PS9
Johnny worked harder then he had in his life the last two remaining months before being tested. He called headquarters to find his tests were the same day, to view him under actual conditions they said.
He had three more weeks to get ready and then one chance, one chance to become a paramedic again. Gage was on edge but tried not to show it; the DeSoto's had given him so much and he wasn't going to let them down.
Roy had noticed his friend had changed; it seemed when they ran in the morning, Johnny was intense in a way he had never seen him before.
"Why don't we slow down?" Roy stopped still trying to catch his breath. The men had been running the track at the high school and Gage was like a man possessed.
"Tired old man?" Johnny laughed; sweat dripping from every part of him. Roy watched as it hit the dry dirt.
"You," Roy inhaled, "okay," Roy put his hands on his knees and tried to take deep breaths.
"I'm fine Roy. Just fine," Gage said through clenched teeth.
"You are not fine. Joanne told me you called headquarters for a date," Roy slowly moved himself up and looked desperately for a drinking fountain.
"Yeah, yeah I called for a date, the bastards," Gage shook his head trying to push down the fear.
"And?" the sandy haired man looked at his panic stricken friend.
"Both tests are on the fricken same day, some BS about under actual conditions. See, they plan on giving me the physical tests in the morning. Three hours of brutal physical exertion and then a fricken half an hour for lunch then the paramedic exam. They want me to fail," Johnny eased himself to the ground.
"I can see their point," Roy voiced cautiously.
"Sure you can see their point," Johnny sighed, "I can too. But…I don't think I can do it."
"I know you can Johnny. You're one of the best," Roy tried to boost his friend's hurt ego.
"Okay, I have a plan," Johnny grinned and Roy frowned.
"What's your plan?" Roy was still trying to catch his breath.
"Well I want to get ready for the next three weeks under my actual test conditions," Gage said plainly like it was a walk in the park.
"Johnny, are you nuts? I mean what exactly, they let you shower and have lunch right?" Roy wondered if the department would ever give his friend a fair shake.
"Listen Roy if those mothers want war, their going to get it. Are you going to help me or not?" Johnny was angry; he wanted his damn job back and no one was going to stop him.
"Okay what about when I'm working?" Roy scratched his head; a spark in his heart a little bit of his old friend was back, the nutty part.
"You can make up extra tests and give them to Joanne, with the answers, "Johnny offered his hand. "Deal?"
DeSoto wiped his sweaty hand on his sweaty shorts and shook his hand. "You're still nuts Johnny." Roy laughed, forcing his friend to join in.
"Good deal we start today. Why don't you go home and I'll meet you in a couple of hours, pally," Johnny stood up ready to run again.
"You had this planned all along didn't you," Roy wiped his wrist band across his face.
"Nope just came to me. See ya!" Johnny began to run the track again as Roy started to limp back home.
#######
Those three weeks flew and Johnny hadn't worked harder in his life. He could tell he had been a heavy load on his friend with the tests.
"C'mon Roy I only got twenty right out of thirty," Johnny threw his pencil down and pushed away from the table.
"Johnny you're pushing yourself too hard. You need to take a break. Those tests…"
"Roy these tests are the only thing standing between me and being a paramedic. Don't ya get it?" Johnny's voice strained and he pushed his hands through his still wet hair.
"Johnny, believe me you need to take a break. You need to calm down and relax. I'm not going to test you any more and you're going to relax," Roy stood up and looked into his friend's fearful eyes.
"But Roy!" Johnny protested. "I know you're right. Hell, that's what happened the first time I took the test and…"
"Well go out for pizza tonight, with the family and then you're going to the beach tomorrow while I'm at work. The beach settles you and that's an order," Roy grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
"Aye, aye Cap," Johnny winked as he heard Joanne and kids arrive home.
#######
As Johnny pulled into the academy parking lot, he felt a sense of déjà vu all over again. Here he was on his motorcycle only he wasn't a dumb, naïve eighteen year old again. His heart still pounded as he pulled out his gym bag and headed towards the admin building.
Sighing he stilled his heart and head and opened the door to the air conditioned office. Nothing had changed except the clerks. He knew he was required to do more than then CPAT test. Gage knew it wouldn't be an easy ten minutes and twenty seconds to do the required eight challenges which included the stair climb, hose drag, equipment carry, ladder raise and extension, forcible entry; search, rescue, and ceiling breach and pull. No, he was going to be in full gear and each task was going to be longer.
