A House Divided - Chet's Cataclysm Chapter 6, an emergency fanfic

A House Divided – Chet's Cataclysm

Chapter 6

Hank stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around his narrow waist. "Dinner was great, Mike," he complimented the engineer who was brushing his teeth. "Shower's all yours."

"Thanks," Mike said, wanting to say more but he hadn't yet had a chance to talk to Marco and Johnny. He stepped back to his locker to return his toothbrush and toothpaste. Collecting his personal hygiene items, he turned to head to the shower and nearly bumped into Hank. "Oh…sorry, Cap."

"When you get finished in here will you come to my office?"

Mike searched his captain's face for some idea of what this meeting might be about but the older man's face was unreadable. "Sure."

As the sudsy water washed away the grime of the day, his mind replayed the episode with the linemen at the hair salon. Chet had simply fallen hadn't he? Marco was backing him up but he didn't get close enough to have caused the stumble so why did Chet tell Cap that they had tripped each other up? He definitely saw Marco tackle his partner in order to get the water off Roy and away from the transformer. He was still trying to make sense of it all as he stepped out of the shower, his towel wrapped around his taut abdomen, and standing before him was the man he had wanted to talk to since the incident had occurred.

They both hesitated, neither one knowing how to start the conversation. Finally, Marco broke the silence, "Did you see what happened out there today?"

Mike leaned against a sink, arms crossed over his muscular chest. He thoughtfully nodded his head in affirmation. "Yes…I did. I also heard what he told Cap."

"He lied, Mike."

"I know; I just don't know why." Mike finger combed his wet hair, watching the older man struggle with what he wanted to say.

Marco sighed, unbuttoning his shirt more as a way of stalling than to prepare for his shower. He quickly pulled it off his shoulders and unbuckled his belt. When he had stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt only, he looked back over at Mike, still leaning against the sink.

"I, well actually we, Johnny and I, have been seeing some things that…have you noticed how he's changed over the last few months?"

"Chet, you mean?"

Marco nodded his confirmation, lowering his worry-filled eyes.

"Changed how?"

Marco took a seat on the bench in front of the paramedics' lockers. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. "He's distant…sometimes disheveled when he comes to work. Bloodshot eyes like he isn't sleeping or…" Marco couldn't bring himself to voice his biggest fear.

"Or?" Mike prodded.

"His social life has just ceased to exist; at least he isn't talking about it and," he looked up at his engineer before he continued. "He hasn't pulled a prank on anybody…not even John, in months now."

Mike contemplated the information his friend was providing and the one thing he wasn't saying. He thought about his conversation with Chet shortly after roll call, noting the similarities and the discrepancies. Now he wondered which story to believe. "I spoke to him this morning, right after Johnny went to Cap about him, and he says that he's just tired."

Marco shook his head, a smirk adorning his handsome face. "Tired? From what?"

"Says he's been helping out his landlady and she's giving him a break on his rent." Mike walked across the room to his locker and began getting dressed, his towel clad nakedness beginning to make him feel exposed. "I think he said he was painting or something." Once again, Mike's mind reminded him that something was amiss in Chet's story.

"Oh sure…you know how difficult and tiring it must be for a fireman to climb up and down ladders," Marco responded, sarcasm dripping off his words.

"Good point," Mike answered, pulling on his boxers and t-shirt. "I guess you agree with what Johnny did then?"

Without hesitation, the lineman responded. "Yes, I do. In fact…I'm going to talk to him myself before this shift is over."

Mike pulled his bunker suspenders over his shoulders with a snap then scrubbed his face. The division he had recognized at the scene earlier was beginning to take a more permanent hold on the crew. He pursed his lips together, turning to look into Marco's dark eyes. "Whatever it is you're gonna tell him just please make sure that it's accurate. Because, you two do realize that this might break up our crew, right?"

Marco turned toward the shower stall and without missing a beat, tossed his final statement over his shoulder in Mike's direction. "Yes…we do…but if Chet or somebody else gets injured because of him then we'll be broken up also. Either way…A shift will never be the same."

Mike pushed open the latrine door. He knew he needed to go straight to Hank's office but when he saw Johnny alone shooting free throws on the back lot he figured now was a good time to talk to him; he needed to hear what John had to say before he spoke with Hank.

"What's the score?" Mike asked trying to interject a bit of humor into the pending conversation.

"Hell if I know but it ain't in my favor," Johnny responded coldly, hands raised above his head, basketball balancing on the fingers of his right hand and his left stabilizing it as he prepared to shoot.

Mike hesitated as the ball floated towards the net then stepped up to rebound it when it bounced off the rim. He held the ball at chest level ready to pass it back to the paramedic but decided to see if he would talk first. "Got a minute?"

"Sure…I'm not exactly feeling welcome in there," he said nodding towards the kitchen.

