 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
| Page Eight |
|
Hank held Kelly's eye in a scathing glare for almost a full ten seconds. Then he looked away and one hand snaked up from his hips to scratch Boot on the head in apology for scaring him while he dressed down an underling. "And put Boot down pronto." "Yes, sir.. Right away, sir.." Kelly set Boot slowly down on the floor and smoothed out his coat without daring to look away from Cap's disapproving stare. |
 |
 |
|
The shaggy dog immediately skittered out of Chet's reach, all four sets of claws scrambling on the cement floor in his haste to get away from the currently Hank hexed fireman. "Next time.. take it like a man, Kelly. Dogless!" "Right, Cap. Thank you, Cap. Anything you say, Cap.." Kelly kept on saying obeisances, withdrawing slowly, until his back impacted the kitchen door. Then he hastily stumbled and bolted through the door for the sheltering illusion of the newspaper and the bodily comfort of the cushy leather couch. Marco had been quietly watching the whole fiasco the entire time. He was nonplussed and relaxed with his arms comfortably folded over each other. "He's right you know." Cap's iron glare shattered into one of weariness and he admitted. "I know that... I just wanted to vent on somebody. And he was the best target. The fire investigation's not going anywhere and it's eating at me, Lopez." "I can tell. You chewed up Chet and spit him out pretty good there." he said, cracking a polishing towel at the engine's side panel loudly to make a point. It was Cap's turn to wince. Hank immediately looked remorseful and bit his lip. "Maybe I should go in there and apologize to him....ya think?" |
 |
 |
|
Marco stopped Cap before he got two paces. "Uh,,..I'd... wait a while for the effect to sink in first if I were you." "I'm afraid I don't understand, Marco.." Cap said blankly.. "Well, Cap, it's like this.." Lopez said thinking while he absently polished the same spot on the engine that he had just shined a few moments before. "That was the first time I've ever seen Chet cower sincerely at one of your dressing downs since Johnny became a medic." "Really?" said Hank, straightening with pride. Then he lowered his voice to a confidential whisper, glancing towards the kitchen to make sure Chet didn't overhear. "I've been watching McConike..Trying to ......imitate him. " he said, gesturing thinking fingers to the air before rubbing his lips thoughtfully. "That, what you just witnessed, was how he used to ream MY rear way back then." "Oh, I see. Displacement of aggression." Lopez quipped as he picked a new spot to polish on the engine chrome. "Turning full circle.. Maybe even... disassociated revenge.. Clever.. Good way to deal with your burning hat/inspection day phobia." Cap narrowed his eyes at Marco. "Lopez, stick to being a fireman. Somehow hearing Freudianisms coming from a man from south of the border just doesn't work for me.." Cap muttered. Then he retreated to the inbox work load that seemed only to have piled higher during the minutes he had procrastinated while blowing up at Kelly. Marco blinked several times, then he self- consciously peered at his reflection in the engine's side view mirror, trying to see what Cap was talking about. He saw Boot regarding him closely. "Hey boy. Do you think my growing a goutee' will help people start to take me more seriously?" he asked the attentive mutt while he pushed out his chin in an experiment. Boot tipped his head to a funny angle and whined a doggy noise of puzzlement. ******************************* Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 13:28:08 -0800 (PST) From: "Sam Iam" <lafddispatcher@yahoo.com> Subject: Kid Talk --------------------------------------------- "And again......." Mike Morton ordered. Susan Jordan took in an even deeper breath than before as the dark skinned intern listened to her chest with his stethoscope. "How am I doing now, doc?" she said breathlessly afterwards. "Uh..hmph." Morton grunted. "Sounds like they're going to have to be removed right away..." he said. Susan's eyes got as big as saucers in concern where she sat upright on the treatment room gurney, but that change made Roy and Johnny's little blond haired patient seem even cuter than a button. "Doc.."Johnny warned with a grin and with his voice, smacking the young doctor's arm with back of his hand. "Quit teasing her." "hmm? Oh! oh. oh.. I wasn't talking about your lungs, Susan. Sorry... I meant these.." he said tapping her hanging IV and the flowing O2 cannula she still wore in her nose. "Actually, things sound really good now. The bronchospasms seem to have dissipated completely." "Finally..." Susan said as Dixie moved on Morton's nod to free the little girl from her tubes. "I hate it when that happens. I feel like a beached sperm whale the whole time." Morton gave another grunt, then asked. "Do you usually get your asthma attacks when you exert- I mean run around or ride your bike ever?" "No.." Susan said. "Not ever." "Well, what