Dog Day Afternoon

By Nancy F. Thysell (the NiFTy Lady)

The heat from the apartment fire was intense. Thick smoke surrounded the crew of Engine 51 as they fought the blaze. Marco Lopez and Chet Kelly advanced with a two-and-a-half inch line. The roar of the fire blocked out the sirens of the approaching second alarm responses. Captain Stanley sent his two paramedics, John Gage and Roy DeSoto, to check the four-story building for victims. Fortunately, it was a mid-afternoon alarm and the majority of the occupants were at work. The few that remained were evacuated safely. So far, the fire was contained to the third and fourth floors

Hoses snaked to life as the water pressure charged through the lax lines towards the nozzles. Firemen from Station 36 entered the inferno with determination as Truck Company 127 prepared an aerial assault to the roof.

Johnny and Roy began searching the second floor. Hazy smoke filled the corridors. They made their way down the hall, knocking on the doors, listening and then marking each door with a large X. Johnny stopped in front of a door and thought he heard sounds coming from the interior of the apartment. He rapped as hard as he could, shouting, "Fire department! Is anyone in there?"

There was no response, but Johnny was sure he had heard something. He looked around for Roy and saw him further down the hall. He caught Roy's attention and signaled to him. Roy responded with a wave. He felt the door for heat and then, steeling himself briefly and wielding his forcible entry tool, he broke the door open. Visibility was practically non-existent in the smoke filled apartment. He could hear his breathing resonate through the mask into his ears. He looked quickly about the room, saw no one, but decided to keep checking. Roy appeared beside him.

"What have you got?" Roy's voice was muffled by his mask.

Johnny turned to his partner. "I thought I heard something in here." Roy nodded and indicated he'd search the left side of the apartment.

The paramedic called again, "Fire department! Is anyone in here?" Then he heard it. A faint whimpering coming from the back of the apartment. A door to the bedroom stood open. The sound was coming from there. "Hello?" he called. The pit of his stomach tightened. He worried if perhaps it was a child, hiding in the closet or under the bed. Instinctively, Johnny started to reach for the closet door when he detected the sound coming from under the bed. Leaning down, he searched under the bed with his flashlight. Suddenly, the light was caught in two red-glowing orbs. It startled Johnny at first, but then he relaxed when he realized that it was a poodle. The dog was shaking and watched the fireman warily as he tried to reach her. She was backed up to the head of the bed -- just out of his reach. He knew that time was becoming critical, but he didn’t want to spook her either.

Roy entered the room and watched his partner stand up. "Johnny! Do you need me?" he yelled. Roy's alarm on his tank was ringing.

"Go ahead, I'll be right behind ya!" Johnny promised as he began removing the bedding, pushing the mattress to the side until he could slide the box spring off the bed frame enough to expose the dog. She cowered as she suddenly lost her cover and whimpered again. Johnny stepped over the rail and stooped over to reach her. She squirmed as he lifted her up.

"It’s okay, sweetheart," Johnny told her in his best bedside manner. She began panting. Johnny grabbed the sheet off the bed and wrapped the shaking dog securely in it. He smiled as he turned and exited the apartment, a satisfied smile on his face. Ah -- John Gage to the rescue once again!

The warning bell on his tank began sounding as he reached the ground floor. He pulled off his mask as he exited the building. He spotted Roy by the squad. A look of relief crossed Roy’s face as his younger partner approached, then changed to curiosity. Johnny was carrying a moving bundle in his arms and had a huge grin on his face.

"What..." Roy began as Johnny opened the sheet and pulled forth the frightened animal. She began frantically licking at Johnny’s face.

He laughed as he moved his new friend away from his face. "Found her whimpering under that bed."

"Uh-huh," Roy responded and reached out to pet the animal. She immediately snapped at him and growled until he lowered his hand. "A little touchy, isn’t she?"

"Well, you must admit, Roy, I do have a way with the ladies." Johnny grinned. Roy couldn’t help himself and responded with a ‘here we go again’ smile.

Captain Stanley approached. The fire was finally under control and he began directing the cleanup through his HT. He stopped in front the two paramedics and sized up the situation. "What’s with the dog, Gage?"

"Oh, she’s fine, Cap. I just rescued her from the building," Johnny responded, giving the Captain his trademark grin.

"Well, is she okay? I mean no smoke inhalation or injury?"

Johnny shook his head. "Don’t think so."

"Then I suggest you find someone to look after her so you two can get back to work."

"Yes, Cap," Roy and Johnny responded in unison. They watched their Captain walk away, continuing to speak into his HT.

Roy looked at Johnny for a moment and then asked, "So what are you going to do with the dog?"

A puzzled look crossed Johnny’s face. Roy could practically see the gears in motion and the light come on in Johnny’s head.

Suddenly, Johnny grinned as he summed up the situation. "We’ll just track down the manager. He should know who had pets and who didn’t. Heck, he probably knows her and who her owner is."

