"Johnny." Reggie's voice caught Johnny's attention as he changed into uniform. "So? How was your time off?"

"Good." Johnny answered, buttoning his shirt and tucking it into his pants. "Had a date with Vanessa. Nice girl."

Chet's head emerged from behind his locker door. "Hold on. A date? Like, a real date?"

"Yes, Chet." Johnny shot back irritably. "A real date with a real girl. And real fine, too. Better yet, we're gonna go out again this weekend."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Chet scoffed, closing his locker and starting toward the day room.

Johnny huffed irritably and closed his own locker. Reggie was just finishing changing into his own uniform, an amused expression on his face.

"What?!" Johnny snapped. "Let me guess, you don't believe it either."

"I believe it." Reggie replied with a nod. "And…I'm happy for you. Real happy. Told you she was a great girl."

"You did." Johnny calmed down a bit at that, feeling a bit chastened. "I mean, it was nothing much, just a movie and lunch but…yeah, I like her."

"That's good." Reggie's amused expression turned to a full smile then. "So hey, you want to come over Saturday night? You and Vanessa, that is."

"Mmm, I don't know." Johnny responded as they lined up for their briefing. "Might have other plans."

"I figured." Reggie nodded. "If something changes, let me know."

"Sure, yeah." Johnny replied, his mind already wandering. It had been a good date, and he'd enjoyed Vanessa's company. She seemed to enjoy his as well, which was a pleasant surprise, given his own history with women.

He liked her, she liked him. And she was a knockout, to boot. So where was the usual surge of enthusiasm he usually felt when he met a new girl?

Johnny had a feeling he knew the answer, but he didn't like it much.

There was no point in giving the matter any more thought. Joanne had clearly moved on, he should, too.

The tones sounded not long after the briefing, and he and Reggie were off and running. Cap handed Johnny the address slip, and he passed it on to Reggie as he pulled the squad out of the station.

He pulled up to the address, and they both climbed down, gathering equipment as a young man came running up to them. "In here. It's my sister. I'm taking care of her while my parents are out of town and I was letting her take a bath by herself. I figured, she's six, she should be able to handle it, right? All of a sudden things got real quiet, and I went to check on her and she was face down in the water."

"Was she breathing when you found her?" Reggie asked as they followed him into the house.

The young man shook his head. "I called you guys and then tried to do that CPR stuff. I took a class not too long ago."

Johnny had a bad feeling, but shoved it aside in favor of trying to settle down the young man. "Why don't you take us to her?"

The young man nodded and led them to the bathroom, where a young girl was on the floor laying very still. A little too still, Johnny thought, as he and Reggie immediately got to work.

Johnny set up the biophone while Reggie worked on the girl. "Rampart, this is County Fifty-One, how do you read?"

"This is Rampart." Early's voice came over the speaker. "Go ahead, Fifty-One."

"Rampart, we have a female, age six years, victim of drowning. CPR was performed before we got here but was unsuccessful in reviving her. BP is ninety over forty, pulse is thirty and slowing. She stopped breathing approximately fifteen minutes ago."

"Insert an esophageal airway and start her on two liters of oxygen." Early responded.

"Is she gonna be okay?" The young man asked, panic obvious in his voice. "If something happens to her—"

"We're doing our best." Johnny told him firmly. "Do you have a way of getting hold of your parents?"

The young man nodded. "I've got the number for their hotel."

"Okay, you call them and tell them your sister's going to Rampart General." Johnny replied.

The young man looked absolutely terrified. "Can I ride with her?"

"You can ride up front." Johnny answered.

"Got her breathing, Johnny." Reggie suddenly spoke as the girl started wheezing and coughing, crying as she came to.

Johnny let out a sigh of relief as he picked up the biophone's receiver. "Rampart, victim's breathing on her own, ambulance just pulled up. ETA twelve minutes."

It wasn't long before the girl was loaded into the ambulance, Reggie climbing in with her. Johnny slid in the biophone and the drug box and closed the doors behind him before turning his attention back to the young man. "You get a hold of your parents?"

"Yeah." The young man nodded. "They're on their way now."

"Good." Johnny lightly touched him on the shoulder. "Better go catch your ride to Rampart."

