Well, at long last, here they are! Back by unpopular demand-The Kents! Really, again I must state that the views here and some of the language used by the Kents is not my own opinions. Those of you that have read the foreward in Beware the Banshee know this. But there are people like this out there and many of us have had the unfortunate duty of living next to them or working with them or going to school with them. I apologize in advance to any who might take offense to this and reiterate that the story mimics life and such people, sadly, exist. If you can't handle it, consider the story ended from Chapter 41 until the last chapter, then you'll skip all this. As usual, thanks for the feedback and thanks for reading!

Marc Kent couldn't believe how badly his month had been going. He had spent one shift cooling his heels after the debacle—as he referred to it—then just as he had reported to work with Squad 16, that little prick on that squad had told him Brackett had ordered he do the reevaluations before he worked as a paramedic again. He left the station and put in a request he be reassigned with an engine company. He'd gotten word the next day he was to report to Station 127. He'd been working with them now for six weeks.

At first he'd been greeted fairly warmly, then he'd mistakenly made a joke similar to the kind he'd shared with Roy and suddenly the atmosphere went cold. At supper that night, he found his plate shoved clear to the end of the long table and he was blatantly ignored. After supper, the captain had called him into the office for a little 'talk'. He could still hear his words.

"Kent, I know you are still fairly new to LA so I'll cut you some slack." The cold grey/blue eyes had held him as firmly as a steel trap and Kent couldn't help but squirm a little. "I know you worked briefly over at Station 51's and I'm sure my good friend Hank Stanley doesn't allow that kind of humor there."

Kent didn't say a word. He honestly didn't know if Captain Stanley did or not. Most of those kind of comments had been made while in the squad, now that he thought about it. Strange, Roy never uttered any of his jokes in front of the other crewmembers. Kent merely stood silently before his captain.

Cap continued, "We are a diverse crew here as are most crews in LA county and each man is here by his own merit."

Marc thought that over, remembering that for the first week or so he'd thought the crew he now worked with were all white. Then he had noticed a Hispanic girl dropping off one of the hosemen, Ken 'Smitty' Smith, with a kiss, That surprised him because he knew all the crew but one of the rescue men were married. 'Spic must be his wife then.' He mused.

He'd barely recovered from that when he'd heard one of the men joking to another about how his mother had come over and made him a big pot of chitlins and beans and cornbread. Kent had looked at the man carefully from under his arm, surprised now to see 'black' features' where he'd only seen a deep tan before. "But his eyes are green?" he puzzled. His speculations had been interrupted as others of the crew began to complain about not sharing. "We know that little mama of yours can cook," the engineer, a Harold 'Pete' Peters, had whined, "And I bet you ate every last bit of it."

"Yeap," K.C. had chuckled as he licked his lips and rubbed his tummy. "I sure did." Towels flew at him as the others groaned and made comments. Kent kept his head in his locker, slightly stunned at his discovery.

He shifted slightly as all these thoughts passed through his mind now and he nodded to his captain.

"I'm letting you know, unofficially right now, that that sort of talk or thought will not be tolerated in my station. Am I clear?" Captain Kendal leaned forward, never breaking eye contact.

Kent nodded again, "Perfectly, sir."

"I'm sure something like this will not happen again, correct?" He stressed the words and Kent nodded, "Yes Sir."

Cap gave a curt nod, "Good. Dismissed."

Kent nodded as well and left the office feeling thoroughly chastised. For the rest of the shift and into the next he kept quiet for the most part. Much to his surprise, the other crew members soon went back to their friendly ways and he actually found that the Captain was right. No matter the skin tone each man worked as one of a team. He found his own rhythm in the crew and had begun to relax.

Then Tammy had started in on him. Turned out she'd liked the perceived prestige she felt bragging to her friends that her husband was more than 'just a fireman'. She had liked telling those in her circle how Marc had worked "closely and directly' with the famous Dr. Kelly Brackett. And she wanted that back. So he'd swallowed his pride and made an appointment with Brackett for the evaluation test he'd refused before.

