Monday, December 13:

Station 51

Johnny was whistling as he entered the locker room. "Morning, guys!" he greeted Chet and Marco.

"Morning, Johnny." Marco finished tucking his shirt into his pants.

"Well, you seem like you're in a really good mood. Did you score, or something?"

"Oh, grow up, Chet."

"Oh, of course you didn't. Forgot who I was talking to for a minute." Chet stuck his tongue in his cheek as he gauged Johnny's reaction.

"Talkin' to yourself," retorted Johnny. He pulled a roll of tape out of his pocket and reached inside his locker to retrieve his poster. He unrolled it and carefully secured Smokey to his place of honor inside the locker door. He grinned and gave it his ritual tap.

Everyone was lined up for roll call. Captain Stanley read from his clipboard. "Okay, men. We've got some fire hydrant inspections scheduled for today. And later on we'll have some knot drills. Kelly, kitchen. Stoker, dorm. Lopez and DeSoto, engine bay. Gage, latrine. Let's get at it!"

As was their habit, the four members of the engine crew headed off to the kitchen for their quick morning cup of coffee before starting on the chores.

Roy and Johnny commenced the daily equipment check with Rampart.

"Rampart, this is LA County 51."

"Go ahead 51."

"Initiating communications testing sequence now."

"Looks good, 51. 10-4."

"Did you hear about Brice yet?" Roy began putting the equipment away.

"What about him?"

"He got reinstated. Cap told me before you got here."

"What! How did he do that?" Johnny's face reflected his amazement.

Roy started laughing. "Seems he cornered Brackett about some of the questions on the exam. He read them in a way nobody else would think of. But he managed to convince Brackett and the Board that his interpretation was correct. So they reinstated him."

"I'll be damned! Why didn't I think of that?" He closed the squad compartment that housed the bio-phone and the cardiac monitor.

"Wouldn't have made any difference. Wasn't your exam anyway."

"Well, I'm glad Brice got reinstated." Johnny nodded, patting the door of the compartment for emphasis.

"You won't be after next shift." The two men headed for the kitchen.

"Why's that?"

"He'll be covering for me when I'm off." Roy was laughing again.

"Roy!" Johnny trailed after Roy into the kitchen.

When Roy and Johnny came in, Chet was once again placing the last of six steaming mugs on the table.

"Oh no, Chet. I'm not falling for that again. I'll get my own coffee, thank you very much." Johnny got a clean mug out of the cabinet and poured himself a cup.

"Suit yourself, Gage. You really are too paranoid." Chet watched Johnny over the rim of his cup.

Johnny hesitated, looking at the cup in his hands as if it had grown horns. "Can somebody taste this for me?" Johnny looked plaintively around the room.

"Just drink the coffee, Gage. It all came out of the same pot, ya twit." Cap took a sip from his cup.

Deciding it was safe, Johnny took a big gulp, which he immediately spit back into the cup. "Chet!" he bellowed, rushing to the sink to rinse his mouth yet again.

"Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean I'm not out to get you," Chet smirked.

"Yeah, and one of these days I'm going to get you," muttered Johnny disgustedly, sitting down at the table. Roy scooted his cup over. "Thanks, Roy."

"In your dreams, Pigeon, in your dreams!"

"How'd you do that? The coffee did all come out of the same pot," Marco whispered over to Chet.

"The Phantom never tells," Chet whispered back, solemnly.

'Yep, definitely back to normal. Welcome back.' Cap smiled to himself.

1Wisdomkeepers: Meetings With Native American Spiritual Elders. "Charlie Knight (Ute)." Hillsboro, Or.: Beyond Words Publishing, c1990, p.19.

2Ibid. "Mathew King (Lakota)," p. 31.

A/N – For those who wonder what happened to the no-good, very bad, terrible, horrible Barnes, he'll be ba-a-a-ack.