What Friends are For Chapter Seven
Jennifer stood on the porch of her home trying to decide whether to be horrified or amused-as Cassie was holding the hand of a dark-haired gentleman and rocking back and forth as she did so. There were two other men with the stranger-one of whom Mrs. Hansen felt she should know from someplace. However, whether she knew him or not was pushed aside as she looked at her daughter. The way Cassie was acting, the two other men might as well be invisible.
"Cassandra Joanna Hansen!" Jennifer snapped firmly. "Behave yourself!"
Cassie stunned her mother-along with Johnny, Roy and Chet as she exclaimed, "BUT, MOTHER! IT'S HIM! IT'S THE FIREMAN-PARAMEDIC WHO SAVED ME! HE'S THE ONE WHO PULLED ME OUT OF THE FIRE!" The child exclaimed excitedly as she continued holding onto Johnny's hand.
Pure astonishment showed on Johnny's face as he looked at Roy and Chet -thinking the child was talking about a recent fire, and that they might recognize her. That idea was squashed when Mrs. Hansen apologized and explained just how far back in the past the fire they'd been in had taken place. "Evidently, she's thinks you're the one who pulled her out of it."
"I DON'T THINK!" Cassie emphasized her words-though, she wasn't yelling as loud as she had been. "I KNOW! IT'S HIM!" Cassie, who had not quite told her mother and their new friend everything she remembered, looked up at Johnny and asked in an excited tone of voice, "Do you still have a 51 on your truck?"
"Yes.. yes, we do." Johnny managed to find his voice, and then apologized, introduced himself, Roy and Chet. "We work together. We came here hoping that, by some wild chance, you had seen our captain. He's missing. We know he was injured and seen by a man named Curt Tyson."
As the words left his mouth, stunned silence enveloped Cassie and her mother. Cassie froze in mid-swing while her mother's mouth dropped open. The revelation they'd just received was that startling. While Jennifer was trying to find her voice, Cassie—who was still holding Johnny's hand—stepped back, wide-eyed, and blurted out quite loudly, "Mr. Cap is your captain? Really?"
"Mr. Cap?" Johnny, Roy and Chet looked at each other, confusion could be seen in their eyes.
Jennifer, who remembered her daughter's words, was reeling from the realization she'd been caring for the very same gentleman who had saved her from the fire, managed to find her voice and slowly explained everything from the beginning. Now it was Johnny's, Roy's and Chet's turn to feel as if they'd just been caught up in a whirlwind. "All he can remember is the name Cap." She then told the three men what she and Captain Stanley had planned. "I won't stop you from seeing him-to see if he is indeed your captain. Only, please, let me at least prepare him." Her eyes pleaded as she spoke in earnest.
Johnny looked at Roy and Chet, not surprised when both nodded slightly. "Okay." Johnny turned his attention back to Jennifer Hansen.
"The three of you can come in and wait in the living room." Jennifer said before looking at her daughter. "And, you can either play by the swing or in your room."
"Can't I just stay with him?" Cassie kept a hold of Johnny's hand and tilted her head towards him.
Jennifer might have argued only Johnny was smiling and assuring Cassie's mother he didn't mind. "Really, it's fine."
A bit of doubt could be seen in Jennifer's eyes, but she finally relented. "Fine." She looked at Cassie. "Go get a book or one of your toys and behave yourself in the living room." She then turned around and went back inside. Cassie and the three firemen followed. Soon the three men were seated on the couch; Cassie was seated on the floor in front of Johnny and looking at a book while her mother stepped inside the room where Captain Stanley was laying.
Captain Stanley, who had his eyes towards the window, turned his head when he heard the door open. He wasn't surprised to see Jennifer stepping into the room. However, before she could speak, he surprised her when he pointed towards the window. "You know, with the window open one would think I could make people's words out better. That is when they're talking loud enough.
"How much did you understand?" Jennifer walked up to the side of the bed.
"Enough to know that Cassie is one hundred percent sure the fireman-paramedic who rescued her is here." Captain Stanley chuckled. "I'd say anyone who couldn't hear her make the declaration must be stone deaf."
Jennifer couldn't help but throw in her own chuckle before sitting down on the chair that still set close by. "That they must." She then grew serious. "He's here with two other men." She gave Captain Stanley the names she'd been given, watching for any sign of recognition as she did so. There was none. She then, slowly, told him what the three men had said. She wasn't surprised by the shocked expression that came upon his face.
"I told them I wouldn't fight them coming in here, to see you-to see if you're their captain." Jennifer spoke slowly, still keeping her eyes on him.
Like Jennifer, Captain Stanley recalled Cassie's words. He too felt more than stunned to realize, if the child was right, who had been helping him. He also felt uncomfortable. He didn't know the names she'd handed to him; what if he didn't recognize the men as well? For a split second, he thought about asking her to send them away. Though, he was just as fast when it came to tossing that idea out. "Go ahead and let them in, can't promise anything-only I'll see them."
Jennifer stood up and started for the door only to turn around. "Do you want to see them one at a time or all three at once?" Personally, she thought it would be better to simply let all three men into the room, only she didn't feel as if she should be the one making that decision.
"Just have them come in together," Captain Stanley replied, and then watched as Jennifer turned and walked towards door. As she did so, he felt a range of emotions roll through him, along with a thousand questions. Not even a minute later, the door was opening once more.