Mike propped the basketball on his hip, stepping closer to his long-time friend. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Johnny huffed, stretching his arms and locking his fingers behind his head. "Aarrgh! Not you too," he groaned pulling his hands back down and propping them on his hips. "Mike, I've spent this whole shift gettin' my ass chewed out by Roy for buttin' in on somethin' that he says isn't my business but I know I'm right about this." His arms began to flail about animatedly as his lungs recharged for the rest of his statement. He pointed towards the latrine, "Marco sees it too and I just…"

"Whoa…slow down, Gage." Mike bounce-passed the basketball back to Johnny in an effort to stop his rant. "I just wanted to know what you've noticed. I've already talked to Marco and," he turned his upper body towards the bay then back to face the paramedic, "and I saw what happened today."

Johnny narrowed his eyes at his engineer. "What did you see?"

Roy rinsed the last of the dishes, passing them off to Chet to dry. He turned glancing around the kitchen and day room making sure they were alone before he began. "Chet, what was it you wanted to talk to me about before we got called out earlier?"

Chet dried the casserole dish, shuffling to his right and stretching to place it on the top shelf of the cabinet. "Um, yea…well, it's nothing really."

Roy dried his hands then returned the dish towel, turning to his friend. "C'mon, Chet, nobody's in here now and if one of the guys walks in then we can just stop talking or take it to the dorm or something." He looked at the bags underneath the younger man's eyes. "I'm here for you."

"Humph, you're the only one then," he scowled.

Images of Johnny and Marco talking beside the engine at the salon passed through Roy's mind. "So this is about Johnny and Marco? I thought you had a medical question."

The throbbing in his foot must have heard the paramedic because it chose that moment to shoot stabbing pains up his calf. He winced then pulled out a chair at the table. "Roy, I…can I trust you?"

Pulling out his own chair beside Chet, he commented, "Of course you can."

"Promise you won't tell anybody?"

"No, Chet…now what's going on?"

"Um, will you take a look at my foot after I take a shower?" Inwardly, Chet was cringing knowing he probably shouldn't be on shift but not wanting to feel like a weakling, he'd toughed it out through the day by sneaking aspirin every few hours. Problem was, how could he get through the night without the other guys seeing the bandage…or without bleeding all over his bed sheets?

"Of course…are you next?" Roy nodded his head in the direction of the shower.

Chet looked down at the table, "Yea…gonna wait 'til Lopez is outta there first though. He's acting really weird around me lately. Guess, Gage has been bashing me to my own partner. What's his problem anyway, DeSoto? I haven't done anything to him. I haven't even planted any water bombs lately and still he's pissed off at me, trying to get me in trouble with Cap," he said jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards the captain's office.

Roy felt torn; he wasn't used to being pulled between his partner and another shift mate. Then again, he'd never had a shift mate who seemed to be harassed by Johnny either. "I think his intentions are good, Chet. He's just worried about you, I guess."

"He's not my mother," Chet said with an exaggerated eye roll. "I'm an adult. I'm here at work and on time just doing my job…same as him. I'm just a little tired. That's…all!"

Roy was taken aback by the attitude he was experiencing. He hadn't realized just how shattered the relationship between Chet and Johnny had become. He looked over at the lineman and saw a hint of remorse in the younger man's features.

"I'm sorry, man. I'm just a little on edge, ya know?"

"It's ok."

"It's just hard when you're best friend turns his back on ya because of something one of the guys says." Chet ran a hand through his curly hair.

Roy saw the opening and decided to take the chance. "What exactly is Johnny saying about you?"

"I dunno, Cap didn't say specifically but he was asking me some really personal questions. Makes me wonder if….if, uh maybe he thinks I'm, I dunno…not up to par, I guess; like I shouldn't be here." He began drawing imaginary circles on the clean white tabletop.

"Why would he think that?" Roy knew from his rather heated conversations with his partner during the day but he wanted to hear Chet's side of it.

"Beats the hell outta me," he said with an uncomfortable chuckle. "Ask him. You know how Gage can jump to conclusions and blow things way outta proportion."

"Have you asked him?"

"I'm not talking to him right now. Besides, if I try I might just end up punching him. I mean, how would you feel if he did that to you?"

Roy was about to open his mouth to respond when the klaxons sounded for the squad only. He jumped up from his seated position, "we'll finish this when I get back, ok?"

"Yea, sure," Chet noted with a wave of his hand. "DeSoto?" He called out as Roy made it to the door.

"Yea?"

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." He didn't want Roy to think he was brushing him off.

"We're not done…be back soon," Roy said with a half-hearted smile.

Johnny shot the ball into the waiting hands of Mike Stoker then loped over to his side of the squad. Hank opened his door to acknowledge the call but saw that Roy was standing at the radio. He locked eyes with his second in command and gave him a brief nod.

Mike waited for the squad to leave then dribbled the basketball into the bay heading for the captain's office, still unsure of how to approach his superior.

