Joanne had been surprised by Roy's early return and refrained from asking him about his visit to the hospital. She bit her bottom lip and was afraid to even start conversation with him. Roy's outburst from the night before still rang loudly in her mind. She had come to the realisation that she had pushed Roy too far and needed to back off a little, but not too much because she didn't want Roy falling into the pattern of spending every spare minute with Johnny again.
Roy didn't want to fight with his wife so he kept his distance and just potted around the house completing small jobs. Keeping his mind occupied was the hardest chore. He kept seeing Johnny struggling to walk and the look of accomplishment and gratification on his face as he reached the end of his goal. He so wanted to be a part of it but knew he couldn't be. He had not been prepared to put in the hard yards to help Johnny achieve his goals so taking part in the triumph was unthinkable. He took a deep breath and accepted his failings as a partner and friend. That acceptance, unbeknown to him, was an act of giving up on his friendship with Johnny.
The day came for Johnny to be allowed to leave the hospital and be an outpatient. Johnny was happy and apprehensive at the same time. The hospital had become his home and as much as he wanted to get out of the small room he also felt some attachment to it and was sorry to give it up. Once he was seated in Cap's car all those apprehensive feelings disappeared and he felt himself being energised as the distance between the car and the hospital grew.
Cap wanted Johnny to stay with him and his family for a few days but Johnny was adamant that he wanted to return to his apartment and get his life back to normal. Dixie was waiting for them to arrive. She had stocked his fridge with easy oven meals and the everyday items such as bread, milk and juice. She also did a quick clean of the apartment including changing the bed linen and returning Johnny's clothes.
Johnny smiled when Dixie greeted him at his door. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he knew Dixie was at his apartment since she was absent for his departure from the hospital. She took the bag from Cap and told them to sit down. She had coffee and cake waiting for them on the coffee table. Johnny didn't waste his time saying 'Dix you shouldn't have'. Having known this wonderful lady for some years he knew she would be insulted; she loved fussing over him and in return he loved being fussed over.
"That was great Dix. I love your tea cake" he stated with satisfaction.
"I know" she replied cheerily. Cap shook his head at the interplay. He had come to realise that Johnny and Dixie had a very special relationship that could quite easily be misinterpreted but he knew better.
Johnny assured both Cap and Dixie that he would take things easy and not push himself too hard before they left. After closing the door he turned around and looked at his apartment as if for the first time. He had been away for so long that he felt like a stranger in his own home. He decided to take a nap, as he was still regaining his strength and the mornings events had tired him out.
When he got up from his nap he sat down and ate the sandwich Dix had prepared for him and started a list. He had a lot of people to thank, starting with five important friends. He sent his trademark Native American floral arrangements to Dixie, Mrs Stanley and a large one to the nurses in the rehabilitation and physio therapy wards. Within Mrs Stanley's arrangement was a dinner invitation for the whole family at his friend's restaurant. He booked a table at Dr Early and Dr Bracketts' favourite jazz club and arranged for the invite to be included in Dixie's arrangement. The invite was for the three of them, dinner and dancing. He knew Kirk liked flying so he arranged for a free lesson in flying along with a free skydive at a local club. He called Tom Wheeler and arranged for him to take Kirk and surprise him on their next day off.
Johnny thought about how to show his thanks to all his other friends for helping him. He couldn't afford to give them all a dinner invitations, so he decided that a barbeque/picnic was more within his budget. All the people had to do was turn up and he would supply the food and cook for them all. He chose a park and then had the task of choosing a date. He needed the latest shift schedule to work it out. He knew some would miss out so for those he would send the dinner invitations, hoping his budget would cope. He spent all evening putting together his list of invites to the barbeque and thought he better run it over with Cap to make sure he didn't leave anyone out. Despite their paltry help Chet, Marco and Roy were put on the list. He decided to invite Adam and his family so they wouldn't feel left out and he thought it was a good way of thanking him for filling in for him. His ideas grew as he worked on the project and he called a few of his Native American friends to arrange for pony rides and bow and arrow making for the kids on the day.
When Cap came to pick Johnny up for his physio appointment Johnny ran his idea of the barbeque/picnic by him. He thought it was a wonderful, although unnecessary since everyone helped out of friendship not expecting anything in return, idea. Johnny went over his list with Cap and added a few names of those who helped in the early days of his recovery. Cap pointed to Roys and Adams names with a raised eyebrow.
Johnny just smiled and said "Roy helped in the beginning and Adam has helped by filling in for me." He shrugged his shoulders at his still questioning Cap "That's not my style Cap. You know me I can't be nasty and leave them out".
"Yeah I know you" said Cap relaxing and smiling at Johnny. He couldn't help but admire this young man's spirit and was so grateful for the day he was assigned to station 51.