First off, Brackett had ordered him to shadow a paramedic team and to his disappointment, he was to report back to Squad 16. This time it wasn't like the pleasant work he'd had with Roy. He was expected to actually touch the patients they were called to, not just handle the biophone like he had before. Both of his trainers expected him to pull an equal share of the work and unlike that Ga . . .Ge . . .that . . .whatever that Indian who had been training out of 51's name had been, they had unfalteringly refused to do it for him when he bulked. He'd only been on one shift with them before they told him they thought he needed more field work but in a more controlled environment. So he had worked three shifts shadowing an intern at Rampart.

He'd just finished that yesterday and he was to report for the results on his written tests tomorrow with Brackett.

The shift had been fairly quiet. The engine had had two minor runs, one with the ladder truck to help get a window washer down from a broken scaffold. The worker'd been unhurt so the rescue men handled it without having to call for paramedics. Now Kent was sweeping the bay area while Pete polished his truck and others checked various equipment while dinner was being fixed. Tones sounded over the speaker and out of reflex they all stopped and listened.

"Station 45, Engine 36, Truck 127. Fire alarm at Redwood Financial Building. 16435 West Pickett Avenue. 1-6-4-3-5 West Pickett Avenue, cross street Scottish Street. Time out 16:55."

The five men on the truck scrabbled to their seats as the ones left shouted, "We'll save ya supper."

"You do that," Captain Kendal called back from his perch and the massive rig rumbled out of the station. As they watched it go, Terry, one of the rescue men, turned to his partner and asked, "Hey, did you hear that dispatcher? It didn't sound like Sam."

"It wasn't." Pete, the engineer from the engine told him. He grinned, "Don't tell me you didn't recognize the voice?"

Terry shook his head, "Not really. I mean it was kinda familiar but . . ."

"Let me give you a hint; he ain't ridin' squad 51 anymore." K.C. shook his head sadly.

Kent felt a chill go down his back. He'd heard Roy had been injured after he left but the scuttlebutt was it would only put him off duty for a month or so. He should be back to work now.

Terry's eyes had gotten large, "Nah, you don't mean they put Johnny on light duty there do you?"

Kent felt a wave of relief; not Roy. Then maybe his partner? He knew he had one, everyone knew the famous John Gage and Roy DeSoto team. He kept sweeping as he imagined the two together, strong and admirable in their uniforms; Roy with his 'guy next door' looks and his always willing to help attitude and, of course, his confident partner, John Gage. He tried to picture John Gage. Bet with a name like that he was a surfer type, Yeah, a real California boy. Kent could just imagine him; tall, muscular with brown hair bleached in lighter streaks from his time in the saltwater, tanned face with piercing intelligent green eyes, the color of a rough surf.

The two would be the perfect team, nearly reading each others thoughts while working seamlessly on a rescue. He paused; now that he thought of it, it seemed he had seen the two of them working together one shift. He remembered being impressed by the nearly choreographed way they moved around the victim. He'd talked to that nurse in the ER about it. Yeah, she told him they were the best; great friends as well as the best paramedic team out of Rampart.

He thoughts were brought back to the present as Fultron, one of the other linemen nodded and spoke up, "Yeap. He's still trying to get all his requals done. Heard he aced the first ones the department put him through but had some trouble with the manual dexterity."

Terry shook his head, "Man I hope he passes them. It just won't be the same to not hear Gage and DeSoto over at 51's."

"I heard he was messed up real bad," Pete commented as he rubbed a coupling with a polish rag. "Heard they held him over at Rampart for nearly a month and had to do surgery twice."

Terry turned to look Kent in the eye. "Hey, you worked A-shift with 51's right?"

Kent straightened up from his sweeping as he realized he had all of his remaining crewmates' attention. "Yeah I did. I was partnered with Roy and some other trainee."

"Really?" K.C. asked, "Who?"

Kent shrugged, "Some young kid named uhhh . . . George something or something George. I don't think he made it though; he was a little slow, if you get my meaning." He leaned on his broom. "I remember asking the engineer, uhhhh,"

"Stoker? Mike Stoker." Pete supplied. Kent nodded, "Yeah that's him. He said the kid had been there training forever and that they figured he'd soon get dumped back on a truck." He shrugged again, then leaned forward and dropped his voice conspiratorially. "Kid really blew it out on a call. Got himself messed up as well."

Terry and K.C. nodded at that while Pete shook his head, his voice low, "Yeah I think I heard about that too. Gas explosion."

