The Great Broccoli Caper

by Nancy F. Thysell (the NiFTy Lady)

07:50

It was another glorious sunny day in Southern California. The July weather promised another day of 100+ degrees. A-Shift was just arriving at Station 51 to begin their shift. Captain Hank Stanley was preparing the duty log for the day as C-Shift's Captain was finishing up his own paperwork. C-Shift had had a busy night and his crew was exhausted. They were still cleaning up from their last run as A-Shift dressed for their shift.

John Gage exited the locker room and quickly crossed the truck bay to the kitchen being in time to grab some coffee before roll call for once. Roy DeSoto was checking over supplies with Charlie Dwyer from C-Shift, trying to determine how soon they would need to make a run to Rampart to restock.

08:00

Roll call and all of A-Shift were accounted for except for their engineer, Mike Stoker. Cap was a bit concerned because this was very unlike the quiet fireman. He handed out assignments and everyone set about their house keeping chores, many of which had been left over from C-Shifts busy schedule. The Cap stopped Ken Conyers, the engineer from C-Shift and asked if he would stay until Mike arrived.

Marco Lopez took a break from latrine duty to go to the kitchen for a glass of ice water but had to wait because Roy was still mopping the floor.

"Come on, Roy. I just want a glass of water," Marco whined.

"No!" Roy was adamant. "I just mopped that area. You'll just have to wait until it's dry!"

"What's going on guys?" Johnny said as he tried to enter the room. Roy held the mop threateningly.

"Out! Out! Both of you, OUT!"

Johnny held his hands up in surrender.

"Easy, easy, pally." Then smirking, he took on a negoiating tone. "Roy, just put the mop down and step slowly away and no one will get hurt."

Roy shot a murderous look at Johnny.

"Not one step. Not one foot or..." he threatened but was interrupted by the klaxons sounding the alarm.

"Squad 51. Man down. 714-A East Providencia Street. Seven one four A East Providencia Street. Cross street Cold Water Canyon. Time out 08:25."

"Squad 51, KMG365," Captain Stanley acknowledged. He handed off the address to Roy as the bay doors opened and the Squad pulled into the morning traffic with lights and siren.

Roy pulled the squad up to the curb at the address as Johnny notified dispatch that Squad 51 was "on scene." They quickly grabbed their gear and headed to the first bungalow apartment. Roy lead the way as they hurried to the door and knocked. "Fire department," he yelled. He listened for a response then knocked again. He turned an looked at Johnny."This is the address, right?"

Johnny nodded, confirming that it was correct. Suddenly a woman, who appeared to be about 60 years old, poked her graying head over the cement fence that separated the two apartment buildings.

"What's going on?" she wanted to know.

Johnny turned around. "Uh, ma'am, we received a call that a man was down at this address."

The woman blanched. "Oh, no! That's Mr. Allred's apartment. Oh, dear, I hope he's okay. Just a minute, I have a key." The woman disappeared into the bushes from sight.

Roy and Johnny just looked at each other. Roy just shrugged his shoulders. "It won't hurt to wait."

A moment later, the woman came around the fence, holding a key high in her hand. "Mr. Allred left a spare key with me in case of emergencies. I guess this constitutes an emergency!" she exclaimed as she pushed past the two paramedics to unlock the door.

She released the knob and entered the dark apartment. The small, one bedroom apartment was sparsely furnished. The heavy drapes were drawn, blocking all exterior lighting.

"Mr. Allred," the woman called. There was no response. Roy and Johnny entered the apartment behind her, temporarily blinded by the change of the bright sunlight to the darkened room. After a moment to adjust their eyes to the change, they looked around the room. The woman pointed to the door on the left.

"That's the bedroom," she told them.

"Thank you, ma'am." Roy responded as he set down his equipment and crossed the room to the door. He peered into the other room which appeared to be even darker than the living room. Both he and Johnny became quickly aware of how hot the rooms were. That the windows were all shut and no air conditioning was apparent. Roy flipped the light switch inside the door to on but nothing happened.

The woman was beginning to fan herself with her hand."Why is it so hot in here?" she wondered aloud.

Johnny nodded in agreement as sweat dripped from his forehead beneath his helmet. He shifted uneasily, wishing they could leave.

