Well a belated Christmas present. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and our looking forward to a great 2011. God bless.

PS14a

The ride back to the station was quiet. Johnny got the impression his partner didn't talk much and enjoyed the drilling he had received at Mission. Apparently Brackett was efficient in notifying the hospital of his faults. But he refused to be bullied by anyone; he was a damn good paramedic. He had been vindicated and that was good enough for him.

Backing into the station he looked at the sullen faces of his shift mates and realized just how lucky he had been with all his previous stations. Climbing out he headed toward the hose tower surprised he hadn't received latrine duty just because of who he was.

Gage found Walton to hang hose and maybe get a glimpse of what was in his future.

"Well you don't seem so big now," Walton laughed as they hung hose. The man had a careless manner as the hose went every which way and overlapped other hoses.

"Big?" Johnny splayed his hand across his chest. He had been expecting this and had faced it before his previous suspension. Everyone assumed it was all about him, but it was about the patients/victims paramedics treated in a normal shift.

"Oh yeah, the big paramedic fighting the department," Walton snickered and continued with his half hearted task. "You made the whole department talk, not to mention all the damn memos about talking to the press and official channels. But I guess it never went for the wonder boy of the paramedics, huh."

"I was right you know," Johnny sighed. "I did win." He lamented knowing the department wouldn't accept him back willingly and that he had had to fight for his job.

"Yeah sure you did," Walton snickered. "You're here aren't you?" Their job done, Walton headed back into the station.

Gage looked at the high fence surrounding the property and the barbed wire on top of it. Their coverage area was the worst in the county but they had the best equipment knowing it would be bad P.R. otherwise. Putting his hands on his hips he stared at the fence until tones sounded. He was off on his first official run of the day as a paramedic.

True to his word, the paramedics didn't leave the squad until the cops arrived and the squad was locked up tight. Luckily it was a diabetic woman who had fallen. Gage followed Manny's lead and didn't like his lack of care for their patient.

Mission's instructions were cold and clinical and then the ambulance arrived. Both the ambulance and the squad got an escort to the hospital. Johnny kept his mouth shut and waited.

"So Wilma was drinking again?" One of the nurses said as Gonzalez got supplies for their box. Manny shrugged.

"Yeah, when doesn't she? One of these days she ain't going to be so lucky. Some people never learn, huh?" Manny grinned. "Same old, same old. She'll be here again," he stated with surety.

Johnny noticed the nurse looked at him and suddenly he found the HT very interesting. Manny waved and they headed back to the squad. Gage slid in the passenger side and Rodriguez drove. Manny glanced at him and then snickered.

"Oh we don't get no hypochondriacs here. People can't afford it; no, they use us as their doctors since they can't afford them," Manny explained. "You'll get use to it, like the 1st and the 15th."

"And why's that," Johnny asked seeing his partner was in a mood to give him a lay of the land.

"Social security and welfare checks, man. Most domestic abuse cases we get around then or when they get money and get high or OD." Manny backed into the station. "Believe me man, you haven't seen anything yet."

Johnny sat in the squad and decided to check out the log book. If nothing else it would give him some idea of what the future held. Going into the office he found the log book and opened it up. True to Manny's word, Gage lost count of the OD's, domestic disturbances and other myriad ailments. He closed the book and sat there a few minutes, until tones sounded and he was off again.

The rest of the day was spent on drunks, OD's and a few gunshot wounds. A strong police presence eased his mind some but his partner was almost like the perfect paramedic Brice except without any feelings. Manny was burnt out but refused to move on—or the department refused to push him.

Dinner had no taste, the few runs were emotionally draining since no one seemed to care and Gage could hardly wait for his shift to end. He helped clean up, getting looks from his shift mates. Apparently a man did his job and nothing else, being helpful was frowned upon.

Cap signaled lights out and Gage fell into a restless sleep.

The two am tones woke Johnny up from his blissful sleep. In the squad they followed the engine to a well involved house fire. Johnny noticed the lack of lookie loos and then noticed a peculiar smell emanating from the house and the lack of action of his cap.

"Hey Cap," Gage watched the burning house carefully, noticing there was still time to check it for occupants. "Can we do a quick check?"

Cap looked at him like he was from Mars. "A check Gage, get serious. In fact we're doing the neighborhood a favor."

"A favor?" Gage shook his head; watching a house burn wasn't doing anyone a favor.

"Yeah Gage, this is a well known drug house. We'll just watch it and make sure it doesn't set fire to any other structures. So grab a two and a half and wait with Manny."

He stood there helpless as the house burnt down. The crew sprayed the debris with water and did an overhaul, then headed back to the station. Johnny yawned on the way back and wondered just in the hell he had gotten himself into. He was thankful Roy didn't or wouldn't ask about it; he didn't want his best friend losing his job over his mistake.

#######

Climbing into bed, Gage found it hard to fall asleep; the house fire had him bugged.

Johnny reviewed the call in his head. A drug house as his captain called it, which should have been burned down long ago. A blight on the otherwise stellar neighborhood. Yeah right, no one came out to look at it.

Again he remembered the call for the thousand time, and again nothing he could change. The stormy, call filled day and night, the three am woman in labor run, the husband who lied about his wife's condition, the blood from her hemorrhaging—the blood he never seemed to wash off his hands. Then there was the accusation by the husband, the rumors, the lawsuit, the hearing and finally his suspension and dismissal from the department.

Sighing inwardly he knew he couldn't turn back the clock on time and change everything. It is what it was and he would have to live with it and just take one lousy shift one at a time. He knew one day, well hopefully someday, he would laugh about this and everything else related to the lawsuit. Closing his eyes Gage finally fell asleep, dreamless.

#######

Roy got up, again from the table, opened the front door and waited for the familiar wail from his friend's motorcycle.

"Roy will you please sit down," Joanne crossed her arms. "Checking every five minutes won't make Johnny get home any sooner." She was worried too as she had a feeling both Johnny and Roy were hiding something from her.

"You don't understand Joanne, the station Johnny's at is known for..." Roy didn't want to think the worst. Men as Station 118 seemed to die with regularity. Desoto was concerned; his best friend didn't deserve this and he hadn't asked for fear it was true.

"Known for what Roy?" Joanne was now worried.

"Nothing," Roy waved her off, "nothing. You know how I am babe," DeSoto went over and hugged his wife. He looked lovingly in his wife's eyes and tried to ease his feeling that something had happened to Gage.

The front door opened bringing in an exhausted John Gage. He looked at Roy's worried face and knew for certain he knew where he had landed. Placing a grin on his face he came over to his best buddy.

"Hey Roy, see I survived," Gage grinned. Barely, wonder if I'll get callus on the inside of my mouth to keep it shut. "Worried?"

Roy looked at the look, a look he had seen too many times. "What," Roy pointed both hands to himself, "me worried? I know you can take care of yourself," he lied.

"If you'll don't mind I'm kinda beat. Think I'll skip breakfast," Gage grinned knowing his stomach couldn't handle any food right now. His station sucked and he would have to make the best of it.

"Sure Johnny," Roy's hands clenched. "See ya in a bit."

Gage turned and headed towards his room, hoping sleep would get the disturbing images out of his brain and recharge him for his next hellish shift.

"See Roy," Joanne grinned but could see her husband's worried eyes. "Johnny's all right. Pancakes or waffles?"

"Huh?" Roy turned to his beautiful wife and then he noticed Johnny's slumped shoulders and a scowl as he headed to his room. "Waffles."