The young man climbed into the front seat, and Johnny returned to the squad, following the ambulance to Rampart and pulling into the space next to it before climbing down to meet up with Reggie.

Reggie showed up at the desk just as Johnny was pouring them each a cup of coffee. "Kid make it here okay?" Johnny asked.

"She did." Reggie answered before taking a quick drink. "Scared out of her wits, though."

"I'm sure she was." Dixie agreed. "Was that her father that came in with her?"

"Older brother." Johnny explained. "Guess he was supposed to watch her while their parents were out of town."

Dixie shook her head. "Poor kids. Are the parents coming in?"

"On their way." Johnny told her.

The radio crackled. "County Fifty-One, what is your status?"

Reggie immediately picked it up. "Dispatch, County Fifty-One available."

"Guess that's our cue." Johnny sighed before he drained the remains of his coffee and tossed the cup in the trash. "See you later, Dix."

Reggie did the same, and they were soon back in the squad awaiting their next call. It wasn't long before they were dispatched, and it ended up being a busy morning, with them not returning to the station until lunchtime.

"Hope they left us something." Johnny told Reggie. "I'm starving."

Reggie let out a short laugh as both men climbed down from the squad and made their way to the day room. Sandwich fixings were already out on the table, and Johnny immediately dived in and started putting together a sandwich.

"Reggie, your wife called." Cap told him. "Not an emergency, just wanted you to call her back."

Reggie set aside the sandwich he was making and crossed the room to the phone. Johnny finished making his own sandwich and settled in to scarf it down before the next call came in, and Chet slid right into the chair Reggie had just abandoned.

Johnny glanced over at him. "What do you want?"

Chet leaned in a little closer. "So, this chick you went out with."

"What about her?"

"Well, what's she like?" Chet asked.

Marco and Mike both looked up, suddenly interested, and Johnny leaned back in the chair after stuffing his last bite in his mouth and washing it down with a couple of swigs of coffee. "She's…well, let's see. Tall, got nice curves, pretty."

"You going to see her again?" Marco asked.

"Probably." Johnny answered casually.

Marco gave Johnny a curious look. "What, you're not declaring your undying love already?"

That produced a snicker from everyone at the table, even Cap and Mike. Johnny merely huffed irritably. "Just because I'm not falling all over her doesn't mean, you know, that I don't have a thing for her."

Chet shook his head as he rose and started clearing the table. "Still hung up on Joanne."

"I'm not." Johnny answered sharply.

"If you say so." Chet muttered.

Johnny could feel his temper rising, and he rose from the table, all but slamming his plate in the sink. "I'm not hung up on her. She's moving on with her life, and that's…that's good. So am I."

Chet shrugged, clearly still skeptical. "Great. Sounds like you're all gonna be one big happy family, then. Maybe if you're lucky you'll get to be in the wedding."

"Who's getting married?" Cap suddenly appeared alongside Johnny, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

"No one's getting married, Cap." Johnny told him. "Chet's just talking out of his…well, you know. As usual."

Cap seemed to regard both men curiously before nodding. "Well, alright. Let's keep that kind of talk to a minimum, huh? Don't need things getting out of hand."

The tones sounded again for the squad, and the two paramedics were soon on their way to another call. Fortunately, this one was relatively minor, as were the next two they got sent out on. As they returned to the station, Chet's words kept working at Johnny's mind.

It was one thing for Joanne to date this Alan guy, quite another if for some reason it went beyond that. Something squeezed inside Johnny at the thought. Not that Alan seemed like a bad guy, at least as far as he could tell, but still, something about the idea bothered him.

"Hey." Reggie's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "You still here?"

"Yeah, yeah." Johnny shook his head to clear it. "Just thinking."

"Must be thinking pretty damn hard." Reggie commented.

Johnny didn't want to admit that Chet's words were getting to him. Instead he shrugged as he backed into the bay. "I don't know. Just a lot on my mind."

Reggie let out a short laugh. "Well, I'll tell you that you don't have to worry about Vanessa. She really likes you. At least, that's what I hear."

"Is that the whole reason Charlene called you?"

"Not the whole reason." Reggie answered. "But she did mention…that. In case you were wondering."

"Well, hey, that's good, right?" Johnny replied. "I do like her. I do."

Reggie raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

"Don't you start, too." Johnny climbed down from the squad and closed the door with more force than he'd intended.