"Hello? Fire department," Roy called again. His eyes were adjusting to the available light and he thought he could make out someone on the bed. He entered the room and went to the bed. An elderly man lay in the fetal position, clutching the telephone receiver in his hand. Roy reached down and checked for a pulse. It was extremely weak and the man's skin was extremely hot.

"Johnny! He's in here. We're gonna need an ambulance. It's way too hot in this room. I think it's better if we move him outside."

"You need me to help you move him?" Johnny asked from the doorway.

Roy scooped the man quickly into his arms. He was startled at how light the man was. "No, I've got him." Johnny stood aside as Roy carried the man from the room to the fresh air and laid him on the grass. Johnny contacted dispatch for the ambulance.

"Oh, dear," the neighbor woman began worrying anxiously. "Will he be okay?"

Johnny set up the bio-phone to contact Rampart base."We don't know yet, ma'am. We're contacting the hospital right now," he explained. She nodded, worriedly. "Rampart. This is County 51. How do you read?"

Dr. Joe Early's voice responded from the base station."Go ahead, 51."

"Rampart, we have an elderly male, approximately 70 years of age. He's unconscious and appears to be suffering from heat stroke. Victim was found in an unventilated apartment with no electricity. The skin is dry and extremely hot. Oral temperature is 106. Pulse is 130. Respiration's are 35. BP is 100 over 50. Rampart be advised that victim has been moved to the outdoors."

"10-4, 51. Start double IVs with normal saline solution. Cool the body down as much as possible and transport as soon as possible."

"10-4, Rampart."

Roy opened the sterile burn pack and placed Mr. Allred carefully on the sheet. Both he and Johnny covered his body with the dressings and began pouring the sterile water over him in an effort to bring down his body temperature.

"51 do you have ice available at your location," Dr. Early asked.

"Negative, Rampart," Johnny began when he was interrupted by the neighbor.

"You need ice? I can get you what I have in the freezer," she offered.

"Thank you, ma'am. That would be helpful. Rampart, a neighbor is going to provide some ice."

"It won't take me but a moment." She hurried back around the fence and into her apartment. She returned a few moments later carrying a bucket full of ice cubes and two frozen trays."Here you are, boys! Will this do?" she asked breathlessly as she returned.

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you so much," Roy responded gratefully taking the ice from her and handing it to Johnny. It wasn't enough but they knew it would help. They began to place the ice along the burn pack as the ambulance arrived.

Roy climbed into the ambulance and Johnny returned to clean up. The neighbor anxiously watched as the ambulance disappeared down the street. She clutched at her heart in a gesture of distress.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" Johnny asked in concern.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine. I'm just worried about Mr. Allred. He's such a nice man. He's been my neighbor for so many years. I can't imagine why he didn't have any electricity."

"Perhaps you should check with the power company," Johnny suggested. She considered this for a moment and nodded.

"I suppose so. You know he's on a fixed income. I wonder if he was trying to save money on the electric bill?"

"I don't know ma'am but that apartment had no electricity at all." He picked up the ice trays and bowl and handed them back to the neighbor.

"Thank you for the ice, Mrs...?"

"Oh, Mrs. Neville. No problem. I'm glad I could help. Where did you say you were taking him?"

"Rampart General. He's very fortunate to have you for a neighbor, Mrs. Neville. You may have saved his life."

Mrs. Neville just nodded, tears welling in her eyes.

"Well, you boys, take good care of him."

"The doctors at Rampart will do just that. Thanks, again for your help."

Johnny replaced the equipment in the squad and drove off with a wave to Mrs. Neville.

###

By the time Johnny arrived at the hospital, Roy had restocked the drug box and was waiting for him at the nurse's station, drinking a cup of coffee. Dixie McCall was filling out information on the chart in front of her.

"Hi, Dix," Johnny greeted as he joined them. "How's Mr. Allred doing?"

"He was in pretty bad shape. Very dehydrated but he's got a good chance at recovering," Dixie informed him.

"Well, that's good. Mrs. Neville will be relieved."

"Mrs. who?" Roy asked. "Oh, you mean the neighbor? I was just telling Dixie about her."

"Yeah, sounds like Mr. Allred wouldn't be with us if she hadn't been there."

"Yes, she was a big help. Of course, if Mr. Allred hadn't made the call in the first place, he could have died in the stuffy apartment," Roy commented

"Mrs. Neville thinks he was trying to save money by not running the air conditioning but I think the electricity had been turned off," Johnny lamented.