"Well, we can’t make ourselves available until we do this, so let’s go find the manager."

When they finally tracked down the apartment manager, a Mr. George Madison, he was involved in an urgent conversation with the Red Cross representative that had responded to the incident to help arrange housing for the displaced apartment dwellers. Both men glanced up at the paramedics’ intrusion.

"May I help you?" Mr. Madison, a short, stocky man with balding hair, finally asked.

"Yeah," Johnny replied, pointing to the dog. "We rescued this dog from one of your apartments."

Mr. Madison looked blankly at Johnny and then down at the animal. "That’s impossible. My building doesn’t..." he hesitated and corrected himself,"...didn’t allow pets. What apartment did you find it in?"

"I’m not sure sir. I was on the second floor when I found her." He could tell that Mr. Madison was mentally going over a list of tenants on that floor.

"No,...no," he concluded. "That animal couldn’t possibly have been in MY building."

"But, sir. I found her in there and brought her out," Johnny tried to explain.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" Frustration flashed through his face. "I’ve got an entire building of tenants that are homeless! I don’t give a flip about that damn dog!"

"But what about it’s owner," Roy asked. "Whoever it is will want to know what happened to their pet."

"It’s not my responsibility," Mr. Madison snapped. "I’ve got enough to take care of."

"Sir, I understand what..." Johnny began before Mr. Madison cut him off.

"Listen, I don’t CARE what you do with it. Just get it out of here." With that he summarily dismissed the paramedics and turned back to the man from the Red Cross.

The Red Cross representative spoke up as they left. "Just call Animal Control. They can hold it until the owner comes for it."

Roy nodded and thanked him. Johnny was building to a slow burn. "Man, do you believe that guy?!"

"Now, Johnny, he’s under a lot of pressure there. Right now, one little dog means nothing to him." They crossed to the squad and noticed Captain Stanley looking in their direction. "Well, you’d better come up with a good reason for still having that dog, quick!" Roy warned.

"I’ll call Animal Control," Johnny conceded. He opened the squad door and picked up the mike and asked dispatch to respond Animal Control to their location.

"Gage, I thought I told you to get rid of that animal!" The Captain growled.

"I’m trying, Cap, really. I just put in a call for Animal Control."

Stanley was not buying it. "Uh-huh. And just what is their ETA?"

"About 15 minutes."

Hank wasn’t too pleased with that answer either. "Well, since you have some time to waste, you two can go help Chet and Marco with cleanup."

"Uh, Cap, what should I do with the dog, then?" Johnny asked hopefully, thinking the Captain would leave him to look after her.

"John, put her in the squad," Stanley said evenly. "It’s only going to be for a few minutes."

"But, Cap -- what if she has an accident?"

"Then, I guess you get to clean it up. Now, get going."

"Right, Cap." Johnny nodded agreement and put the dog inside the cab. He rolled the windows partially up and closed the door. Immediately, she began to whine and paw at the window. Johnny looked back at the pitiful little animal and felt his heart ache. But Roy was pulling at him to move along. They moved toward the building with their gear. Suddenly Johnny felt another presence and looked down. There was the little dog, heeling to his every move. "Damn, how did you get out?" He looked at Roy who shrugged his shoulders.

"You’d better put her back before Cap sees you."

Johnny hurried her back to the squad and rolled the window up higher. The dog began crying before the door shut. "Don’t worry," he told her. "Someone will be here any minute to get you, okay?" Her eyes pleaded with him not to go. "Stay here. Stay." He ordered and hurried back to his task. He had hardly begun when, again, he felt that presence and looked down. There she was, prancing around his legs. He reached down and picked her up and placed her inside his jacket. He felt her heave a sigh and snuggle against his chest. Smiling, he went back to work. He began to wonder what her owner would do when they discovered her missing. He found Roy and told him that he was going up to the second floor to try and find the apartment that he had found the dog in.

Roy nodded, not saying anything about the enlargement of Johnny’s turnout coat.

It didn’t take long to find it. As he entered the living room, the dog began trembling. He whispered soothing messages to his passenger as he moved around the room. Water dripped from the ceiling. Soot marred the walls, but fire hadn’t touched this apartment. Johnny found mail on a table and flipped through to read the name of the occupant. Several were addressed to R. Goodwin, occupant and a Miss Robin Goodwin.

"All right, then -- that’s making progress." He smiled and peeked inside the coat. The dog was still trembling and looked at Johnny with huge liquid eyes.

"Don’t worry. I’ll find her for ya," he promised.

His HT crackled. "Gage! Animal Control is here. Where the heck is that dog?" the Captain’s voice insisted.

"Uh, be right there, Cap."

***

It was hard to put her in the cage of the Animal Control truck but he knew he didn’t have a choice. She looked up at him with those big brown eyes and shivered. "Don’t worry, I’ll tell Miss Goodwin where you are. These guys will take good care of you ‘til then," Johnny promised.

Jim Waters of Animal Control was making out a report slip. "Hey, John, what’s her name?"