"Johnny." Reggie called out before catching up with him.

"I'm not hung up on Joanne." Johnny blurted out.

Reggie looked baffled. "Who said you were? Hold on, let me guess. Chet?"

Johnny huffed and folded his arms over his chest, but otherwise didn't respond.

Reggie let out a short sigh and shook his head. "Man, you've got to quit letting him mess with your head."

But what if he's right? Johnny wanted to ask, but he already knew the answer to that. "Yeah, I know. He's full of it, right?"

"Yeah, sometimes." Reggie answered with a nod. "I know you two are close, but his word isn't gospel."

"Right, I know that." Johnny agreed. "So, hey, I think I'll give Vanessa a call, see what she's up to this weekend."

"I think that's a fine idea, Johnny." Reggie responded with a slight smile.

"Yeah." Johnny nodded. "She's a great girl, isn't she?"

"Sure is."

Of course she was. Everything was going to work out just fine. At least, he hoped so.

And if spending time with Vanessa helped get Joanne off his mind, all the better.

# # #

Joanne was just finishing getting ready when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" Jenny shouted as Joanne heard a scramble, followed by the door opening.

"Hello." She heard Alan's voice. "Is your mother available?"

She quickly put in her earrings before making her way out to the living room, gently smoothing the top of Jenny's head before greeting Alan. "Hello, Alan. Please, come in. My sister will be here any moment."

"I'm a bit early, I'm afraid." Alan replied as he opened the screen door and stepped inside. He looked down at Jenny and extended his hand. "I'm terribly sorry, young lady. I didn't mean to scare you."

Jenny seemed to size Alan up before extending her own hand. "It's okay. Mom says I should always ask who's at the door before I open it."

"That's wise advice." Alan agreed. "It's very nice to meet you. You must be Jenny."

"Uh-huh…I mean, yes, sir." Jenny seemed to quickly recover.

Alan smiled broadly at that. "You may call me Alan. No need to be so formal."

"It's very nice to meet you, Alan." Jenny answered, shaking his hand. "I have a brother. His name's Chris. CHRIS!"

"Jenny, there's no need to yell." Joanne scolded her as Chris came out of his room and down the hallway. "Chris, this is my friend Alan. Alan, this is my son, Chris."

"It's very nice to meet you, young man." Alan extended his hand to Chris.

Chris extended his hand to Alan and shook it, regarding Alan with a serious expression. He wouldn't be won over so easily. Joanne already knew that. "It's nice to meet you."

Alan nodded and released Chris's hand before turning his attention back to Jenny. "I have a daughter who's close to your age. She's ten."

"I'm nine." Jenny told him. "I'll be ten soon, though."

"Well, you two might get along just fine, then." Alan responded with a slight smile. "Perhaps I'll talk to your mother and see what we can arrange."

Jenny almost immediately lit up at that. "Mom, can we?"

"We'll see." Joanne told her firmly.

She was grateful to see Eileen pull into the driveway and climb out of the car, her own children piling out as well. Jenny almost immediately squealed and started to rush toward the door.

Eileen came in, with the children right behind, and Jenny rushed off with the other two girls while Chris and the boy headed down the hallway. She immediately gave Joanne a quick hug, seeming to ignore Alan. "I'm so sorry I'm late. You know how it is trying to get everyone out the door."

"I do." Joanne assured her. "And well, Alan showed up a little early."

"Oh!" Eileen pulled back, taking in Alan. "Well, hello. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"All good things, I hope." Alan smiled broadly.

"Alan, this is my sister, Eileen." Joanne introduced them.

"It's very nice to meet you." Alan told her.

"Likewise." Eileen answered with a nod. "Well, you two had best get going. I've made you late enough."

Finally, Joanne and Alan made it out the door and into the car, and soon they were cruising through traffic on their way to the Hollywood Bowl. "I must admit, I did not expect to meet your children so soon." Alan told her.

"I'm so sorry." Joanne started to explain. "Jenny got to the door before I could, and well, she just gets so excited sometimes. She does know better than to just open the door to a stranger. She just forgets."

"I find her quite delightful." Alan replied with a smile. "And your son as well. He's a rather quiet one, isn't he?"