"That's terrible," Dixie exclaimed. "It's such a shame that elderly people like that feel they have to deprive themselves of the basic necessities. LA is too hot in the summer to go without air conditioning."

"Especially if you're elderly," Roy added. "Somebody really ought to do something to help people like that, you know?"

Both Johnny and Dixie nodded in agreement. Roy put down the coffee cup and closed the drug box.

"Well, Junior, we better get back to work."

"Yeah, later Dix," John replied as they turned to return to the station.

###

09:36

Roy backed the squad into the truck bay. Marco ran up to the squad before either one could exit.

"Roy! Johnny!" he cried in concern.

"What is it, Marco. What's wrong!" Roy and Johnny were alarmed at the tone of Marco's voice. It told them that something was definitely wrong.

"Mike's missing!" he said breathlessly.

"Missing! Mike? What do you mean, missing?" Johnny asked before Roy could.

Marco shook his head. "Dunno. Cap's been on the phone for the past twenty minutes."

"Did he call Beth?" Roy asked.

"Yeah, right after you guys left on your run. She said he left at his usual time. Of course, now, she's going half crazy."

"Have there been any TAs in that area?"

Marco shook his head again. The three men walked into the day room and sat down at the table. Chet Kelly sat on the sofa, not reading the paper.

"This feels so weird," Chet said quietly.

The others just nodded in agreement. Dave Daniels entered the room. Daniels had been called in to relieve Ken Conyers and sub for Mike.

"Hi, guys. Any word?" he asked as he entered the room having already been apprised of the situation.

The silence was deafening. Roy stood up and walked over to the pay phone."I think I call Joanne. Maybe she can go over and stay with Beth."

Just as he was dialing the Cap came into the room. His face look grim. Five pairs of eyes looked at him expectantly."Sorry, guys. No news. The police are looking for his car. All we can do is wait for some news."

"I was just going to call Joanne," Roy explained.

"Good idea. Emily's on her way over to Stoker's right now. I'm sure Beth would appreciate it."

Roy nodded and completed his call.

###

09:43

The klaxons sounded just as Roy was saying goodbye. The station was called out on a fire. The crew was somber as they left the station.

###

07:15

Mike Stoker had stopped to buy gas on his way into work. He was feeling carefree as he pumped gas into the tank. Gas had come down 2 cents a gallon. He felt pretty pleased with his savings.

He was whistling as he returned to his car after paying the attendant. He really didn't notice the man on the other side of the pump until he reached for his door handle. Then the unmistakable feel of a gun barrel in his ribs stopped him.

"Don't say anything," the gun man warned. Mike began to raise his hands in compliance. The gun jabbed sharply."Keep your hands down. Get in the car!" he ordered.

"Sure, sure. Anything you say," Mike tried to sound calm. He started to fold his body into the seat as he heard another vehicle drive into the station. The gunman panicked and swung at Mike's head with the butt of the gun, clipping him behind the ear. Mike saw stars and fell into the car, unconscious.

The gunman then pushed Mike to the passenger side of the vehicle, grabbed the keys from his limp hand, and started the engine. Quickly he drove from the station, pulling into the heavy morning rush hour traffic. He anxiously gripped the steering wheel. trying to calm his breathing. Silently he prayed that no one had seen him hit the man who lay unconscious beside him. He needed time to think now. He needed to decide what to do.

###

10:40

The crew returned from their run. It had been a small fire and fortunately no injuries. The Cap called Beth as soon as he entered his office. Emily had answered the phone and quietly told him that the police had been able to track down the fact that Mike had bought gas that morning. The attendant didn't recall anything out of the usual. They had a charge receipt with Mike's signature but no other sign of Mike's whereabouts. Beth had become extremely upset. Joanne and Emily were doing all they could but just waiting was unbearable.

Facing his crew, Cap gave them the update. The men waited restlessly. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. It would be a long day.

###

10:30

California Highway Patrol's officers Frank Poncherello and Jon Baker headed their motorcycles southbound on the 405 on patrol. The radio crackled to life. Dispatch: "All units. All units. A-P-B. Be on the lookout for a 1972 blue Chevrolet, 2-door. California license tag: Alpha Edward Xray Five Niner Two. Vehicle and owner reported missing. Be advised that owner is LA County fireman, Michael Stoker."

"10-4, Dispatch," Jon responded. Ponch nodded that he copied the transmission. One more thing for them to do on the busy LA freeways.