Inside the kitchen, Chet heard the echoing of the bouncing basketball and surmised by the sound that whoever was in control of it was heading to Cap's office. He knew Marco should be finished with his shower but didn't think the man would be dribbling a basketball around afterwards. The paramedics were on a run so that left Mike as the only person who could be the dribbler. He knew that Johnny had gone out to shoot some hoops earlier; the banging of the backboard as he missed a couple of shots was proof enough of that. Since Mike had never returned to the kitchen after his shower, he figured Johnny had cornered their engineer as he came out of the latrine. He could feel his blood pressure rising as he considered that Johnny had actually been using basketball as a way of waiting for Stoker to finish with his shower so he'd have a chance to talk to him. Great…now he's heading to talk to Cap too.

Marco stepped out of the latrine wearing his bunkers over his t-shirt and boxers. He'd spent his time in the shower thinking about what Mike had said and starting to second guess himself and Johnny. What if we're wrong? What if it is just fatigue? He stepped around the back of the engine just in time to see Chet hobbling along the wall from the dayroom and easing up to the closed captain's office door. He drew his eyebrows together in confusion but then relaxed them in the hope that Chet was going to talk to Cap about what had happened earlier. His hopes were immediately dashed when he saw the curly haired lineman lean his ear up against the closed door. "What the…" Marco whispered to himself. He slowly took a step back hiding behind the rear of the engine waiting to see how long his partner was going to eavesdrop. As the minutes wore on, he slowly crept in the shadows towards the front of the engine. He couldn't allow this to continue. Whatever Hank was doing in his office, Chet had no business listening to it. He stood up erect, about to make his presence known when suddenly the klaxons sounded again.

"Engine 51, station 10, station 36…structure fire at…"

Sam's voice was issuing the address as Marco rounded the corner of the engine. He watched Chet hustle back toward the dayroom door and give it a push so that it was still swinging when Mike and Cap exited the office. He realized then that Chet was making it appear that he had just come out of the dayroom so no one would realize he'd been eavesdropping. He also noted the definite limping of the younger man; limping that disappeared as soon as Mike and Cap walked out. He donned his turnout coat and pulled himself up into his seat, waiting for Chet and the others to join him.

"KMG365."

He heard Cap respond and saw the paleness in Chet's face as he pulled himself up into his seat with a grimace, sweat beads seeming to suddenly appear on his face. He tried to make eye contact with the younger man but once again, Chet avoided looking in his direction. As Mike pulled the engine into the night, lights and sirens blaring, he made a promise to himself that before they went home in the morning, he would have a conversation with his troubled partner.

Johnny and Roy stowed their equipment back in the compartments of their squad. They'd just spent the last forty-five minutes with a pregnant woman in labor. Fortunately, they'd gotten her to the hospital quickly and she was now in the labor and delivery ward hoping her second child would wait for her husband to arrive before deciding to come into the world. The tension in the cab of the squad had not abated and neither man spoke to the other. Johnny reached down for the microphone.

"Squad 51, available."

The two story office building had closed a couple of hours before the fire began. The security guard had smelled smoke on the second floor and called it in before exiting the darkened building. Now, smoke mixed with noxious gases and steam from the firefighter's hoses, had quickly turned it into a dangerous smoldering nightmare. At least there are no victims in here, he thought to himself as he felt his partner tapping him on the shoulder indicating he was ready to switch places. The exchange was made smoothly, perfected from years of working together in this familiar dance they called a career. The feel of the strong charged line pinned to his side by his right arm was as comforting to him as though he had his favorite girl by his side. Sweat enveloped him like a tidal wave as he trudged upwards, each step seeming to make his feet heavier and the air hotter. Even so, their steps were made in perfect synchronization as they began their assent up the stairwell to the second floor. Suddenly, his partner stopped causing him to bump into his back.

"Oomph," he said behind his mask then looked up to see the sight no fireman ever wants to see. There in the dingy glow of the emergency lights, the door to the second floor stood closed. But the sight of smoke puffing out around it then being sucked back in made his heart leap inside his throat. His respirations increased along with his pulse rate as he dropped his grip on the line and hooked his arm around that of his partner's.

"We gotta get outta here!" He screamed; his voice drowned out by the booming sound of the door being blown open and the two men tumbling down the stairwell.

The tension in the squad was broken by three beeps from the radio. "Squad 51, respond to Engine 51's incident for two code I's. Repeat, respond to Engine 51's incident for two code I's."

Roy pulled on his helmet then sped up the squad while Johnny flipped on the lights and siren, writing down the address in his tiny notepad as Sam's voice repeated the address for them. John twisted his torso, pulling down his helmet and tightening the chin strap while he mentally reviewed the maps with which he was so familiar. "Take the next left, Roy."

Both paramedics put on their professional personas leaving behind their disagreement. Their jobs would not be negatively influenced because they didn't see eye to eye about one of their own. The citizens would always get their best no matter what but right now, as they barreled into the night, all they knew was that a couple of their brothers were in trouble…and they feared they knew the identity of the two code I's.