Chapter 25
Kel and Johnny were picked up by Timothy Hoyle and Karina. The doctor and nurse from Castle ER were all smiles. Especially when Karina took a good look at the paramedic. Hmmmm...
Gage felt more confident about this evening out. Danny had assured him the new Honolulu Country Club was the 'in' place to hang out. Since Hoyle had membership there he decided a little night life would help repair the damaged reputation of Castle ER.
Also, several of the pro surfers were going to be doing a meet and greet. The new club was trying to establish itself as the place to be in Honolulu society. Young, new money.
Of course, Karina was disappointed when a lovely surfer girl attached herself to Gage. She knew she was a little bit older than the paramedic, but she had hopes of a very good night.
With breakfast to follow.
As they moved through the club lounge the group headed out the wide open doors to the pool area beyond. Here they found plenty of fancy hors d'oeuvres and free-flowing wine and beer. There was a bar along one side catering more exotic beverages. A band was playing current favorites and many people were on the dance floor.
"Aurite!" Gage grinned as he pulled on Lizzy towards the dance floor. She laughed as they soon were twirling around. Karina tapped Kel on the shoulder and gestured. Heck, the LA doctor was quite a good looking bruddah as well. She wouldn't mind brunching with him, either!
After several energetic songs they headed to the bar. John and Lizzy opted for beer while the other three opted for wine. As they sipped and chatted several people came up to meet the surfing pro. Knowing it was her duty to her sponsors she was all smiles and she agreed to dance with one of the men.
That left Karina with the two eligible men from LA. Well, and Timothy. But he worked with her. She didn't want that particular problem. She nudged John for a dance.
Her sultry smile and intimate touches quickly let him know she was interested in something more than a dance. It had been quite a while since he'd been pursued.
He liked it!
Unfortunately, Lizzy continued to return to him between dances. Which left Karina to decide Kel Brackett was much more accessible. Johnny thought about being disappointed but put it aside as he began to note two different men that were trying to get closer to his sister than she wanted.
He found himself leaning against the bar with Timothy watching the dancers on the floor. Gage followed Lizzy most of the time, occasionally glancing at a very happy Bracket and Karina. He sighed.
"If it's any consolation," the Castle doctor said, "Karina is a free spirit, although she is picky. She did say she really thought you were hot. You can probably take her out before you go back to LA."
"I got that impression," he said. "But my sister is having problems." He looked out at the octopus trying to grab her in ways she didn't want. He set his beer down and went out to cut into the dance. The dislodged man was a bit angry, but a friend of his came up and led him off the floor.
"Thanks, bro!" Lizzy said as she leaned into the safety of his arms.
"No problem," he said. "I think you've done enough of the dance floor. Maybe you should just offer to autograph their arms!" This caused her to giggle. As the song ended they returned to the bar. Gage's bottle was gone.
"Let's find a place to sit," he said. "We can catch up a bit." She smiled. He was offering to forgo his options for the night to keep her company. She gladly took him up on it.
Snagging a couple of chairs they flagged down the waitress and ordered a couple of beers. She returned, setting the drinks down and also another fruity drink.
"Complements of an admirer," she said. "Mai tai." Then she made sure to bend over giving Johnny a very nice view and 'come on' smile. Lizzy grinned at the obvious flirting and took a sip. There was a bitter taste to it.
"Hey, bro, check this for me!" she handed the smirking man. He took the glass, removed the umbrella and straw, then took a long, long, drink. He handed it back; nearly gone.
"Uh, I guess ok," he said. "Something's kind of bitter." He brushed his hair back and licked around his mouth trying to determine what was off.
He picked up the glass and sniffed. Took a second, small sip, and swished it around. Felt a little dizzy. Managed to set the glass back on the table.
"Something isn't right," he said, partially covering his eyes. "Is Doc around?" Lizzy saw his face pale as he swayed in his chair. She immediately looked around the dance floor until she spied Kel.
"He's out on the floor with Karina," she said. Johnny swallowed hard.
"Get him," he said, trying to hold his stomach in place. Lizzy got up and got Kel, dragging him and Karina back to Johnny. By now the paramedic was nearly unconscious. The nurse snatched up the suspect drink and used her finger to taste the liquid.
