfortableness changed the subject. "So Cap….Johnny tells me you're coming to the powwow."
Stanley looked up and smiled. "Yes and my family are really looking forward to it."
Johnny's stomach suddenly knotted. After seeing the Captain's house, he wondered if his Captain would look at him differently. He was proud of his heritage but wasn't sure if his Captain would understand that part of himself. Maybe chief could explain his feelings about his heritage better. He became suddenly nervous wondering if he had made a mistake by inviting his Captain. John had a tendency to second guess to a fault. However, when he thought about Roy and his family, loving the powwows, he thought, maybe the Captain will too. He chewed his bottom lip, the praise of his Captain all but forgotten as he worried about the powwow.