"He is." Joanne answered with a quiet sigh. "He's become more so since…well…"

"Since your husband died." Alan finished for her. "Yes, I can certainly understand that. A boy needs his father."

Joanne thought about all the times over the last year that Johnny had stepped in, doing his best to fill that role. "Well, Johnny's certainly done his best. It's not the same, of course."

"Ah, yes." Alan replied. "Your husband's friend."

"He's always been a friend of the family." Joanne quickly explained. "And ever since Roy died he's just…well, I suppose you don't want to hear about that."

Alan pulled into the parking lot and found a spot, shutting off the car before taking Joanne's hand in his. "I don't mind. Family doesn't always have to be of your own blood. And Johnny certainly sounds like family."

Joanne squeezed his hand in response, relieved that Alan didn't seem to be the jealous type. "He very much is."

Alan responded with a warm smile as he released her hand and climbed out of the car, meeting Joanne as she did the same. She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders against the cool evening and took Alan's offered arm as they headed toward the Bowl.

Joanne took it all in, feeling slightly out of place among so many well-heeled patrons. That feeling melted away as she felt Alan's arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

The music soon started, and Joanne was almost instantly transfixed. She truly enjoyed these concerts, and cherished the memories of the few times she and Roy had been able to go. Being here with Alan now seemed so strange, and yet it felt right.

When the concert ended, they slowly made their way out to the parking lot, making idle conversation as they waited to leave. It wasn't long until Alan pulled into the driveway and shut off the car, taking her hand in his.

"Joanne, I had a lovely time." He told her quietly. "It has been ages since I've had such delightful company."

"I enjoyed it, too." Joanne replied, squeezing his hand in response.

Alan seemed to study her for a moment, his thumb stroking over the back of her hand. Suddenly he leaned in, touching his lips to hers for the briefest moment before pulling away.

"Forgive me." He spoke quietly.

"For what?"

"For…perhaps not being such a gentleman." Alan replied. "I have been sorely tempted to kiss you for quite some time."

Joanne could feel her face heat up, grateful for the darkness. "I'm very flattered."

Alan smiled ever so slightly, his face just visible. "I was afraid you would think badly of me. I do enjoy your company, but I also enjoy your beauty and your charm. You are…quite difficult to resist."

With that he leaned in again, capturing her mouth with his and slowly, tentatively, letting it deepen and linger for a long moment before slowly pulling away with a quiet sigh. "I should let you go. I'll escort you to your door."

They climbed out of the car and made their way to the door, and Alan took her hands in his once again, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Good night, Joanne. I'll call you. Perhaps we can arrange a family day so that the children can meet each other."

"I'll look forward to it."

Alan lightly stroked her cheek with his thumb before returning to his car, and Joanne went inside as he pulled out of the driveway. Eileen was on the couch, her feet tucked under her as she worked on her latest needlepoint project. "So, you and Alan had a nice time?"

Joanne slipped off her shoes and sat at the other end of the couch with a sigh. "Yes. Yes we did."

"That's good." Eileen beamed. "That is good, right?"

"I think so." Joanne answered carefully. "He wants to get the children together."

"Oh." Eileen's expression changed slightly. "Sounds serious."

Joanne paused for a moment. "I suppose it does."

Eileen shifted so that she moved closer to Joanne. "If my opinion matters, he seems like a very nice man."

"I do like him." Joanne replied. "It's just…well…oh, I don't know. Maybe I'm just being silly."

Eileen nudged her. "Go on. What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Joanne admitted. "I like him. I do. He's just so different from anyone I've ever known."

"Well, Mom would certainly approve." Eileen teased her.

Joanne couldn't help laughing ruefully. "She never did like Roy."

"She was wrong about him." Eileen replied firmly. "Roy was a good man, and Alan seems like a good man, too. They're just different. Now then, tell me all about your date."

It was as if they were teenagers again, talking about boys and crushes and their dates, and just as they did back then, they stayed up far too late talking about anything and everything.

Finally, Joanne made up the couch for Eileen, and went to bed herself. As she laid down, her mind wandered for a moment. What would it be like if things did get serious with Alan? The thought of uprooting the children and leaving the home she and Roy had built together was too much to think about.

But of course, she was thinking too far ahead. No, things between them would develop in their own time. There was no need to worry so much about it.

Everything would be fine. Just fine.