"Sorry, Jim. She wasn’t wearing a collar."

"Well, she sure took a shine to you." He looked into the compartment. The dog had curled up in a ball.

"She sure is sweet," Johnny agreed and then added, "Oh, by the way, the owner’s name is Robin, uh, Goodwin. She’s probably at work."

"Oh, really. You don’t know the name of the dog but you know the owner’s. Just how did you learn that?" Jim demanded.

"Went back to the apartment to see what I could find. I found her name on the mail," Johnny explained.

"Yeah, right. You’ve probably been having a torrid affair with the woman."

"Oh, come off it, Jim." Sometimes his reputation with the ladies wore a little thin.

Jim laughed in response. "Thanks for the info -- we’ll notify the Red Cross. They’ll track her down." He peeked into the kennel again and glanced at Johnny. "I dunno Gage, I have a feeling you’re breaking somebody’s heart right now." As if on cue, the tiny dog began whimpering.

"That’s what she was doing when I found her," Johnny said softly.

Jim got into the cab of the vehicle and waved to Johnny as he passed by. "Later, John."

Johnny returned to the squad. Roy was waiting for him and was telling dispatch that they were available. Johnny sat down heavily. He could still hear her whimpering. "I sure hope her owner gets to her soon. She’s really scared."

Roy gave Johnny a sideways glance. He couldn’t believe that Johnny had become that attached, so quickly. But then, this was his partner, and Johnny was a sucker for anything female. He just smiled and headed the squad back to the station.

***

Robin Goodwin stood up from her desk, smoothed her skirt and picked up a manila folder. She opened the folder and flipped through several sheets inside. She automatically reached up to grab a pencil she had tucked in her auburn hair. It was a habit she formed as a young girl when she wore her hair in a ponytail. Now she wore her shoulder length hair up in a twist. Robin pushed her reading glasses back up on the bridge of her nose, made a mark on one of the sheets with the pencil and began absently chewing on the eraser end. The telephone rang and broke her concentration.

"Research, Miss Goodwin speaking," she said, speaking into the receiver. "Hello, Mr. Madison." She was a little surprised that her landlord would be calling her at work. He sounded strange. She worried that maybe Princess had made her presence known.

"I hate to disturb you at work, Miss Goodwin but there's been a fire. I'm afraid that the entire building is a loss."

"What?!" She sank to her chair as Mr. Madison delivered the news about the fire. She was afraid to ask about her pet, knowing she wasn’t supposed to have one in her apartment.

"I'm calling all the tenants to let them know," Madison informed. He sounded irritated with his task.

"When can I get back into my apartment?" she asked tentatively.

"Well, for the time being, no one will be allowed into the building. The county wants the building inspected for structural integrity first," he snapped at her. Madison was getting a bit weary of having to repeat this same information to each and every tenant. He wasn't a patient man and this situation was only aggravating his disposition. Before Robin could ask another question he informed her that the Red Cross had made arrangements at a nearby motel for any tenant that needed it. Robin had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew she had to ask about her pet and dreaded having to do so.

"Mr. Madison, uh, did anyone rescue a poodle?"

To her dismay, Mr. Madison tore off on a tirade directed at her disregard for his apartment building and the other tenants. But, finally at the end when he had let off enough steam, he informed her that the firemen had done "something" with it. Then abruptly, Mr. Madison curtly told her whom to contact at the Red Cross and hung up.

Robin lowered the receiver to its cradle. Tears stung her eyes as she said a silent prayer for the fire department and for rescuing her pet. Her supervisor was informed next about the fire. He was understanding and told her to leave if she needed to go. She thanked him and then placed a call to the Red Cross and found out what arrangements had been made. During that call she asked about her dog and was informed that Animal Control had her. She would have to pick her up before 5 p.m. She got directions and hurried to her car. Robin glanced down at her wristwatch. Oh, dear, it's after four already!

***

Just minutes before five, she pulled her vehicle into the parking lot. She jumped from the car and ran to the door. As Robin opened it, Jim Waters was reaching for the lock with his key. "I’m sorry miss, but we’re closed now," he informed her.

"No! No! You can’t! You have my dog. Please! I need to get my dog!" Tears welled up in her eyes and began to streak down her cheeks. It wasn’t just her pet that made her so emotional. The realization that her home was gone, all her possessions and not knowing if her pet was okay, was more than she could bear. The young woman broke into sobs.

Jim felt a wave of helplessness rush over him. He wasn’t sure what to do. Mac McKinsey looked up from the desk. "Now, Jim what did you go and do that for!" he scolded. Jim gave him a dirty look. He took Robin by the arm and led her inside the room. "Here, miss. Sit down here," he directed and tired to pat her comfortingly on the shoulder. Robin sat down, still sobbing.

"I’m sorry," she tried to explain between the sobs. "I don’t usually behave like this."