Realization brightened Fultron's eyes as he, too, nodded, "Yeah I heard about that too. Guess some got it and some don't."

Kent nodded sagely, "Some are just better not to even try." Then he smiled, "But working with Roy was a real pleasure. Great guy, great fireman."

Terry nodded, "So's Johnny. I worked with him back when you were out with that busted arm." He nudged his partner, "It was something to work with a paramedic, not just a rescueman."

K.C. snorted at him, "Next class starts in a week. You can still sign up."

Terry rolled his eyes, "Me? You gotta be kidding. You see how they work those guys? I mean one or more are always on the injured list and the others nearly get worked to death covering the shifts."

"More reasons to sign up." K.C. needled. Terry glared at him, "I don't see you all fired up to join up either."

"Can't." K.C.'s green eyes twinkled merrily, "All the other guys voted and no one else would work with you."

At that Terry made a disgusted noise in his throat and muttered something about finishing dinner. Kent went back to his sweeping, wondering what the meeting with Brackett tomorrow would bring. He vowed he'd give Roy a call and see if the other man would help him study. 'After all, it wouldn't hurt to have Brackett's lead poster boy still on my side.'

That night after supper he did just that, having a very pleasant talk with Roy who sounded at first restrained to hear from him but then eagerly volunteered him and his partner to help.

"Are you sure? I mean I'd hate to impose. I heard he's still recovering." He said.

A pause then, "Yeah. Yeah he is. But he's doing a lot better. Besides, he heard you were trying to get your certification straightened out and told me he wanted to help you if he could." Roy's voice came. Kent noticed it softened when the other man talked about his partner.

"Well, tell him I would appreciate anything he can do." Kent said, then added, "He's a great guy for being willing to do this for me." He oiled and heard Roy sigh, "Yeah. Yeah he is. Listen, I'm on shift tomorrow and he's working. When are you off next?"

Kent looked up at the calendar hanging near the phone. "Uhhh. Tomorrow starts three days off for us."

"Ok. I'll talk to Johnny but how about we set up for my first day off. You come here and have dinner then we'll work together. OK?"

Kent smiled, 'Yes! I'm in again!' "I'll be there. See you then." The tones blared and Roy hurriedly told him. "Go. Be safe. I'll see ya later." Kent hung up the phone and ran out to swing up into his place in the engine.

Roy smiled as he sauntered down the hall from the emergency entrance. "Hey Dix." He cheerily called out. He'd been back on duty for two shifts but this was the first time they had coincided with the head nurse's shifts.

She lifted her head at his call and returned his smile, "Hello yourself there Roy." She pointed the end of her pen toward the door in front of her, "Dywer is still in there with your patient."

Roy nodded and moved toward the coffee pot. He filled a cup then turned holding it out with his eyebrows raised. Dixie shook her head and finished the last bit on the chart in front of her before snapping it shut and sliding it into the rack on her desk. "So Roy, glad to be back?"

Roy sipped his coffee before answering, "Yeah, yeah I guess I am, but . . ."

Dixie gave a gentle smile as she laid a manicured hand on top of his newly healed one. "But it won't be complete until Johnny is back too." She guessed his thoughts.

He smiled shyly at her, "Yeah, that's right."

The exam room door opened and Dwyer gave Roy a grin and a thumbs up. Roy nodded. Then Dwyer grimaced and pointed to the restroom. Roy laughed and gave his current partner a nod. Both watched as the man disappeared inside.

"Speaking of your partner, how's he doing?" Dixie now braced her hand under her chin, a faint smile on her face as she watched his eyes light up.

"He's doing really well. You know he's already passed all the qualifications for the fire department . .. " He paused as she nodded, "well, now he's working on all the paramedic side."

"Well I have no doubt he'll soon be back." She soothed. Roy sighed as he took another long drink, "Well it can't be too soon for me. Whenever he's out, the passenger side of the squad becomes a regular revolving door. Don't get me wrong, most of them are good, some are even friends, but . . ." he hesitated again.

"But none of them are your partner." She finished. A smile broke out on his face as he nodded.

Both looked up as Brackett's deep voice echoed down the hall. The dark haired doctor saw them and headed their way with Marc Kent, Roy now noticed, right behind him. "Roy, it sure is good to see you back at work." The doctor greeted. Roy reached out to shake the offered hand. "It's good to be back, Doc." He looked over at Kent and gave a smile, "Marc, how you doing?"