Traffic was heavy this morning with computers rushing to their jobs. A lot of cars to look at. A blue car sailed past and Ponch glanced at the Ford, dismissing it since it didn't match the description.

###

9:40

The gunman was running out of options. The street traffic had been so congested that he was beginning to panic. He pulled into another convenience store and counted the money he had taken earlier. Not nearly enough. He pulled the wallet from his hostage's back pocket to see what kind of cash he had in it. Only a couple of dollars. He swore when he saw Mike's official id. No doubt about it. They'd be looking for him now. He stuffed the money in his pocket. He swore under his breath again. He needed more cash but this place was too busy. He put the car in reverse and turned around before pulling back unto the street. He was running out of options.

10:40

Another hour of driving around fighting the heavy flow of traffic. The man still had not moved and he worried that perhaps he had killed him. He decided then that he had to get rid of the body and soon. Perhaps if he got on the freeway he could make it to Mexico and then he would be out of Los Angeles. He decided to head south and pulled into the traffic easing onto the 405. Jon and Ponch were approaching Carson Blvd. when a car matching the APB pulled onto the freeway. They maneuvered their bikes to get a better look at the license tag. They had a match. Jon called it in. As they turned on their lights and sirens, the car jackrabbited and the pursuit was on!

The gunman jammed on the gas and the car lurched forward as he began to weave in and out of traffic. Mike's limp body slid into the floor board of the passenger side. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness. He felt confused and disoriented. His head hurt and the grit from the floor mats crushed into his cheeks. What the hell was going on? He tried to right himself but the speed and movement of the car, continued to force him back down. Suddenly, he recalled the gunman at the gas station and a chill shuddered through his body when he realized just what was happening. Somewhere, he could hear sirens. Definitely police sirens.

Ponch and Jon weaved in and out of the traffic, trying to keep up with the speeding vehicle. The traffic flow didn't afford the cars stuck in it to move out of the way of approaching CHP officers. The blue car continued it's reckless abandonment and actually sideswiped several cars failing to get out of his path.

Mike felt the impact reverberate through the car and he winced with pain. If only he could get up. He tried to roll onto his left side to face toward the seat. There wasn't much room to maneuver but he managed enough to see over his shoulder. The gunman was frantically trying to watch the traffic and the approaching police. Mike could tell from their sirens that they couldn't be too far away. He assessed his position. His right leg was partially leaning on the seat bench. If he could get some leverage, he might be able to thrust a kick. He watched for the gunman to turn his head to the left.

As soon as he did, Mike kicked his right leg straight out, pushing hard into the gunman's leg. The movement caught the gunman off guard, causing him to scream in pain and lose his grip on the steering wheel. Mike felt the car go into a spin, jolting as they crashed into other vehicles and bounced off the median wall. Then there was the sickening crunch as the car rear ended another vehicle.

Ponch and Jon watched in horror as the vehicle went out of control. First, it clipped a car in the fast lane, did a 360 into the median wall, and finally crashing into a farm truck filled with broccoli. The entire load tumbled down on the hood and through the shattered windshield, literally burying Mike, the gunman, and the car.

Ponch called in the TA, requesting fire and rescue to their location. All in all, at least six cars had been damaged and the freeway had been ground to a complete halt. Jon reached Mike's car first, not sure what he would find. He drew his gun and aimed it at the driver's side of the vehicle. The gunman was trying to push stalks to broccoli away so he could reach the door handle.

"Police. Don't move! Put your hands in the air," he ordered. The gunman angrily turned his head to face Jon. Then facing the inevitable, he slowly raised his hands above the sea of green. Jon moved in and secured the man's wrists with handcuffs. Only then did he relax.

"Is there anyone else in the vehicle?" he demanded. The gunman remained silent.

Angered by the man's attitude, Jon read him his rights. Ponch came up beside him. "You got him covered, partner?" he quipped, starring at all the broccoli as he removed his sun glasses.

"Very funny, Ponch," Jon retorted. "You wanna go check on the other drivers? See if we have any serious injuries."

Just then the produce driver came around to the back of the truck. A Hispanic man of about 50 years old, he began a litany of Spanish, obviously, extremely upset about the damage to his truck and his produce. Ponch tried to calm the man down and eventually got him to return to the cab of the truck and sit down.