Mac pulled a box of tissues out of a desk drawer and tossed the box to Jim. The boxed jiggled off his fingers before he had a firm grip on it. Then he offered the box to Robin, who grabbed a handful. Gradually her breathing slowed as she regained her composure. Finally, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and blew her nose.

"I’m terribly sorry," she apologized again. She looked at Jim with earnest eyes. "Please, I need to get my baby. She might be all I have left."

"I’m sorry, what?"

"The fire today. The fire department rescued my dog and...."

"Oh, you must be Miss Goodwin," Jim said as the information clicked in his head.

It surprised Robin. "Yes, I am. How did you know my name?"

"I’m Jim Waters. The fireman that rescued your dog found your name on a letter in the apartment. They called me and I brought your little dog in. I’ll go get her for you." He smiled broadly at her. He started walking to the back and asked, "What’s her name, anyway?"

"Princess."

"You know, you should really have her wear a collar and name tag."

"But she’s an inside dog," she tried to explain as he disappeared through a door at the rear.

A few minutes later he returned with Princess tucked under his arm. Upon seeing her mistress, she immediately perked up and began to struggle to free herself from this man’s grasp. Jim set her down and she scampered across the tile floor to Robin, leaping in the air when she reached her side. Robin reached down and enveloped the small dog in her arms.

"Oh, Princess. I thought I had lost you. Are you okay? Is Momma's girl okay?" Princess responded with rapid licks of the tongue on Robin’s face. She laughed and cried with happiness. "I don’t know how to thank you."

Mac put up a hand. "No need. We were just doing our jobs. Glad to be of service."

"But you’ve done so much." She hugged Princess to her bosom.

"Actually, Miss, it’s the fire department you should be thanking," Jim told her.

"Yes, you’re right. How do I contact them?"

"Do you know where Station Fifty-one is?"

"I think so. It’s about two miles from my apartment."

"You should go by there. You’ll want to talk to Fireman/Paramedic John Gage. He’s the one who found her. And ..." He hesitated for emphasis. "I think Princess there is quite smitten with him."

"Really?" Robin smiled and looked down at Princess. "Does Momma’s girl have a new boyfriend?" Princess barked and licked her mouth. Robin looked up at Jim and offered her hand. "Thank you for all your help. I think we’ll go by the fire station before we find our motel for the night. I don’t know what I’m going to do for clothing. Everything I owned was in that apartment."

"Well, it might not be a total loss. Sometimes you can salvage things if there isn’t a lot of smoke or water damage," Mac offered hopefully.

"That would be nice if it’s true."

"I’m sure they’ll let you know something soon," Jim said kindly.

"I hope so." She turned to the door and opened it. "I’d better get out of here. You men want to close up and go home."

"No problem," Mac called. "Bye now."

"Bye-bye, and thank you again."

"Take care," Jim admonished as he closed and locked the door.

***

Robin drove past the fire station. It wasn’t hard to find, but as she passed she noticed that the doors were closed. It seemed uninviting. She drove to the next intersection and pulled over to the curb.

She looked down at Princess in the passenger seat and stroked her head. "Maybe we need to get you taken care of first," she decided. "I think I had better pickup some food for you." Princess licked her mouth as if in agreement. As she pulled back into traffic she saw the big red fire engine returning to its station. She hesitated a moment and then decided it would be still be best if she stopped at the grocery store first.

***

Mike Stoker backed the engine into the truck bay and killed the engine and lights as Chet and Marco climbed down. Captain Stanley wearily hung up his turnout coat and hat inside the rig. They had just returned from a dumpster fire. When would people learn not to throw lighted cigarettes into trash bins? It frustrated him to no end; besides the reports that he then had to fill out. He ran a hand through his dark hair and then rubbed his eyes. He decided it was time for coffee and headed to the kitchen.

Marco was filling the pot with water, a clear indication that no coffee would be available for a while. Hank sighed and resigned himself to the fact. He rubbed his hands together. "So, what’s for dinner?" he asked expectantly.

"Dunno," Chet replied. "Roy’s cooking, so he and Johnny were stopping off at the market."

"Oh, great!" Hank groaned inwardly. With his luck, Roy and Johnny would get called on a run before they got back to fix dinner. He was decidedly hungry. "Well, is there anything to snack on around here?" he asked hopefully, opening the refrigerator. The shelves contained various bottles of condiments and little else.

"I think Johnny hides cookies in back of the cabinet over the oven," Mike offered. "But don’t tell him I told you."

"Thanks, pal. That may hold me ‘til dinner." He reached above the oven and opened the cabinet door and felt around for the package. He quickly opened it and popped a small cookie into his mouth, chewing with satisfaction.

***

John followed Roy as he pushed the shopping cart down the aisle searching for a particular item on the list he held. "No, man -- I’m telling you Roy," Johnny was continuing his complaints, "If Cap doesn’t do something about the Phantom, I don’t know what I’m going to do!"

