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an adverb. "So did Sam the dispatch man."
That surprised Johnny. "Lydia? I know a Lydia
Montegeaux."
"She's my best friend.." Robbie said. "She's right outside the station right now.
She said her grandpa was here with her."
"Is she now?" Chet grinned. "What do you say gang?
Should we all go out and meet Johnny's hot date?"
Chet and Marco, and Stoker and Cap all
nodded eagerly. And Miss Thorne, too, who was a quiet audience.
Gage let the others follow
him into the yard. There, he knelt before his little blind Big Brother sponsor and grinned. "Lydia..
how come you didn't tell me that Chief McConike was your grandfather?"
"I didn't want to spoil
the surprise..." she said timidly on her leg braces. The sun shining down on her face made her
blind eyes sparkle the purest azure blue.
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Cap chuckled, lifting Lydia up onto his lap where he crouched with Bonnie in the crook of his other
arm so she could meet and pet her. "That was some surprise girly.. Your grandfather managed
to buy us a whole new set of firetrucks." and he winked at McConike.
McConike laughed loud
and deep. "Just wait until you make chief, Hank. Budgeting priority reshuffling's a major chief's
rank perk.."
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Lydia's face was smiling as she hugged Bonnie. "Oh, Bonnie, you're almost as soft as Cinnabon at
school."
"Who's Cinnabon?" Stoker asked. "I don't remember your classroom having any pets.."
"It does now... Jamie from the CDC flew us in a present last week from Atlanta. The kit from
the Flying Fox Bat that saved Marco was ready to be weaned and needed a home."
"He's here.
He's here Mr. Gage. I know you'll like him. I know you will." Lydia said, tugging Johnny's uniform
sleeve.
Gage started to fidget just thinking about bats. But he didn't let his reaction translate
to Lydia. "Well, I don't know abou-- Say Lydia.. Is he in a cage? I think I could probably.....deal
with ...him in a..crate or something..."
"Chicken.." Chet hissed teasingly.
"No, just
particular.." he said firmly. Then he trickled.. "Uh oh......"
Robbie came running, happily
screeching around the corner with a blanketed moving bundle in his hands.
Sticking out of
it, was the cutest furry face the firemen had ever seen.
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Bonnie instantly began to lick the baby bat's face, smothering him in kisses.
Johnny's bat
phobia instantly evaporated as fast as Bonnie's maternal instinct had risen. "Wow, you know..
I think this little guy'd uh,, this tiny thing'd here, would even look cute under a full moon,
don't you think gang?"
"Ahhhhh!! Don't say those two words!!" Chet said, dashing off for
the safety of the newly rebuilt station garage. "You'll jinx us for sure.."
Laughs.. abounded.
------------------------------
That night, at the newly repaired station house, still smelling
of new vehicles, the gang prepared themselves for sleep.
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"Hey Roy.."
"What..." he mumbled, flopped down on the pillow where he had fallen. He didn't
even bother to take off his uniform nor his blue over coat.
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"Think I can sneak over to the phone to call Lydia tonight?"
"You can try.. You know Bonnie'll
start howling again when you're more than ten feet away from her.."
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"Oh. I know. I'll carry her over there with me. That way. She won't howl and she won't be able
to take a whiz on the floor again.."
John waited for Roy to reply but the reply never came.
Roy was out like a light.
-------------------------------------------
The next morning,
Johnny's sheets were tangled up around him and Bonnie both, but Roy hadn't even moved.
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Gage's feet hit the floor and he wandered over to grab his partner by the wrist. He eyed his watch
and then at Bonnie. "Hey Bonnie.. Look..He IS alive.." he said to the wriggling, all attentive
Yorky looking eagerly in play invite at him. "He's only acting dead to the world. Gonna sleep a
week for sure.." And he dropped Roy's hand onto his own face to judge reaction. Roy didn't move.
"Make that two weeks and a day, Bonnie." A huge yawn split his face into two and he thought about
it some. "Man,.. Roy's onto something over there. I think I'll just.. do ...a nap. yeah. All the
other guys are still out.. Think I'll...just, close my eyes for just a......."
Even when the
full moon rose later that evening, the fates kept smiling kindly on the crew of Station 51 long
after the silver disk sank below the horizon.
They got in an unheard of duration of two days
on duty with nothing to do but sleep and enjoy yard basketball games.. At long last..
Bonnie,
was the only one unhappy about it.
She couldn't get to Johnny's bunk unobserved long enough,
for one of her famous sheet marking territory sessions...
FIN
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To read End credits to Full Moon Blues...
Click Roy and John.
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Click the Rescue Squad to Goto Page Forty Six :)
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