Told his locker number and where to report, Johnny quickly made his way to the empty locker room. He quickly changed into his sweats and boots, one of the few things he kept since they were so serviceable. Locking his locker, he thought it funny Chris should be so worried about his clothes; more than likely Roy's phantom stories had something to do with it.
Once in his sweats and shoes he headed toward his assigned area, there he met his proctors. Four men with permanent scowls on their faces and furrowed brows were trying to intimate him. Gage wasn't about to let a bunch of bullies get to him; he had worked way too hard for this.
His stair climb consisted of going up the four story burn structure in full gear with a hose. They had given him fifteen minutes for the task, going up and then down the structure. Giving a thumbs up signal, Johnny raced up the tower and felt good; he had forgotten how comfortable turnouts and scba's felt. He finished five minutes ahead of his time.
The next seven tasks were just as grueling and modified somewhat from his original CPAT tests. So by the time he had to breach the ceiling and pull it down, he was soaking wet from head to toe. He wasn't exactly exhausted but he needed to rest and refuel.
Gage whistled as he made his way back to the locker room, he had passed just by the looks of his proctors; every man's scowl got deeper their furrowed brows deeper. Now to get a shower and something to eat before the real test, paramedic exam.
In the shower he thought he heard voices.
"Yeah, I heard John Gage is back."
"Yeah can you imagine that crap. The biggest black mark on the department and he's fricken back."
"Oh I wouldn't worry I'm sure the department will find a way to get rid of his sorry ass."
Then they were gone and the locker room silent again. He quickly changed back into his clothes and locked his locker. He knew feelings still ran high but he could face them. At the cafeteria he pulled out the twenty Roy had shoved at him.
"Ya got to eat before the exam Johnny and you'll need this," Roy pushed the money at him.
"I got money Roy I told you that," Johnny tried pushing it back.
"You can pay me back, okay? Now get a good lunch and kick their asses for me," Roy smiled and Johnny grinned back.
Roy would be proud of him; he had a chicken, salad, milk, coffee and apple pie for dessert. Making a head call he headed towards the classroom and his paramedic exam. The halls were silent and Johnny found himself back at the academy, as a naïve eighteen year old, now he felt a good thousand years old. Experience had been a great teacher.
Opening the classroom door, he stared at his proctor, Dr. Kelly Brackett; he sighed inwardly and steeled himself. Walking in he found a desk with the test, pencil and one right in front of Brackett. They would not rattle him.
Sitting down, he placed his clasped hands on the test and waited patiently. Brackett looked up at him in his professional doctor's demeanor and Johnny gave him his best look.
"Um, well, at one o'clock you'll have exactly four hours for the test. You can't open the booklet until I tell you. It is a scantron test and you will receive your results in two days along with your other test results," Brackett looked at the clock. "You can begin now."
Johnny concentrated on his exam. Assess for ambulation if appropriate (ability, posture and gait) •Check in neurological and trauma patients. Assess the ability to ambulate, resting posture, and their gait while walking. Assess for tremors or ataxia. Be careful with this, don't ask your patient to try walking when they are unsteady on their feet, only to let them take a nose-dive because you weren't guarding to make sure they didn't! You and your partner should walk beside them if you're testing this because you have doubts about their ability to walk. Be prepared to catch them!
He ran his hand through his short hair and went back to the exam. Biting the end of his pencil with fervor he finished the exam with fifteen minutes to spare. The former paramedic went quickly to the questions he wasn't sure of and only changed one answer. Gage put his pencil down and waited for time to be called; already he could feel his muscles tightening up after this morning's workout.
"Time," Brackett called and walked over to his desk. He took the exam and well chewed pencil.
Johnny got up from his chair and headed out of the stifling classroom.
"Johnny," Brackett called to thin air.
Johnny almost ran to the locker room to get his stuff. Something was building up inside and he couldn't place it. Once on his motorcycle he burned rubber out of the parking lot and into rush hour traffic. Almost home to the Desoto's he felt his hands shaking and his chest heaving. He spotted a park, turned right into the green patch and rode his cycle to a picnic table. Parking his bike he sat on the top of the table and tried to get his breathing under control.