Johnny stopped his tirade to look at an item on the shelf. Roy continued his shopping, doing his best to ignore his partner. Johnny looked up in time to see Roy turn the corner and head towards the check out. "Hey, Roy! Wait up," he called, somewhat miffed that Roy had left him behind.

***

Robin was struggling to get a shopping cart loose from the line of carts at the front of the market. She lifted and pushed until it finally popped free. She didn’t notice the two firemen at the check out stand as she entered. Her mind was set on getting in and out so she could go by the fire station and get to her motel.

As she strolled down the pet food aisle, she mechanically picked up Princess’ favorite dog food. Then she realized that she would need a food and water dish as well. Picking up the items, her eyes fell on the array of collars and leashes. She fingered them lightly. I really should keep Princess on a leash. She checked the cash in her purse. She had enough to purchase the can of dog food, a can opener, two bowls, the leash and collar. Her heart sank as she realized she didn’t have her checkbook with her. Where did I leave my checkbook? Oh, no, I had it at the kitchen table last night when I was paying bills. That meant she wouldn’t have enough cash to feed herself. She tried to rationalize that it would be okay. If I'm very careful, I can get through tonight. I mean, it's only one meal. First thing tomorrow, I'll go to the bank and explain about the fire. Surely I can get cash from my account. Yeah, it won't be any trouble at all. With that she headed to the check out.

***

Roy placed the platter of hamburgers on the table with a flourish. "It’s about time," Chet groused as he pierced a patty off the plate with his fork. Roy gave him a withering look as Hank strode through the door, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"It’s about time," Hank said as he pulled out a chair from the table. Roy said nothing as he placed a steaming bowl of baked beans next to Johnny. The men wasted no time in putting their hamburgers together. Experience had taught them that more likely than not, that they would be called out.

***

Robin parked the car on the street and turned off the engine. She removed the collar and leash from the shopping bag and removed their tags. Princess watched her with anxious eyes. Robin smiled at her. "Oh, don’t worry baby. I just don’t want to lose you in that big old fire station." She tightened the collar around Princess’s neck and then clicked the leash to it. "It’s okay, baby. Momma’s got you." She picked up the poodle and opened the car door carefully, avoiding any oncoming traffic and stepped up on the curb.

She had to summon her courage. Rarely did Robin feel at ease in new situations. She'd never been inside a fire station before and now she was walking into one. She felt apprehensive about meeting the men who had saved her dog but she was determined to see this through. It was important to her that she let these men know how much she appreciated what they had done. Now she felt a little lightheaded and scared at the same time and she wasn't sure if she was hungry or just scared. "Now, this is silly, girl," she told herself. "Just ring the bell and get it over with." Princess squirmed in her arms and she set her down and held tightly to the leash.

"I can do this. It’ll be okay." She pushed the doorbell and heard the loud ring inside the station. She waited for what seemed forever before she heard footsteps. Robin took a deep breath as a nice looking young man in a blue uniform opened the door.

"May I help you, Miss?" Stoker politely asked.

Robin smiled nervously. "Yes, I’m looking for a,..., uh…" Why can’t I recall the name? Mike’s blue eyes held her attention. Princess started to whine and they both looked down at her.

Mike recognized the dog. "Oh, he...no the dog...I mean," Mike stammered. "Uh, this way." He led Robin and Princess into the building and to the kitchen. "Johnny, you’ve got visitors," Mike announced as he entered the day room.

Johnny swallowed a mouthful of food just as Robin followed Mike into the room. All the men rose to their feet. Princess began to bark furiously and strained at her leash as she spotted Johnny. Her nails clattered against the tile floor as she broke free and ran to Johnny. He stooped down to pick her up and she rewarded him with a shower of tongue licks.

"Well, hello there," he said sweetly. Then looking at the attractive young woman, he deduced that she must be Robin Goodwin. He gave her his best charming grin and held out his hand to her. "Hi, I'm John Gage," he said, introducing himself. He looked towards Roy and began introducing the men around the table.

Robin smiled and nodded acknowledgments as each was introduced. "It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Robin Goodwin, I wanted to thank you for rescuing my Princess."

"Well, actually, Johnny here takes full credit for that," Roy replied good-naturedly. Johnny shot him a look and turned his attention back to Robin.

"Can we get you something?" he asked, vaguely waving his hand at the table. The food smelled really good to Robin and it occurred to her that she had interrupted their dinner.

"Oh, no! I’m sorry for interrupting your meal. Please, I don’t want to be a bother."

Marco went over and pulled out a chair. "Won’t you sit down, then?" he offered. Robin gave him a small nod of thanks and took the chair. The rest of the men sat down.

"Would you like a cup of coffee, miss?" Hank offered.

Again, Robin shook her head. "No thanks, I don’t drink coffee." She felt all their eyes staring at her. She suddenly felt timid. "Perhaps a glass of water?"