"We have to get him to throw up," she said without hesitation. "Keep that glass, Lizzy, and follow us." Between Kel and Karina they dragged the ill man to the edge of the courtyard. A quick use of a finger and soon everything was being expelled onto the grass.
Timothy had watched the exodus and quickly assisted them.
"What happened?" he asked as he reached for a pulse point. The heartbeat was pounded fast and hard.
"Spiked drink," Karina said tersely. "Lizzy has the glass." Looking at the surfer she noted her pupils were dialated and she looked slightly pale. "Did you drink some of it?"
"Uh, yeah," she admitted, "a sip. It tasted funny so I asked Johnny to try it. He was teasing me and drank nearly the entire glass." ER nurse locked eyes with ER doctor.
"We need to get both of you to Castle," Hoyle said. "John's going to need some medical help to get this clear of his system."
"What was the drink spiked with?" Kel asked as he sniffed at the glass.
"The drug of choice lately has been cocaine," Karina said. "They dump it in the drink and wait for the victim to take a couple sips. It can make them a bit dizzy and disoriented. Then..." she hesitated.
"Then the victim is taken out under the guise of being drunk," Timothy said grimly. "Either robbed or raped depending on what the perps are after."
"I think it's safe to say one of those men were after Lizzy," Karina stated. "She's been hassled most of the evening and Johnny had to step in several times." They began to half-carry, half-walk the ill man out of the club.
"It's also safe to say security around here is very lax," Kel added a bit angrily.
"The club is new and trying to establish itself," Hoyle explained. "I guess they don't want to upset their clientele. Brackett just rolled his eyes as Johnny and Lizzy were tucked into the back seat with Karina.
"I want to call Johnny's friend over at 5-0," Kel growled. "This is ridiculous!" Hoyle had to agree.
Chin and Danny Williams arrived at Castle ER within a half-hour of the call. Even though it was after hours they'd been at work late catching up on paperwork. They were quite eager to speak with Dr. Hoyle and his friends. HPD were working hard in conjunction with 5-0 to catch as many people as possible and find out the sources of the cocaine and other drugs that were being used in the islands.
"Awue!" Danny exclaimed as he walked into the exam room. "You again?" A sulky John Gage just glared at him from the table, IV drip in arm.
"Yep, him again," Kel Brackett answered for his friend.
"Eh, you must have a target on your back, bruddah!" Chin teased as he followed Danny over to the downed man.
"I'm thinking night life in Honolulu is kapakahi," Johnny grumbled as the younger detective put a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, for you, maybe," he commiserated. Looking at the surfer he gave her a warm smile.
"Hey, Lizzy, you ok?" Williams asked. She smiled, he still was very handsome!
"Yups, I only took a little sip," she responded. "Doc is giving me a bag of fluid to help flush it out," she shook her arm that had the IV attached. The detective shook his head.
"Man, this whole cocaine doping is pupile!" Chin declared. "We've been running ragged tryin' to get information about the supply."
"Well, I think we can help you a little with that," Brackett stated with a half-smile. They proceeded to give detailed descriptions of the men that had been hounding Lizzy as well as the bodacious waitress who'd brought the drink to them. The surfer even recalled some of the names of the men who'd been harassing her.
"It's early," Danny said as he glanced at his watch. "Chin and I will head on over to the Honolulu Country Club and nose around."
"Hey, is the bruddah gonna be aurite?" the older detective asked. Kel and Timothy glanced at each other before answering.
"Yea, he's going to be fine," Hoyle said. "He'll be back to work tomorrow."
"What about Detective Kono?" Johnny suddenly asked. Chin and Danny now smiled brightly.
"He's gonna be fine!" Chin stated. "The paramedics gave him the time to make it to the hospital. Between Hanson and Bergman he's on the road to a complete recovery."
"And the Boss is singing a new tune," Danny chimed in. "Can't say enough good stuff about the program. I nearly whopped him upside the head earlier because hew was constantly complaining about the program."
"Don't do that! Johnny pretended to be horrified. "You'd mess up his hair!" The group had a much needed laugh.