Marc gave him a easy smile but Roy noticed it didn't change the calculating look in his eyes. Strange he'd never noticed it before. "Real good Roy. I just completed the last of the written exams set up by Doc here."

Brackett glanced at the man, "Yes and he passed. Now he'll move on to the practicals."

"That's great!" Roy extended his hand, "Congratulations!" Marc shook it. "As I said before, I'd be glad to help you out in any way I can."

"Thanks Roy, are we still on for tomorrow night?"

Roy nodded, and Marc's smile got bigger. "That's great, just great." Marc gushed, a little too oily for Dixie's liking but Roy didn't seem to notice. "Just a matter of time before I'm back in the field, ole buddy." He moved closer to the other paramedic, "I hear you've been having a real mixture coupled with you lately."

Roy rolled his eyes, "You could say that."

Marc smacked the other paramedic's back then rested his arm across Roy's shoulder as he said, "Well, perhaps soon that position will be filled with your old partner."

Roy's eyes turned thoughtful, "I truly hope so," He murmured. Dixie noticed the ecstatic look on Marc's face while Roy only stared at the HT in his hand with a rather longing look. Then he seemed to shake himself aware and looked again at Marc. "Hey! Johnny is working on his recert practicals next week. You might be in the same classes!"

"Or he might even be teaching your class." Brackett added, "I've got him putting in hours by being a instructor."

Marc continued to smile, his expression not changing as he watched Roy. "Oh, That's . . .nice . . ." he said rather vaguely.

Roy nodded his head enthusiastically, "I'm sure he'd help you out if you need it."

Again Marc smiled, "Ok." His voice was still unenthusiastic then he moved closer to Roy again, "You'll help me too, right?"

Roy blinked, "Sure. Anytime, just call . . .or . . .or stop by. You know the address. Bring the family. I know Chris and Jenny would love to see the kids."

Marc tightened his hold over Roy's shoulder as he laughed, "I just might do that."

"Speaking of the family," Dixie coyly interrupted, "everything still on for the last weekend of August?"

Roy straightened up, his eyes dancing with his barely concealed excitement, "You bet! Jenny and Jo have just gone nuts decorating and shopping and cleaning. When Johnny sees it all, he's just gonna flip." He looked at the doctor then at the nurse. "You guys are coming right?"

"Wouldn't miss it, Roy." Brackett assured. Dixie smiled, "Neither would I. It isn't everyday you turn . . . what is it? 25?"

Roy got a contemplative look on his face. "26. He'll be 26." His gaze fell to his hand where he rubbed at the healing mark there. "He almost didn't make it to 26." His voice came out in a whisper. Brackett and Dix heard it and sympathized, their own expressions pensive. Kent just looked impatient. Brackett grinned and broke the moment with, "Speaking of Robin . . ."

Three tones from the HT in Roy's hand interrupted him. Then a very familiar voice asked, "Squad 51 what's your status?"

Roy's eyes positively sparkled as he lifted the HT to his mouth, a huge grin on his face. "Squad 51 available at Rampart." He gave an extra tap to the button after he released it.

"Squad 51. Man down. Westen Apartments. 1265 South Hassel. 1-2-6-5 South Hassel. Apartment 3-F as in Fox. BC. Time out 14:45." Then came two rapid squelches.

"10-4. Squad 51." Roy answered, then looked up at the three watching him, still grinning largely.

"Was that . . " Brackett questioned as he gestured toward the HT.

"Johnny's working at Dispatch right now." Roy's grin became even larger as he announced this. He pulled out a pad and quickly wrote down the address.

"I'm familiar with most of the codes, Roy," Dixie frowned as she shook her head, "But I don't think I know what a 'BC' is?"

"That's Johnny's way of saying 'Be Careful" Roy explained as he rapped twice on the door to the men's room. Both doc and nurse made a knowing 'ahhhhh' sound.

Marc tapped his fingers on the desk, a look of irritation on his face at being left out of the conversation. "Uh, Roy? I think your HT is malfunctioning. It's squelching strangely."

Roy laughed as he shook his head, "No. It's fine." He looked at the nurse, "That was just Johnny saying 'Hi Dixie.'"