"No problem," Hank told her as Chet, Marco and Johnny about fell over themselves to get it for her. She smiled shyly. She wasn’t used to this kind of attention. I can hold on for a few more minutes. Then I'll make my way to the motel and just lie down for a while. She felt shaky as she took the cool glass of water from Marco. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until she had drained the glass.

"Would you like some more?" Marco asked, somewhat surprised at the empty glass.

She nodded. "Yes, please." She was feeling a bit awkward as she drained the second glass. Robin felt all their attention on her. And she cleared her throat. "I just wanted to come by and thank all of you for what you did today. Especially, you Mister Gage..."

"Johnny. Call me Johnny." He had a really nice smile.

"Uh, Johnny, I wanted to thank you for saving Princess. She means the world to me. She’s my only family here in LA." She suddenly felt very inadequate in expressing how she felt. Tears stung at the corner of her eyes.

"No thanks necessary, miss. We were just doing our jobs," the Captain explained.

"That’s right," the others chimed in just as the klaxon sounded.

They all hesitated a moment to listen to the call out. "Station Fifty-one, unknown type rescue. 435 East Alvero Street. Four, three, five East Alvero Street. Time out 19:23."

The men responded like well-oiled machinery to the call. Johnny handed Princess back to Robin as he passed. "Sorry, we’ve got to go."

"I understand. Thanks," she replied as she held Princess close. "I need to find my motel anyway." She heard the Cap respond with the usual, "Station Fifty-one, KMG 365." The engines roared to life and lights flashed as the bay door opened. Sirens wailed as the two vehicles pulled out and into the growing twilight.

Robin rose to stand and felt her knees buckling beneath her. An alarm sounded someplace in her head. Oh, no. I think I overdid it. She sat down hard. Her breaths felt shallow. She felt a bit nauseous and her hands trembled as she took the empty glass. Sugar. I need something with sugar, she told herself. Princess whimpered as she looked up at her mistress. Perspiration was forming on Robin's lips. Everything in her being was telling her that her blood sugar was dropping dangerously low. She half laughed. This was really funny. Here I am, alone in a fire station, with no help in sight. Knowing she was headed for trouble, she looked around the table at the half-eaten food.

Nothing appeared to have much sugar in it. She was still very thirsty, but she knew that it was the diabetes talking. She needed to get her sugar up quickly. Think, Robin, think, she ordered herself. Don’t people put sugar in their coffee? Looking around the kitchen, she didn’t see anything that looked like a sugar container or anything that would help her until she noticed the refrigerator. Maybe they have some juice in there. Surely, they wouldn’t mind if I have some…

Robin put Princess on the floor and stood up carefully. The room swayed. Steadying herself with the table, she made her way towards the refrigerator. A new thought clouded her mind. She hesitated as she lost her concentration and wandered into the truck bay instead, looking around. Gee, what a big garage -- now what was I looking for? Princess pranced around her feet. Absently, she picked up the leash and returned to the day room. She saw the leather sofa across the room. It looked very inviting. I just need to rest a minute. She crossed the room on unsteady feet.

"How stupid can I be?" she asked Princess, lowering her uncooperative body onto the couch. Robin leaned back into the soft comfort of the cushions. She felt so foolish. Damn! Getting used to controlling my sugar levels has been a roller coaster ride – high sugar, low sugar. Was it only four months ago that my life was normal? Maybe controlling my diabetes with diet wasn’t such a good idea. She felt Princess curl up beside her. She closed her eyes. I’ll just rest my eyes a moment...

An hour later, Robin still hadn’t moved. Princess didn’t budge from her side, even as the noise from the returning fire trucks filled the station.

***

Roy backed the squad into its place and killed the engine. "Let’s get the log done right away," he told Johnny.

"What’s the rush?" Johnny wanted to know.

"There’s a special on at nine I’d like to see, provided we don’t get another run."

Chet came running out of the day room. "Johnny, Roy -- come quick!"

Johnny and Roy exchanged quick glances and rushed from the squad. Cap was calling a still alarm into dispatch as the two paramedics passed him. following Chet into the day room. As they entered the room, they saw Mike kneeling beside Robin.

"What the..." Roy started.

"We found her like this when we came in. We couldn’t wake her up," Marco explained. Mike moved out of the way as Roy took his place. He reached for Robin’s wrist. Princess snarled and snapped at Roy. He hesitated.

"Maybe you’d better get her vitals, Johnny," he said as he dropped his hand. "I’ll go get the gear."

"I’ll help you Roy," Chet offered and followed Roy out to the squad. Marco, Mike and Hank watched as Johnny began to examine the young woman.

"What happened?" Johnny was puzzled as he began to take her vitals. As he held Robin’s wrist, Princess began licking his. He tried not to notice. "Robin? Miss Goodwin, can you hear me?" he hollered at the unconscious woman. She slightly stirred but didn’t open her eyes.

Roy set up the bio-phone and contacted Rampart. "Rampart, this is County Fifty-one. How do you read?"

Dixie McCall's voice responded, "We read you loud and clear, fifty-one –go ahead."