"Well, he just needed to see it in action," Chin supplied as he controlled himself.
"Just wish it hadn't taken Kono getting shot, though," Gage said softly. Danny patted him on the shoulder as he turned to leave.
"But it did change and the big bruddah's gonna be fine," he grinned. "We'll let you know how the investigation goes." The two detectives left.
X x x x
Waking up was decidedly strange. He was warm, an arm over his shoulder. His face resting in the crook of a neck. A neck that led down to dark hair. A body that definitely was not female.
Gage decided to investigate a little more before he freaked out. He was under the sheets. The other body was on top of the sheets.
That was good. Very good.
He carefully looked upward, but his view was blocked by a bristly chin. He stretched very carefully, noting the light on the walls from the sun. Slept all night?
"Thinking about waking up?" a drowsy voice, definitely a male voice, and in fact Kel Brackett's voice, asked. Johnny considered it.
"Not sure," he said. "What happened?"
"Couple of really involved nightmares," Brackett sighed as he shifted his arm slightly but did not let go. "After the second, about two AM, I figured you might do better with something to anchor you."
"Two? But we got back to the room at midnight!" John exclaimed.
"Yeah, and both times you went into rem you started screaming," Kel said as he carefully pulled back giving the paramedic some space. "The drug in your system was not allowing you to sleep. I was tired so I just crawled in beside you." Johnny contemplated this explanation.
"Ok, sounds reasonable," he agreed. "I'm sorry I kept you from sleeping." Now the guilt bled through. That wouldn't do! Kel pushed up on his elbow.
"I slept just fine," he said looking at the downcast eyes. "So did you after you got warm."
"Yeah," Gage muttered. Kel rolled his eyes and searched his memory.
"Look," Brackett tried another tact, "when I was in the Navy med corp I was stationed in Bremerton, WA. We took care of the men returning from service. One thing I learned, when the men returning had nightmares they did best when someone sat with them, giving them an anchor. Your experiences with your uncle and all those people that hurt you when you were young give you nightmares." He lifted up his friend's chin and looked into dark, sad eyes.
"No difference," Kel said. "Trauma is trauma. You needed a safe harbor. I gave you that, ok?" Johnny searched his friend's eyes searching for the truth. After a long moment he sighed and smiled his quirky little smile.
"Ok," he agreed. "Just, just don't tell Chet!"
"I won't tell anyone!" the doctor asserted. "Hippa regulations protect doctor/patient confidentiality." With a sigh Johnny settled back on the pillow, right next to Kel's shoulder. He did feel safe. Roy and Cap made him feel safe, too, when he needed it. This was no different. He glanced over at the clock.
"It's after ten!" Johnny bolted up. "I'm late!"
"No, you're not!" Kel said firmly. "Dr. Hoyle spoke with Chief Kimura and decided you could go in around noon. Hank is already at the station."
"Great," he grumbled. "When Kimura said I was building a reputation he was right! I am a magnet for trouble."
"Hose jockeys!" the doctor mumbled to himself. "Look, Johnny, I'm the one that got us in both predicaments! I talked you into going to both bars! If anything I'm getting quite a rep. An upstanding member of the medical profession who can't see a bad situation when it presents itself." Gage thought about that a long moment and the mischievous light came back to his eyes.
"Yeah, you are pretty bad at pickin' bars, pal!" Johnny snickered. Kel glared at him then joined in the laugh.
"Shower, hose jockey!" he swung his hand out in an imperious manner. "I'll call up breakfast."
X x x x x x
It was just after noon when Johnny was dropped off at Station 14. This shift, B, had been identified as 'problematic' and the young paramedic felt a bit guilty that his Cap had come before him. A united front always worked best in these situations.
He strode into the apparatus bay, duffle and hat in hand. The big yellow engine and smaller squad sat side by side gleaming in the Hawaiian sun. It seemed to be a universal preoccupation keeping fire fighting equipment shiny and clean. He heard voices coming from a side door and walked over to it.
In the kitchen/dining area he found the entire crew plus Hank sitting at the table eating lunch. There was much animated talk going on and for a moment he thought he was at the wrong station. Everyone here seemed to be getting along.