She smiled at him, and batted her eyes, "Well tell him "hi" back , if you can."

Roy waved the HT to Dwyer who had just immerged from the bathrrom. "Oh, I can. Hey Dwyer! Johnny says we got a man down at the Westen Apartments." With that the two paramedics headed off.

Brackett looked at Dixie and shook his head even as he smiled, "Figures Johnny would find a way to communicate to Roy even under the strict guidelines of the FCC." He chuckled. Dixie giggled as she nodded her head.

Marc looked from one to the other, the look of irritation still on his face. "Is that all you needed, Dr. Brackett?" His voice came out a little too forceful and he attempted to modulate it down by smiling.

Brackett looked at him and nodded, "Yes. You have the schedule. Just report here for each of the classes marked."

Kent nodded and left.

Dixie watched him go, her eyes narrowing. Brackett watched her for a moment then leaned closer. "Now, Dix."

She glared at him, "Don't you 'now Dix' me. I don't trust that man."

Brackett gave a faint shrug, "He passed all the written exams."

She humphed, "So he knows his stuff . . " She raised an eyebrow before she added, "on paper. And he might do well in the practicals. But out there . .." She waved a hand toward the ER entrance.

Brackett sighed, "Well. We can only wait and see. He'll have his in field training with an experienced paramedic team just like all the others."

As he walked away, he heard Dixie mutter, "It was when he was alone that he froze, and Johnny nearly paid with his life."

Marc's mood had soured somewhat by Roy's obvious distraction over the dispatcher he apparently knew. As he drove his car home, he thought about that. 'Well, who ever he is, he's just a dispatcher. Not a real fireman. So once I get back into the squad next to Roy, I'm sure it will be right back to where we were before.' He drove the rest of the way with a smile on his face as he mused over all the things he'd be doing with his 51 buddy again. 'Tammy will be so happy. She's been out of sorts since she hasn't been palling around with Roy's wife.' He shook his head, "Women! I have no idea what they argued over. But I know Tammy has called several times to let JoAnne apologize." He remembered Tammy's barely coherent babble about JoAnne's sudden leave of sanity and how she'd allowed a drunken savage to stay in the house while Roy was at work.

"I'm as Christian as any," His wife had ranted, "I help out with the church bazaar each year and have even sang in the choir for Christmas! I believe in helping those who are underprivileged. The bible says we have a duty to help them. But it also says we have a duty to keep our own families safe. And poor JoAnne isn't thinking of that! The bible says that if one of our brothers or sisters is doing wrong, it's our Christian duty to tell them so. Why! It's just her and two little children in the house. We could wake up tomorrow and hear that they were murdered in their sleep or .. or " She gulped dramatically and paled, "Or worse."

"Maybe I should go over there and kick it out." Marc stated as he got up from his easy chair. Tammy grabbed his hand. "No. no! I don't want you over there." She took a few gulps of her martini to calm herself. "Anyway, just as I was leaving Roy came home."

At that Marc perked up, "Roy? But he's on shift today? Why was he home?"

Tammy made a dismissive motion with her hand, "Ummm. He had his hand wrapped. I guess the doctor sent him home?" She thought about that for a moment then nodded, "Yes. I remember JoAnne saying something about the doctor sending him home so she could take care of him."

Marc settled back and poured himself a drink. "Well then. I'm sure Roy will take care of it."

Tammy gulped more of her drink then shook her head sadly, "I hope so. But he was acting strange too. Maybe he was on painkillers or something." She shook her head again then placed her fingers into her hair. "It was awful, Marc just awful. I just wanted to get away from there."

Marc pulled his wife close and made little calming noises. "You don't worry about it. You just finish your drink and relax. Tell you what, I'll go get dinner somewhere. You just relax."

Tammy drained the rest of her drink and Marc refilled it from the remainder still in the shaker. "It was awful, Marc, just awful. I was only trying to help. Why couldn't JoAnne see that it was wrong! Just wrong! I told her to take that . . .savage back to the hospital, that they have people trained to handle them but she wouldn't, just refused! I hope they're alright." Marc just nodded, watching as his wife's mutterings got softer as the amount in the glass got lower.

Marc was brought out of his memories by the honking of a horn somewhere off to the side of him. He looked around, made certain it didn't involve him and turned into his addition. He entered the house and called out, "Tammy?"

