Chapter Twelve

A/N Just like I changed Captain Stanley's marital status, I've used writer's liberty when it comes to his family dynamics (meaning any child/children in his life)

Captain Stanley stood next to the living room window in the home Roy and Johnny had taken him to when he was released from the hospital. He could see cars and trucks driving up and down the street that ran in front of the home. 'One week' he thought about the short amount of time he'd been back in the house. In that time he must have looked at every picture on the walls or in the scrapbooks that were set upright on a shelf that stood against one of the living room walls. He'd been through the whole house more than a hundred times. It felt strange to be in a house that everyone said was his, but nothing seemed familiar. Well, that wasn't quite true. The picture of the woman that hung in the living room-that seemed to reached out and grab him-to the point it almost hurt. 'That's your late wife.' Roy's voice rang in his ears. When questioned, Roy told him that the Stanleys had fostered a large amount of children through the years, but that was it. "From what you told me once, your late wife couldn't have any children. That was why the two of you became foster parents."

"How long will it take for me to feel at home, to really remember?" He continued watching the vehicles passing his home as he thought on Roy, Johnny and the other firemen. All had stopped by, re-introduced themselves and whatever family they had. While he couldn't recall the experiences he'd had as a fireman, Captain Stanley freely admitted he felt a strong pull every time he saw a fire truck, rescue squad or passed the fire station. Johnny told him he, along with the rest of the men in Station 51, had talked to the 'people higher up'. All the men had been informed if Captain Stanley could pass the tests all firemen were required to take, they would put him back on active duty. ''They want proof you haven't forgotten the information as well, or that you've relearned it.' Johnny had paused and then said, 'You said the headaches have stopped completely, and you're doing great from what I can see; the doctors have said the same thing.Let me come by tomorrow. We can go to the fire station and look around. Just don't be surprised if I have Cassie Hansen with me. She and her mother saw me at the movies the other night; I was on a date. Cassie didn't hesitate to approach me and ask if I'd show her a fire station."

Captain Stanley chuckled. Somehow, he could see Cassie Hansen doing such a thing. 'I'm too old for this.' He thought, even as he swore up and down he was going to pass whatever test he needed to. Maybe he didn't have the memories he wanted, but he knew he needed to get back to the career that his gut told him already owned his heart. He was brought out of his thoughts as a loud knock sounded on his front door. It had to be Johnny. Setting the book down, Captain Stanley started walking towards the door, and took his house keys off the brass hook they hung on. Sure enough, Johnny Gage stood on the porch while Cassie could be seen in the back seat of Johnny's vehicle. The child was simply beaming.

"Figured it was you at the door," Captain Stanley shut the front door behind him. "Though, you a good fifteen minutes late."

"Blame a flat tire, I had to take the time to fix it. It took longer than I'd have liked it to." John explained as he climbed into the new truck he'd recently bought. Soon they were driving away from the house. Since Captain Stanley lived fairly close to the station, it wasn't long before Johnny, the captain and Cassie were entering the fire station.

Captain Hammer stepped out of the office just as he saw Johnny, Captain Stanley and the young child he could only assume was Cassie-as he'd never actually met the child. "Good to see you!" He held out his hand toward Captain Stanley. He wasn't surprised when Captain Stanley simply said hello and shook the offered hand. Captain Hammer hadn't really expected anything else. "Feel free to walk around all you want, don't hesitate to go into the office either." He pointed to the room he'd just exited. "I wouldn't think of making the slightest attempt at keeping you out." He then excused himself, as he wanted to talk with one of the men.

"It's time for Cassie's tour. You can follow us or do your own walk through." He smiled as Cassie was tugging at his hand, excited to get the tour started.

When Captain Stanley didn't answer right away, Cassie became concerned-as she thought something major was wrong. "What's the matter, Uncle Cap?" 'Uncle Cap'-it was a title the child had flat out refused to stop using.

Captain Stanley, who found himself feeling a mixture of uneasiness and excitement, gave his 'niece' a gentle smile. "You do not need to worry. I am fine. Go with Johnny and have your tour. I'm going to find the office." He turned and walked away.

Cassie kept an eye on Captain Stanley until he disappeared into the office. Shed then turned to Johnny, asking one question after another as he led her through the fire station.

When it came to Captain Stanley, he was looking over every inch of the office. Naturally, he read each and every piece of paper on the wall – including the certificates. He was startled to see *Henry 'Hank' Stanley was on many of them. He'd have thought this Captain Hammer would have taken those down.

Only when he heard footsteps behind him, did he turn around. He wasn't surprised to see Captain Hammer in the room. "It's strange." Captain Stanley's eyes gazed around the room. "I mean, to see things I'm told I should know-even feel strongly like I do, only…" he shook his head and quit speaking.

"Only you don't." Captain Hammer, who wanted nothing more than to see Captain Stanley back in this particular office, gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about it for now. Come into the kitchen; you can have a cup of coffee with me and the men. That is, if you want to."

"I think I will." Captain Stanley looked around the room one more time and then followed Captain Hammer out of the office.