"Hi," he began. "Firefighter/paramedic John Gage reporting for duty." Seven sets of eyes swept over him. He briefly wondered if he'd forgotten to zip. Cap got up and walked over to him.
"Hey, Johnny," he reached out to pat a shoulder. "Heard you had a rough go of it last night."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Doc figured he wasn't very good at sizing up bars."
"Given what we've heard over the wireless," an older man said as he stood up and offered a hand to shake, "he isn't. Captain Hoku, B-shift. Glad to have you on board." Gage gave his best lop-sided smile.
"Glad to be here, sir," he replied. "Where can I store my gear?" Two men jumped up, faces wreathed in grins. Johnny wondered why they looked so excited.
"I can show him, Cap!" one exclaimed.
"Naw, I'm the engineer! I'll show him!" said the other.
"Maybe we should let the paramedics do that," Hoku said with a benevolent smile. A man and woman stood up and came to greet their trainer.
"Aurite!" said Aleka Choi, the female half of the team. "We are so looking forward to riding with you! Chet Kelly said you and your partner are the best." Gage smiled self-consciously. Praise always did that. Hank Stanley grinned, enjoying his paramedic squirming.
"Well, go get him squared away and then let's finish lunch!" Hoku said. The three paramedics headed off for the dorm as the rest of the crew resumed eating lunch.
"I don't mean to sound nosey," Johnny asked as he stowed his things, "but I had been given the impression Captain Hoku was not a supporter of the new program." Sammy Alvarado grinned.
"Well, the wireless took care of that!" he said. "Seems one of the trainers coming over from the mainland is a minor surfing legend. Gage stopped then slowly turned his head.
"Legend?" he asked very carefully, taking in the dopey grins on the two paramedics' faces.
"Yups!" Aleka answered. "Your name came up. Then the magazines were dredged up. Then the phone started ringing." Gage sat down on the bench, in shock.
"You're telling me Hoku and his men changed their minds when they found out about my surfing background?" he was shocked.
"Well, Cap and Manny, our engineer," he said. "Manny is pupule when it comes to da waves! He got out all the magazines and was looking for articles about you. He was so excited that Hoku got caught up in it."
"Once Cap's tune changed," Aleka took up the story, "then Harper and Matthews jumped on board. It was wonderful! We got to eat in the kitchen that shift and today was the first day we didn't get latrine!" Gage was astounded. And embarrassed. He felt his cheeks redden.
"Hey, bruddah! It's aurite!" Sammy slapped him on the back. "Me and Aleka are sooo grateful. We kept hearing from our colleagues how well they were doing. Especially over at the 5 b-shift with their hospital."
"So, ah, since everything's perfect, how can I help you?" Johnny asked. Both paramedics grinned.
"Well, triage," she said. "And just working out in the field. We're really new at this!"
Alrighty, then," Gage finally grinned, "let's go finish lunch and we'll get on it."
The LA paramedic did NOT like to be in the spotlight (unless it was a pretty girl that was lookin') and it was hard to endure the excited adulation he found surrounding him. Worse, Hank just grinned and didn't step in to help him. Oh, when they were on a run it was fine but back at the station it was a different story.
Magazines appeared as well as cameras. It took a few hours but finally Manny got up the nerve to ask him for an autograph. Stanley grinned and sidled up to his paramedic.
"Chet would just eat this up," he said.
"Yeah, but if you haven't noticed, I'm not Chet!" Johnny growled as he stared at a picture of his younger self riding the curls. Hank lifted his cast and put it on his friend's shoulder.
"Like I told the guys," he said softly. "If your past surfing experience helps get the program rolling for some of these guys, then I am all for it." With a sigh Johnny lifted the pen and scrawled a sentiment then his signature on the picture. He ended up signing ten different pictures, including an old poster.
"I can't believe you guys kept this sh... stuff," he corrected himself.
"Surfing is practically a religion for some of us," Manny said. "We feel part of it all when we catch the perfect curl." Johnny's face softened.
"Yeah, nothing like a good ride to connect," he agreed. He decided Cap was right. He'd be embarrassed but it was for the good of the program.
