Christmas Spirit 2
Over the next few shifts the phone calls were for Johnny and he took them in the dorm fueling the mystery. Chet became particularly interested.
"So Johnny want to tell me your secret?" Chester assumed they were female since no one said different.
"Secret Chet?" John couldn't believe his ears.
"Yeah pally you seem to be a very popular person with all these phone calls. Ya selling something?" Kelly leaned on the table.
"Like what?" Gage knew he had figured out it wasn't women who were calling.
"Oh, I don't know your motorcycle, your car? Cause I know it ain't women, pal. You're not that good," Chet played with his moustache.
"And you are?" Gage smiled, playing the game, he thought over the worried looks from his shift mates and knew he couldn't be gloomy any more. He had forgotten that, besides now he pick and choose his next station.
The men were holding their giggles in, but Gage felt better, no one would eye him more closely as long as he acted like the old John. He had forgotten, that was his problem, it was time to move on.
Roy looked on to see Johnny was back to his old self, who knew with this guy, two years and he still trying to figure him out.
Even the hospital was festooned with Christmas decorations. There was a large tree in the lobby and treats on the counter. Wreaths and garland seemed to be hung everywhere and Christmas music played in the background. John's stomach lurched whenever he came into the emergency room now.
On their way to Rampart after a call for supplies, John got cornered by Dixie near the base station.
"Johnny," Dixie stared at him. "You haven't given me your answer yet." She had crossed her arms with impatience She had been pestering him since Thanksgiving with no answer.
Gage poured himself a cup of coffee, turning his back on the head nurse and sipped it. He had rehearsed it in his mind, but somehow it didn't sound right. Besides he would be dealing with a head nurse someplace else. He stared at the large lighted wreath over the station board, then sighing he turned around and met Dixie's blue eyes.
"Sorry, Dixie," Johnny shrugged turning on his best smile and charm. "I'm busy."
"Busy? Busy doing what Johnny?" her blue eyes flared.
Gage prayed for tones on the HT.
"It's just I'm busy Dixie, just busy, you know," Johnny shrugged. He smiled wide and his brown eyes sparkled, seeing Dixie melt somewhat.
"Well let me tell you John Gage you'd better have a darn good reason for missing my party because you don't want to get on my bad side," Dixie growled.
"Well so much for peace, good will to men, then," John grabbed the container of supplies and split towards the safety of the squad.
Roy had looked on wondering how Gage had avoided Dixie's wrath.
"So Roy what is he doing that's so darn important he can't come to my party, which he came to last year, by the way," Dixie leaned her elbows on the counter.
"I don't know Dixie; it's not as if he'll tell me. You know Johnny always mysterious," Roy smiled trying to deflect the heat from her stare and glanced at his retreating partner.
Walking back to the squad, Roy had a lot to think over, John had turned down a party, he lived for parties and all those phone calls but he was back to the Johnny again. Well maybe he would ask about the DeSoto Christmas party and Christmas.
"Roy," Johnny smiled at him as he climbed into the cab.
"You just dodged a bullet, there Junior," Roy smiled.
Gage frowned, he wasn't a child, and he was a perfectly capable paramedic.
"How so, partner?" John decided to play along.
"Dixie for one and now let's see if you can dodge another one," Roy drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he pulled out the parking lot.
"And what would that be?" John leaned back in his seat staring straight ahead trying to avoid the hideous Christmas decorations everywhere.
"Well my party for one and not to mention Christmas," Roy looked at John at the stop light.
Tones filled the air as they went on their next call.
It had been a large structure fire, involving two stations and a battalion. As the men from Station 51 pulled in, all they wanted was a hot shower, something to eat and then hopefully a goodnight's sleep.
Roy's question didn't seem so important and he would wait until next shift to ask his partner.
***
Johnny drove to his next overtime shift thinking about Roy's question and the DeSoto's Christmas party. His old station and 51 were like apples and oranges. So far he had avoiding eating any of the holiday cookies at his station, but he would partake of the goodies offered at his next stop.
He found his bunk and settled in the day room. On this shift he would be on the engine, sometimes he would be the paramedic, whatever he would be ready. Gage took a few Christmas cookies, poured himself coffee and waited for the engine and squad to return from their latest call.