do you think triggered it today?" Roy asked the child from where he leaned near the exam room door still holding his walkie talkie in his hand. "I don't know.." Susan said evasively. "Maybe because I got real mad I guess.." "Mad about what?" Dr. Morton asked gently as he helped her put on her windbreaker that Roy had found in the park before the trip in. Susan zipped her lips shut and dropped her head and watched as Dix secured a bandaid on her hand where the IV had been. Then she shot an uncomfortable glance up at Morton, Johnny and Roy. "It's a secret. A girl's one." she declared with defiance, wrinkling her nose as Dixie took off the cannula from around her face. "Oh, I see." Nurse McCall said, fighting a smile. "Well," she sighed expansively.. "If you gentlemen would excuse us for a moment. Us girls are gonna talk privately together, if you catch my drift.." All three men in the room suddenly caught on and hastened to make themselves scarce. Gage fumbled with gathering up the portable EKG monitor while Roy grabbed the small oxygen tank from the foot of the gurney, handing off Johnny's helmet to him as he struggled through the door with his load. Morton helped the paramedics make their exit by holding the door open for them. The paramedics and doctor all waved at the scowling child as they left. "Take care Susan. Coach Stoker sends his best to ya.. Ahh! Oops. heh." Gage said sheepishly as the door nearly squashed him. Soon, nurse and girl were alone. |
 |
 |
 |
|
--------------------------------------------------- Johnny made immediate tracks to the water fountain along the wall, against which he piled the medical gear. Morton followed, looking to learn more from the medics before they had to leave. "Here, hold this.." Gage said to Roy, shoving his helmet into Roy's stomach. Being ticklish, Roy grabbed it without thinking. Then he made a face when he realized that Johnny had outsmarted him in the helmet carrying game. Having no better way to carry the extra item, he parked his own back onto his head with a frown. Gage smirked in triumph and he took a long pull from the icy water stream dancing in front of his nose. "I'm just too fast for ya, Roy. Someday, you'll learn." he chuckled. Mike Morton cleared his throat. "Fun and games over yet?" Roy and Johnny's grins fell away they both slipped into professional mode. "Sure doc." Roy nodded. "Well, uh.. it happened pretty much as Susan said it did. She felt her chest getting tight and she just crawled away from the game and trying to will it away by resting under a shade tree. Only her usual trick didn't work." "Oh? Didn't she have her inhaler with her?" "That's just it, doc." Johnny said wiping his mouth free of water droplets. "We think she doesn't like the notion of needing one. Stoker had to scout around a baseball infield before he located it for us." "Thanks. That'll help me figure out what to tell the case worker when she gets here for post visit instructions. Oh, yeah... How's Engineer Stoker doing? I haven't seen him since the night you fellas brought him in." "Stoker?" Johnny said. "He's doing fine. Though I do wish I knew more details about his eyesight prognosis, doc. He's clamming up about it." "Nice try Gage. But I can't tell ya anything." DeSoto lifted his head. "Please, Doctor Morton. Y- You don't have to give us much. I-it would really mean a lot to Johnny and me and the rest of the guys if we had something substantial to go on." Roy pleaded. "All right, all right!" Morton said holding up his hands in surrender. "I can tell you this much.." he said, beckoning a come closer finger. Roy and Johnny leaned in nearer with side long glances at the people passing in the halls and then confidentially, at each other. Mike Morton whispered. "Nothing he's going to face,.....will be bad news.." And then the young African American doctor was off down the corridor like a shot.. "See ya later, boys!" he called out as he rapidly departed. Gage's mouth flopped open in wide disappointment and he bellowed, "Oh, come on, doc. That's not fair. You could have given us more than that...!!" Morton shrugged hands and shoulders as he rounded the bend, "Can't.." he replied tartly amused and pantomimed a zipper shutting firmly across his lips and made good his escape. Johnny was stuck looking at the place where he had last seen Morton's white tunic-ed back, gaping like a fish. Roy leaned on the wall and crossed his elbows over one another with a mystified grin. "I'd say Morton beat you at your own game, Johnny. He's even faster on the draw than you are." "Would you just shut up.. And carry those two helmets like a man, you look ridiculous wearing one in the hospital like that." And he swiped Roy's headgear off his partner's head, thrusting it at him. Roy suddenly snatched up the gear boxes and rabbit dashed for the supply desk. "Ha! You touched it last.." he teased and got out of range quickly before Gage realized that he'd been had yet again while still holding the "ball." "And that's a tag back. So accept the full consequences.... like a man.." he smiled. "Hey!.. You'd kick a guy when he's down?!" Gage shouted after him. "Sure, why not? You aren't down, you're just a little stung for being so cleverly outsmarted, that's all." Roy said, pouring himself and Johnny some coffee from Dixie's warming pot. |