Roy proceeded with the information. "We have an unconscious young woman -- about 23 years of age. Her skin is pale and cool to the touch. Respirations are 20, pulse is 98 and BP is 80 over 50."

"Ten-four, fifty-one," was Dixie's acknowledgment. "Stand by."

Roy waited and looked over at Johnny.

"What's the hold up?" Johnny asked. Roy shrugged his shoulders.

***

Dixie listened carefully and noted the vitals as Roy relayed them to her. "Stand by." She stuck her head out the door. "Carol, find Dr. Brackett," she instructed the nurse replenishing supplies. Before Carol could comply, the man in question turned the corner and overheard his name.

"Consider me found," the handsome doctor said as he crossed to Dixie. "What's up?"

Carol continued with her duties as Dixie handed over the clipboard with Fifty-one's patient information. "Unknown injuries," she informed him.

Kel took the board, puzzling over the vitals "Fifty-one, this is Dr. Brackett - do you have any additional information on the patient?"

"Negative, Rampart - she was unconscious when we found her."

"Is there any sign of trauma?" he probed.

"Negative."

"Acknowledged, fifty-one. We need to get her BP up. Start an IV, normal saline solution and transport as soon as possible," Kel instructed.

***

"Ten-four, Rampart. IV -- normal saline," Roy repeated the order as Johnny started the IV. Robin stirred slightly as the needle was inserted. As she moved, Johnny thought he noticed something on a chain around her neck. He reached over and pulled it out from her collar. The medallion bore a Medic Alert symbol.

"Roy, look at this," he said, showing the emblem to Roy. Roy nodded as Johnny flipped the medallion over to read the opposite side.

"Rampart, this is County Fifty-one."

"Go ahead, fifty-one," Dr. Brackett's voice came back.

"Rampart, we have an update on our patient here - seems she's wearing a Medic Alert emblem. Stand by for details."

"Standing by, Fifty-one."

"Roy, it says she's a Type II diabetic, non-insulin dependent and she's allergic to penicillin." Johnny read from the inscription.

Roy relayed the information to Brackett.

"Ten-four, Fifty-one. Sounds like she might be going into hypoglycemic shock. I need the phone number off the back."

"Ten-four. Standby."

Again Roy relayed the information as Johnny read it off.

"Ten-four, fifty-one. Administer one amp of 50% dextrose, IV. How soon can you transport?"

"The ambulance is on scene."

"Good. Continue monitoring vitals and bring her on in."

"Ten-four, Rampart. Squad Fifty-one out."

The attendants brought the stretcher in and Johnny lifted Robin and placed her on it. Princess started growling. She didn't like what they were doing to her mistress. Johnny reached back and picked her up. "It's okay sweetheart," he told her. "She'll be okay." He handed the dog over to Mike. "Look after her, will ya?"

Roy picked up their equipment and followed the stretcher out to the awaiting ambulance. Johnny climbed in beside Robin and took the equipment from his partner. Roy slid behind the wheel of the squad and followed them into Rampart.

***

Once in the treatment room, Dr. Brackett was able to administer a dose of glucose and Robin began to come around. Roy and Johnny continued to hang around the base station, drinking coffee and waiting for Dr. Brackett or Dixie to give them some news before heading back to the station. Finally, Dr. Brackett came out.

"How’s she doing, Doc?" Johnny asked.

"All things considered -- extremely well. She’s lucky you guys found her when you did. And it’s fortunate that she was wearing that Medic Alert. The information the service was able to provide helped a lot."

"What happened? What caused her sugar to drop so low?" Roy wanted to know.

Dr. Brackett helped himself to a cup of coffee. "Well, it turns out that she was only diagnosed about four months ago and she’s still trying to regulate her sugars primarily by diet. All the stress today with the fire and almost losing her dog put a lot of demands on her system. When she went to the store tonight to buy food, she discovered that she was low on cash and only had enough money to buy for the dog. She thought she could handle things until she could get to the bank tomorrow. But with not eating dinner and all..."

Both John and Roy nodded with understanding. "Man, I wish she had said something," Johnny stated, wistfully.

"When?" Dr. Brackett asked.

"When she first came to the station. You know, I bet that’s why she was so thirsty. She should have told us."

"Johnny, you can’t expect people to always tell you when they aren’t feeling well." Roy countered. "Maybe we weren’t being observant enough."

Johnny considered this for a moment and finally had to agree with Roy. They had both been in the same room with her long enough that one of them should have picked up on something. "Yeah, but we did get that run. If we had stayed at the station, we could have helped her sooner."

"Maybe," Dr. Brackett said. "Maybe not. Anyway, it really doesn’t matter now. We’re going to keep her overnight and make sure her sugar is stabilized before we release her. Then it’s up to her and her own doctor. "

"Well, that’s good. Thanks, Doc. We better head back to the station," Roy stated and began pulling Johnny towards the door. They were halfway down the hall, when Johnny broke Roy’s grasp and turned and called back. "Tell her we’ll take care of Princess for her."