###

10:50

The klaxon sounded in Station 51. Dispatch: "Engine 51, Squad 51, Engine 28, Squad 28. Multiple TA. 405 Freeway. Southbound below Carson Blvd. Time out: 10:50." The crew ran to their machines in response.

"Station 51. KMG365," Captain Stanley responded. Passing the slip to Roy, he hurried to the engine. The two trucks rushed into the street, lights and sirens going at full tilt.

Roy lead the way as they approached the 405 ramp. Traffic was at a stand still. Roy pulled into the emergency lane and headed towards the accident scene. They could see the blue and red flashing lights of a CHP patrol car ahead of them. Roy pulled up behind the stopped patrol car. Bear ran up to Roy's window.

"Most of the injuries are minor but there are a lot of damaged vehicles," he informed them.

"Any way we can get the squad and the engine through here?"

"We're in the process of moving the cars off at the next exit ramp so that we can make room for you guys."

"Can you open some room for us to go around your vehicle now? We need to be able to get the victims as soon as possible. Minutes could be critical."

"Sure thing!" He turned and ran up to the vehicles stopped in the number one lane. The drivers pulled their cars as much as they could towards the number two lane. Then the Bear pulled his car over as well. There was just barely enough room for Roy to squeak the squad through. The engine would have to wait for more space.

They continued up the emergency lane until they reached Ponch and Jon's location. They jumped from the squad and grabbed their gear and weaved across the lanes of idle traffic until they reached the CHP officers.

"What do we have?" Roy asked as he reached them. Jon nodded at the broccoli encased car.

"We spotted this missing car and this guy made a run for it." The gunman turned and looked at Jon with a murderous look in his eyes.

Johnny was checking out the vehicle from the passenger side. Broccoli spilled over the top and sides, literally burying the entire vehicle."We're gonna need shovels to dig out of this mess," he said to Roy. He put down the trauma box and hurried back to squad for some tools.

Roy contacted the Cap on his H.T. "Squad 51 to Engine 51. Cap, we need manpower down here. Can you send Chet and Marco with some shovels?"

"Sure thing, Roy. It's gonna take a few minutes. They'll have to come on foot."

"Understood. Squad 51 out."

Ponch had overheard the transmission. "We could go back and pick them up," he offered.

"That would be great," Roy admitted but looked nervously at the driver with his hands above his head in handcuffs.

"I don't think he's going anywhere," Jon commented as he mounted his bike. The engines roared to life and they turned their bikes around and headed back to the engine's location. Chet and Marco were already jogging towards them when the two CHPs officers reached them. The each hopped on the rear of the bikes and in moments they were delivered to Roy at the head of the line.

It didn't take the firemen very long to remove enough of the vegetable to extricate the driver. As Jon was removing the driver to a CHP patrol car, Chet got a good look at the vehicle they were uncovering.

"Johnny! Roy!" he shouted. "This is Mike's car!"

All four firemen stopped in their tracks and stared in disbelief. The same thought crossed each of their minds at the same time. "What if Mike was in the car?" With renewed effort they tackled the mounds of broccoli crowns.

"I see a leg," Roy shouted. They converged on the front seat of the car and feverishly tossed the vegetable out of their way. Quickly they unearthed Mike's unmoving form.

"Mike, buddy. Can you hear me?" Roy called anxiously. He reached for the carotid artery and found a steady pulse.

"He's alive!" he announced. A collective sigh escaped the lips of the other firemen. In moments they had Mike on a back board and out of the vehicle. Once on the ground, they quickly assessed that there didn't seem to be any fractures, just a nasty bump on the back of his head. Roy contacted Rampart on the bio-phone.

"Go ahead, 51," Dr. Brackett instructed.

"Rampart, we have a male TA victim, age 33. No apparent fractures. Patient is unconscious. He has suffered trauma to the head. Be advised that victim is Mike Stoker. Stand by for vitals."

Johnny quickly gave Roy his findings which Roy relayed to Dr. Brackett. In moments they had Mike stabilized and ready for transport to the hospital. The engine was finally able to reach the accident sight. Several ambulances followed them in.

Hank swung down from the rig and ran over to Chet and Marco who were kneeling down beside Mike's still form. Chet moved to make room for the Captain to get close to his engineer. A wave of relief washed over Hank as he said a silent prayer of thanks. He asked where Roy and Johnny were. Marco explained that they had gone to check on the other drivers. They were staying with Mike until the ambulance could reach them. The Cap nodded with understanding.