 |
 |
|
It took a full minute for Johnny to figure out how to carry all the equipment, his talkie, AND two helmets. He nearly dropped his run slate. Finally, Gage got a handle on his ungainly load and he let loose a long suffering groan, trudging slowly after him. "Thanks, pal.." he said sarcastically from behind a wall of gear. "No problem, Junior.. And remind me to thank Kelly for the Helmet Game idea when we get back. I think we're really going to have fun with it ." "Speak for yourself.." Johnny grumbled as he set all the gear and hats onto the desk in front of him. "Here.." "What?!" Johnny snapped. He felt a prod and looked down to see a coffee cup nudging his light blue shirt. "You're gonna get thirsty lugging all that." "You're all heart.." Gage said, snatching the cup from Roy gruffly. "It's in my nature." Roy replied, draining his own in two swallows. ---------------------------------------------------- Dixie had finished getting Susan set for discharge from the ER and then she got her into her jeans and shoes to go along with the windbreaker. The blond haired girl had jumped down from the gurney to go wait for her ride in the waiting room, when Dix said. "Hang on a minute there, young lady.. You forgot this.." she said, holding out the Albuterol inhaler Roy and Johnny had said was hers. "Oh, that ol thing.. You can have it. I don't want it.." "Listen, sweety. That "old thing" saved your life this afternoon. Now I think you owe it to your personal counselor to at least be cordial enough to have it on your person for the next time you get into the weeds. Don't you think?" she said, lifting Susan's chin gently by the chin. "I guess.." The girl said glumly, taking it reluctantly from Dixie's hand. "Here. Have a seat back up." Dixie said, patting the gurney and the sheets lying rumpled there. She surprised the unhappy child by hopping up onto the gurney too, taking her into her arms in a mothering hug. Susan relaxed immediately and almost started to cry because it felt so good to be held. Dixie sensed the child's fragile state, but she went on. "Now.. let's have that woman to woman talk before you have to go. I did hold up my part of the bargain by shooing all the men out of the room.." "You did.." she sighed. "Guess I have to tell you then, huh?" "Yep." Dixie said, unwrapping her arms from their hug to straighten a messy curl back to its usual place behind Susan's ear. Susan took a deep breath in, fiddling with the silver inhaler in her lap, before saying, "Jeremy Conners said that he was going to make sure no more buildings, like the one that killed his dad, stayed standing anymore. I got really mad because he said he wasn't sorry for the one that hurt Coach." |
 |
 |
 |
|
Dixie blinked a bit at that, frowning. "Just what do you mean by that Susan..?" she whispered, making sure her voice stayed calm even as the rest of her filled with a sudden sick dread. "Don't you get it? Jeremy's proving himself to the Skinheads Gang. He's trying to be picked to be their next firestarter ace. They told him his dad won't rest peacefully until he burns someone else." Dixie gasped in shock, but quickly hid it. Numbly, she felt the next words tumble out. "When, wait..it's Jeremy ...C-- Conners, isn't it?" "Uh huh.." she nodded, fiddling with the rings on Dixie's elegant hands. "When will Jeremy Conners, .....try it again?" "When you can't see the moon anymore." ::Ohmyg*d..:: Dixie quailed mentally. ::That's tonight!:: ----------------------------------------------------- Mike Stoker and Victoria the psychologist were having dinner at the station with the rest of the gang. Cap had insisted she stay to shed some light on the kids in the Home. "Now, Captain. You know I can't discuss details of my case minors with you.." Cap inclined his head. "I'm not asking for their phone numbers, just a little insight or two. Look, it's costing the city thousands of dollars, if not millions, each time a derelict goes up in smoke. Now that translates into budget cuts, and eventually, those hit the fire department, and that effect, gets US where it hurts the most. Right in the pocket book.." "Here, here.." said all the gang with derision. Victoria sent down her fork and knife with a clatter and she looked up from her plate of roast chicken. "Oh, isn't that so noble of you." she said with heat. "Money first, eh? Well, your tactics stink. I'm not the bad guy here." "No one's saying you are, Vic.." Mike Stoker insisted, rubbing an itch around his wrapped eyes. He had been silent through the whole debate but now he found he had to speak up for his crewmates. "Oh, Mike, not you too." she said, surprised. |
| Click Engine Dials to go to Page Nine :) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|