At once his wife appeared from the front room. "Did you pass?"

He nodded and smiled at her. Of course!"

She squealed her delight and gave him a hug. "I knew you would. You are so much better than most of those they hire now."

Marc shrugged, "It was fairly easy," he told her, forgetting how hard he'd sweated over several problems, or the fact that he'd passed with only a ½ point.

"Well of course it was." Tammy acknowledged. "I think it's very progressive of LA County to open up this opportunity for jobs to those less intellectual but that can cause drawbacks too. I mean if they can be trained then they should be given jobs. They'll still have others over them and watching them so it should be safe." She turned from the pot she was stirring and shook a spoon at her husband. "But I worry that when they lowered the standards to let those others pass it might mean less quality care for people who need it. Being a regular fireman on a truck isn't so bad for most of them but being a paramedic . . ." She smiled as she vigorously stirred again. "That's why having good men like you and Roy is so important. You can help when and where it is needed the most."

"Yes dearest," He muttered vaguely as he prepared himself a drink. He saw his wife's martini glass was nearly empty and topped it off. Then he settled into his chair to read the paper while dinner cooked.

Later, after the dishes were washing and the kids were getting ready for bed, Marc said, "I'm going over to Roy's tomorrow for dinner."

Tammy looked up and blinked rather blurry eyed at him. "Oh?"

He nodded, "He and John Gage are going to help me get ready for my practicals test."

Tammy smiled brightly, "How lovely! The two best paramedics in all of LA County are going to assist you!"

Marc nodded, feeling rather pleased with himself as well. "And I saw Roy today. He's back to work. We talked about me becoming his regular partner once I get through all this mess."

Tammy's smile widened. "Oh honey! That's marvelous!" Then she frowned. "But what about John Gage?"

Marc's face took on a sad expression as he thought over the conversation his shiftmates had had yesterday and he sighed, "The hazards of being a firefighter. He got hurt and is now working only as a paramedic instructor and a dispatcher."

Tammy's face reflected a moments sadness then she shrugged, "aww, that's too bad. Oh well. His loss is your gain." She smiled. "I'm so happy for you."

Marc nodded as he settled back. Yes. He was happy for him too.

The next day Marc woke late, drank his coffee out on the back deck while his kids ran around the yard and Tammy shopped off somewhere. Lunch was the peanut butter and honey sandwiches that Amy currently insisted was all her tummy could handle. Then when Tammy came home, he took a nap. Soon it was 4:00 and time to gather his books and head over to the DeSoto's.

Tammy kissed him at the door, telling him, "Bye Honey. Study hard. And tell JoAnne I'm going to come by tomorrow so we can go to the mall together." He nodded and left, his mind already on what delight would be for dinner. Tammy could cook and did—most of the time—but the meals at the DeSoto house rivaled some of the best meals they'd eaten out. Both he and Tammy had missed their weekly invites for dinner that they'd gotten used to when he'd worked at 51's.

When he got there, he searched the driveway for another vehicle, knowing John Gage was supposed to be there as well. But the only vehicles he saw were Roy's truck and his Porsche and Jo's station wagon. 'Hmmm, maybe he couldn't make it after all.' Marc grinned as he shrugged, 'His loss.'

He climbed out of the car and sauntered up to the door and knocked. It opened and a young blonde headed boy stood there looking up at him. He smiled at the child, "Hi there uhhhh." He couldn't remember a name but it wasn't important. "Where's your dad?"

Chris looked over the man in front of him. When his mother had told him and his sister that Mr. Kent was coming over, both had become very upset. It took both parents nearly an hour to calm them down and understand what had upset them.

Jenny had hugged her father fiercely, "You promised Daddy. You promised!" Roy had looked at his scowling son then his bewildered wife, "Promised what sweetie? What did I promise?"

"That you'd never treat Uncle Johnny like you had again." Chris growled as he glared. "And now you're gonna partner with Mr. Kent again."