"You mean, you’ll take care of her," Roy corrected.

"Okay, I’ll take care of her," Johnny emphasized by patting his chest with his left hand. "Tell her I’ll check with her in the morning, so not to worry."

"We’ll tell her," Brackett promised. He drained his cup and looked over at Dixie. "I think I’ll go check on Miss Goodwin," he told her. "Will you check to see if they have a bed ready for her yet?"

"Sure thing, Kel," Dixie answered as she picked up the phone. She waited for admissions to tell her that a bed was available and went into the treatment room.

Dr. Brackett was talking quietly with the young woman. They both looked up as Dixie entered.

"An orderly will be down in a few minutes to move you to your room," she told Robin.

"Well, Robin, I’m leaving you in good hands with Miss McCall here. I’ll see you in the morning. Hopefully, we’ll be able to release you before noon."

"Thank you, doctor," Robin said as Kel left the room. She laid her untethered arm across her eyes.

"Are your eyes bothering you?" Dixie asked.

"I’m just tired -- that’s all. Thank you, Miss McCall."

"You can call me Dixie."

"Thanks, Dixie." She released a heavy sigh. "What a day!"

"Well, it’s almost over."

"I guess I owe the fire department a huge debt of gratitude."

"They’re the best," Dixie agreed. "I understand Johnny’s taking care of your dog for you."

Robin laughed. "Yes, my little Princess is smitten. I haven’t seen her that fond of a man or a male since I broke up with my ex."

"Oh, are you divorced?"

"No, old boy friend. I’ve learned that if Princess approves, the guy is usually all wrong for me."

"Really?" A bemused smile crossed Dixie’s lips. She could just picture Johnny’s wheels turning, figuring he had an "in" with Princess on his side.

Robin looked at Dix. "You know the guys over at Fifty-one pretty well, don’t you?"

"Sure. We see Roy and Johnny all the time. They are two of my favorite people."

"Mmm-hmm. What about the others?" She asked shyly.

"Anybody in particular?"

"Uh, I think his name is Mike..."

"Stoker?"

Robin nodded. "He has the bluest eyes."

"He’s a nice guy, but I think he’s married."

"Oh." Robin couldn’t hide her disappointment. She sighed again. "I suppose that’s the way it usually goes. What about the other paramedic, Roy is it?"

"Sorry, he’s definitely married."

"Too bad. He has pretty eyes, too." She closed her eyes. The door opened and an orderly entered with a wheel chair.

"Come on, now. Let’s get you up to a room." With the orderly’s help, Dixie got Robin settled in the wheel chair, hanging the IV bag on the hook attached to the chair. "I’ll take her up," Dixie told the orderly, dismissing him. She pushed Robin down the hall to the elevator.

Once inside the lift, Robin turned to Dixie and said, "So tell me about the others."

A broad smile crossed Dixie’s face. "How much time do you have?"

Robin just laughed as the doors slid closed.

***

Dressed in his civvies, Johnny bounced down the hall towards the ER nurses station with a definite spring in his step. "Good morning, Dixie," he said brightly. "How’s my favorite nurse?"

Dixie looked up and smiled. She was tired. After her shift ended she had stopped to check on Robin and she didn’t want to admit that she’d spent most of the night talking to her -- she really liked the young woman.

"So, I suppose you’re here to see Robin." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell me her room number? I’ve got her dog out in the Rover. Don’t want to leave her out there too long."

"Well, if you hang on a bit, I think Kel is up with her now. He might even release her. Once we got her sugars up, she did fine."

"Great. Maybe I can take her out for breakfast?"

"Well, she may have already eaten." She looked at her watch -- it was already past 8:30.

Johnny made a face. "Pul-ease, Dix. I know what the food is like in this place."

"Uh-huh --nothing like first hand experience," she agreed.

"Do you think I have time to get some coffee?"

"Sure. Help yourself."

"Think I’ll go to the lounge, if that’s okay?"

"Sure, Johnny. I’ll come get you when Kel comes back."

"Thanks, Dix. You’re the best." The young paramedic headed down the hall just as Dr. Brackett stepped off the elevator.

"Morning, John."

"Morn'n, Doc. Beautiful day, isn’t it?"

Kel had to smile at Johnny’s enthusiasm. "Yes, it is," he agreed.

"How’s Robin?"

"I’ve just released her. She should be down here any time."

"Fantastic! I’ll see to it that she gets a decent breakfast right away," the dark-haired paramedic promised with a devious glint in his eye.

"Well, just make sure she sticks to her diet. We don’t want a repeat episode of last night," Brackett warned. Laughing, he watched Johnny continue into the staff lounge. He greeted Dixie at the her station. "Well, it looks like Johnny is ready for another conquest," he said with a smile on his face.

Dixie pondered that for a moment. "I dunno, Kel. I don’t think so this time." Brackett gave her a questioning look, but Dixie just smiled.

*****