After physio Cap took Johnny home for lunch with his family. Johnny arranged with Cap's son to go for an easy run the following week. He needed to build up his fitness before he could return to work. He intended to start taking walks as a start and hoped he would be ready for the jog by next week. In Cap's study they went through the schedules and found a good date for the barbeque/picnic. Johnny had to only arrange for three dinner invitations. He then ran through his food list with Mrs Stanley and she gave him a few tips on the side dishes.
Johnny sent out his invites the following day. Most were sent in bulk to stations but for those who were retired Johnny used the list of phone numbers that Dixie had from during his recovery. He thought about the word recovery and smiled when he realised that he was no longer recovering but was simply getting fit for work.
Johnny hand delivered his invites to A Shift at his station. He not only wanted to clean out his locker of uniforms but he wanted to meet and explain, why the invite, to Adam. Cap knew Johnny was coming and had given Mike the heads up. He didn't want Johnny to feel uncomfortable in his own station so Mike would make sure Chet stayed in line and that Roy and Adam didn't together overwhelm Johnny. Cap was a little worried with the meeting between Adam and Johnny because he knew Adam was hoping Johnny would not be coming back. He also knew that Adam was aware that it was only a temporary assignment and that he would have to abide by the departments regulations. Even though it did happen, it was rare for an in line of duty injured employee to not return to his original post and Cap was adamant that this was not going to turn into one of those rare occasions.
Cap had arranged for his wife to bake a cake and kept it well hidden in his office. He had a surprise install for Johnny and had the station, with the chief's approval, stood down for an hour.
Johnny arrived and as he walked into the bay area he took in the sight of the engine and squad. He felt his nerve ends tingle and the adrenalin surge through his body with anticipation. He loved being a fireman as memories of his early days flooded his mind he couldn't help but feel like a little kid. Cap watched Johnny and smiled, knowing full well how Johnny was feeling. All firemen would know how he was feeling.
Johnny looked up and saw Cap watching him. Johnny smiled knowing he was busted. He pointed to the engine and simply said "She does it to me every time I come back from being away".
Cap nodded "She does it to us all...although I think Mike actually gives her a hug whenever he comes back". Both Cap and Johnny chuckled, picturing Mike trying to put his arms around the engine in their minds. When Mike walked into the bay area he was greeted by a burst of laughter from Cap and Johnny and couldn't help but wonder what he had missed.
"Hello Mike" Johnny extended his hand and shook hands with Mike.
"Looking good Johnny" he said in his usual quiet manner.
Marco and Chet came out of the kitchen and both immediately greeted Johnny with handshakes and slaps on the back. It was Adam and Roy's turn to emerge from the kitchen. Roy looked surprised to see Johnny standing there healthy and happy, as did Adam. Johnny extended his hand and said "Roy" as they shook. He then turned and faced Adam "You must be Adam, I'm Johnny Gage who you filled in for" he said making it clear from the word go that he was returning to his post.
Adam shook Johnny's hand and looked at Roy. Roy just shrugged letting him know that he had no idea that Johnny was making an appearance at the station today. With it being a little awkward between Johnny and Roy, Cap decided to get things moving. He rubbed his hands together and gestured towards the kitchen. Mike ducked into Cap's office and grabbed the cake.
"So...when are you coming back Johnny?" asked Chet as they took their seats around the table.
"I take my endurance test in four weeks Chet and hopefully first shift after that" Johnny answered. Johnny's face lit up when he saw the cake and he smiled a knowing smile when he recognised it as being a Mrs Stanley cake.
Chief Houts chose that moment to walk in. Everyone was surprised except Cap and Mike and all jumped to attention. "At ease fellas" Chief said reassuringly. He cleared his throat and Cap stood next to him waiting for the announcement.
Chief Houts had an envelope in his hand and toyed with it as he waited for everyone to get comfortable. "I've known a lot of firemen over the years and all of them have the qualities of bravery and courage but I have to admit I have never met someone as brave and determined as this young man." He looked in Johnny's direction and motioned for him to come and join him and the Cap.
Johnny got up and took his place between Cap and the Chief. He thought it was just a speech about how he had beaten the odds and got back on his feet to return to work, but the Chief was there for another reason.
"John Gage for the courage and strength beyond the call of duty, I present you with this commendation for saving your Partner, Roy De Soto's life." He handed Johnny the envelope and shook his hand.
Cap then shook Johnny's hand and said "I'm proud of you and you deserve this Johnny in more ways than one."
Johnny gave a watery smile as his emotions overtook him for a few seconds. He took a deep breath and took control of himself and smiled at everyone and said "Thanks!"
"Well that cake looks very inviting. Let's eat" announced Chief Houts as he took a seat at the table.
Johnny sat between Cap and Mike and opened the envelope. He avoided making eye contact with Roy knowing he wouldn't be able to keep control of his emotions if their eyes met. He thought about how much things had changed since that fateful day when Roy almost fell to his death.