Jo's wide green eyes met Roy's blue ones as both parents slumped. Roy held his daughter closer as he told her, "No honey. I'm not breaking any promise. I'm only helping Mr. Kent study for the paramedic class." He finally, gently, broke the near strangle hold his daughter had on his neck and placed her carefully next to her brother. "I want you both to listen to me carefully. Uncle Johnny is doing better all the time. Soon he'll be able to come back to full duty." He smiled at that thought. He caught his wife's eyes and she nodded, her eyes twinkling. "Uncle Johnny is my partner. And I will not go back on the promise I made you . ..," he tapped each of their noses, "Or the promise I made him. Ok?"

Jenny looked at Chris and Chris looked at Jenny. Finally they both nodded. "Ok Daddy." Jenny conceded, "But I've got my eye on you." With that she left the room.

Now, standing at the door in front of the man Chris rightfully blamed for his beloved uncle's suffering, the boy debated slamming shut the heavy door. But then his Dad would be mad, and he had assured them he wouldn't forget his promise. Besides, and this next thought made Chris smile, Uncle Johnny was coming over too! So, Chris gave a nod and called over his shoulder, "Dad. Your student is here." Then he walked away. Marc watched him go until Roy stepped up. "Strange kid." He muttered, then he stuck out his hand, a big smile on his face. "Hi Roy." He looked past him toward the kitchen and raised his voice. "Hi JoAnne. Dinner smells wonderful."

"Thank you." She answered loudly then muttered under her breath, "It's barely cooking. How can you smell it yet?"

Just then the phone rang and she picked it up. "DeSoto's. Johnny! I've just started dinner." The smile on her face fell, "You can't? Why not? Oh. Ok. I'll get him." She placed the phone on the counter top and walked into the living room where Roy was spreading out the books.

"Roy." He looked up at her call, saw the look in her eyes and frowned as he stood. She motioned to the phone. "It's Johnny. He says he can't make it tonight." Roy called out, "Excuse me." over his shoulder as he quickly headed for the phone. He snatched it up and began, "Johnny? What's going on? Are you ok? What happened?"

A chuckle then the familiar voice said, "Slow down, slow down. Nothing's wrong. I just got my days mixed up. Since I've not been working at 51's my schedule is all screwed and well, I got this week and next week mixed up."

Roy felt himself relaxing as his partner talked. "Ok. So?"

"So, I'm leaving for my trip now. I'll be back in three days. I hope that Jo hasn't gone out of her way fixing stuff."

Roy looked around the kitchen, "noooo," he drawled, "Looks like just baked lemon chicken and mashed potatoes and hot fresh rolls from scratch and buttered corn and oh, peach pie with ice cream for dessert."

A heavy sigh came from the other side. "You just had to do that, didn't you Roy?" He whined, "You just had to tell me everything she fixed. Now not only will she be mad at me for not coming but I'm gonna spend the next three days thinking about what I missed!" Jo smacked his arm as she heard Johnny's voice after her husband's descriptions.

Roy laughed. "He's whining now." He told her.

"I'm not whining. I don't whine." A pause, "I'm . . .I'm just expressing my regrets is all."

Roy grinned, "Sure you are junior."

"I fixed enough to feed a fire station because I planned on you being here, John Gage." Jo spoke into the receiver Roy still held.

"I know. I'm sorry." Johnny .. .expressed again. "Look I promise that as soon as I come back down I'll come straight over. I . . .I won't even stop at my place first, OK?"

"You'd better come straight over," Jo insisted, "After three days up on that mountain with no food you'll be starved." She heard Johnny snort at that.

"Maybe you'd better stop at your place first, junior." Roy stated.

Another pause then a bewildered, "Huh?"

Roy winked at his wife, "If you're going to be up there on that mountain for three days then maybe you'd better stop at least for a shower before you come over."

"Oh. Ha-ha-ha. Very funny, Roy." Johnny sulked. Then he sighed, "look. I've gotta go. I want to make sure I've got everything ready before the sun sets."

Roy laughed, "Ok. You be careful out there junior."

"I will. I'll see you soon. Tell the kids I said sorry and I'll see them in a few days." With that he hung up. Roy looked at the phone for a few moments but Jo echoed his thoughts when she said. "I sure hope he's careful up there."

Roy nodded. "Yeah. Me too."

He turned to see Marc had come from the living room into the kitchen entryway. "Something wrong?"

Roy shook his head but Marc could see he was clearly worried about something. "No. Not really. Johnny can't make it."

Marc feigned concern, "Nothing bad I hope."