When the stretcher reached Mike, the Cap contacted Roy on the H.T. to let him know the ambulance was ready to transport.

"10-4, Cap." Roy called over to Johnny. "I'm going in the ambulance with Mike now. You okay here?"

Johnny waved with understanding as he continued to check out the rest of the drivers. It was a miracle that none of the other drivers were seriously injured. Mostly bumps and bruises. Still it took time to check each one out. When the paramedics from Station 28 arrived, the Cap released Johnny to Rampart.

###

Mike regained consciousness on the ride into Rampart. Other than the concussion from the blow to his head, there wasn't anything else wrong with him. The jostling from the wreck would leave him with sore muscles for days besides having a tremendous headache. Dr. Brackett insisted on keeping him overnight for observation.

Beth, Emily and Joanne all arrived at the hospital as he was being moved upstairs to his room. Beth held his hand as she accompanied him to his room. The relief each of the women felt could only be identified with the understanding that the wife of a fireman knows.

Joanne found Roy in the doctor's lounge. She rushed into his embrace and they held tightly unto each other. Emily discretely exited the room to give them some privacy. She had hoped that Hank would have been there and was disappointed that he wasn't. She saw Johnny down at the nurse's station and wished that he would notice her. She didn't want to interrupt. He was drinking coffee and talking to the head nurse. Emily remember her name. Dixie. She waited a moment longer and then she turned and took a seat in the waiting room.

Johnny finally sauntered down the hall, headed for the lounge when he saw Emily Stanley sitting alone in the waiting area.

"Emily!" he called. She looked so forlorn. "Are you okay?"

She looked up as he called her name and forced a smile."Hi, Johnny. How's it going?"

"A lot better. Did you see Mike?"

She nodded. "Just briefly. Beth's with him now."

"That's good. Say, you want some coffee? We could go to the lounge...."

"Joanne's in there with Roy. I was trying to give them some privacy."

"Oh. Who's watching the kids?"

"Our next door neighbor. She's been a life saver more than once."

Johnny nodded with understanding."Well, listen, Roy and I need to make ourselves available. Anything I can do for you?"

"Just tell that Captain of yours, that his wife loves him and to be careful."

"Sure thing, Em."

Just then Roy and Joanne came out of the lounge, arm in arm.

"Hi Emily."

"Hi Roy. It's good to see you."

"You too."

Just then the H.T. came to life."Squad 51 what is your status?"

"Squad 51 available." Johnny spoke into the handset.

"10-4, 51. Standby." Moments later the tones sounded and Roy and Johnny rushed off to their next call.

###

09:00, the next morning.

Mike was resting somewhat uncomfortably in his hospital bed, hoping against hope that Dr. Brackett would let him go home and sleep in his own bed. The door opened and the crew of 51 entered the room. The look on their faces more than expressed their relief that their buddy was going to recover completely. Chet held his right arm behind his back as he waited for everyone to say hello.

"Thanks guys, this means a lot," Mike said quietly.

"How's the head?" Johnny asked.

"It hurts. A lot," Mike tried not to laugh as he said it.

"You're really lucky that's all you hurt," Marco commented.

"Yeah, your car is toast," Hank added.

Mike looked over at Chet and wondered what he was up to. He had that look on his face.

"What? What?" Chet feigned innocence.

"What's up, Chester B?" Mike demanded.

Johnny and Roy started to snicker. Mike looked in all their faces trying to guess what it was.

"We brought you your favorite plant," Chet said with a fanfare and pulled from behind his back a bouquet of broccoli stalks.

Mike looked at the greens with a puzzled look on his face. "I don't get it," he said. "MY favorite plant?"

"It is now," chuckled Roy. "About a ton of this stuff saved your life yesterday."

Mike was still confused. He had no memory of the final crash and never saw the broccoli.

Roy turned to Johnny. "You want to tell him about the 'Great Broccoli Caper'?"

"I'd be honored. Well, you see, Mike, it was like this...."

Mike inwardly groaned and tried to slip under the covers as Chet tried to interrupt Johnny, then Marco started his version. Pretty soon, all five of them were telling him their version of the rescue. Mike silently prayed for a nurse to come in and rescue him NOW.

END

"The Great Broccoli Caper" ©1999 Nancy F. Thysell. "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

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