Roy shook his head, "No. He's going on a three day trip up into the San Gabriel's to fast and think."

Now Marc snorted, "What? He on some sort of religious pilgrimage or something?"

Roy wasn't really paying much attention to the other man. His thoughts were still on his partner. "Yeah something like that."

Marc snorted again, "Sounds like some sort of useless tribal . . . primative . .. back-to-nature nonsense."

At that both DeSotos looked at him, their faces first bewildered then cold. He chuckled slightly and spread out his hands, "Well? It does. Doesn't it?" Then he put on a soothing face as he placed his hand on Roy's shoulder. "I know. All kidding aside, you're worried about your friend. I mean you said he's still recovering and now he does this . . .crazy . . .stunt," At Roy's glare he continued, trying to smooth down the irritation he could clearly see on Roy's face. "Look. He's a paramedic right? One of the best right? So he knows what he's doing. I'm sure he'll be fine." He began leading Roy back into the living room and the books.

"Now in three days he'll be back here, all . . . Yul Gibbons'd out," Roy didn't seem to notice he'd said the words with disgust as he quickly went on. "And he'll call you, you'll talk and he'll tell you all about his visions or hallucinations or. . or what ever." At Roy's quick look at him, he smiled slickly, "He'll be just fine. He's a grown man. I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

"Well," Roy conceded, "He has done this before."

"See?" Marc stated brightly, "And he was fine. He'll be fine this time. Now, I was wondering. This part about intubation. Now we still have to get the doctor's permission correct?"

The tactic worked and Roy soon became involved in teaching. They worked for several hours until Jo called them for dinner. She'd already broken the news about Johnny to the kids who sat sullenly throughout the meal. Marc never noticed, kids should be seen not heard anyway. Once the meal was over, he led Roy back into the living room and the books. Jo took care of the kitchen and brought the two men their coffee and dessert. She kept a pleasant smile on her face but couldn't help the way her skin crawled as she watched Marc schmooze her husband.

"This pie is delicious. The best I've ever had." Marc gushed as Jo refilled their cups.

She smiled graciously, "Thank you. Roy, I'm gonna get the kids ready for bed. Marc? Nice to see you again."

Marc smiled oily at her and it was all she could do to keep the smile on her own face. "Wonderful meal, JoAnne. Wonderful." He gushed, "Oh, Tammy said to tell you she'll be by tomorrow so you can go to the mall. She's really missed that you know."

Jo counted to ten before she answered, "Well, I've been really busy. What with Johnny so ill then Roy got sick as well and you know." She shrugged but Marc had already dismissed her. She left the room, vowing to herself that she'd make sure she was gone all day the next day.

"So does John do this sort of thing often?" Marc casually asked, seeing the far off look again in his instructor's eyes.

Roy blinked and pulled himself back. "I'm sorry, Marc. What did you say?"

Marc smiled, "I asked if John does this sort of thing often. Go running off to play nature-boy into the mountains."

Roy smiled as he thought about his partner. "Oh yeah. He goes camping every chance he can get. He really knows what he's doing out there. He'll take his horse and backpack into the hills with hardly any other supplies." He shook his head as he chuckled softly.

"Wow. A regular John Wayne huh?" Marc quipped. "So. You said he passed his fire department tests but had some trouble?' He remembered part of the conversation with his shiftmates.

Now Roy snorted, "No. Johnny said he had some trouble. I talked to Wheeler who played victim for Johnny's high rise rescue test. And he said Johnny's time was still better than most veterans or anyone straight out of the academy. However, when I talked to my partner, he moaned about barely being able to complete the work in the prescribed time." Roy shook his head in amazement, "Wheeler said Johnny could have rescued three people in the time allotted."

Marc smiled, hearing Roy talk about his former partner with such pride and admiration in his voice. 'He'll miss him, no doubt, for awhile at least. He's obviously still trying to get over the fact that John Gage can no longer ride with him.' he thought to himself, 'But with me as a partner, He'll soon realize it's better to have a more stable man as his partner. Besides, that's what he told me before. He didn't want to have a single partner anymore because they can't keep their minds on their work when they're at the hospital surrounded by those cute little nurses.' He nodded to his own thoughts rather than Roy's words, 'When the time comes, I'll remind him of that.'