Father of Mine

Part 3

By Samantha Cross

"Cap? Cap! Captain Gage, this is Corbin, can you read me?" Corbin shouted into the handy-talkie. All he heard was endless static. Corbin changed the frequency to contact Pierce. "Pierce?"

"Go ahead, Lane."

"How’s Hunter. Can they spare you guys?"

"Yeah, we were just heading inside. What’s up?"

"I can’t get a hold of the Captain. I think something’s wrong," Corbin reported.

"Okay, we’ll be in there in a minute."

"10-4," Corbin responded. He quickly headed in the direction that Captain Gage had gone in. There was no sign of the security guard.

* * *

Roy couldn’t help over hearing Pierce’s conversation with Corbin. A thousand thoughts were racing through his mind. What was wrong? Where was John? What would he have to tell Laura if things turned to the worst? Pierce ran up to Roy.

"Cap, can you call in another squad. Captain Gage might be – "

"I know. Get moving," Roy said. Pierce saw the worry in Roy’s eyes, but said nothing. He motioned to the other firemen to follow him. Roy suddenly felt worse. What the hell was he doing away from the fire? John was in there risking his life while he was outside cowering like a frightened little boy. Get in there DeSoto. Save your partner. Save your friend. Roy searched the area and saw Captain Chet Kelly ordering two firefighters to take another hose on to the exposure.

"Chet!" Roy shouted. Chet turned around and ran over to Roy.

"What’s up?" he asked.

"Chet, call in another squad. John’s been hurt and I’m going in to help, all right?" Roy said.

"You’d think after becoming a captain he’d learn to stay out of trouble," Chet joked. Roy only glared at him. He knew Chet was just trying to lighten the mood but Roy wasn’t able to deal with jokes right now. Chet stopped smiling and nodded. "I’ll call it in."

"Thanks," Roy said. Roy put on his gear and ran into the building to go save his friend.

* * *

"Cap? Cap? Cap!" shouted Corbin. He leaned over his unconscious captain’s body to check for breathing and a pulse. He found both. John’s air mask had been knocked off and so had his helmet. He felt around John’s head. There was a cut over his left eye and a bump on the back of his head. Corbin pushed off some of the boxes but was afraid to move John for fear of spinal injuries.

"Lane!" shouted Pierce. Corbin looked up and saw a rescue team headed towards him. Leading it were Pierce and Captain DeSoto.

"I don’t know if we should move him. There might be spinal injuries," Lane said. Roy surveyed the scene. The fire was building up and moving towards them. He knew a crew with a hose was working their way to this end of the building but they needed to move John now.

"We’ll worry about that later. We have to get him out!" Roy ordered. With as much care as they could, the firemen lifted John on top of Corbin’s shoulders and carried him outside of the building. Chet and some of his men were there to help.

"Apparently they miscounted; the security guard got out," Chet informed Roy.

"Just great," Roy said, grimly as he looked at the soot-covered face of his friend. They laid John down next to the paramedic gear. He was starting to come around but was agitated. Corbin gently pushed his captain back down.

"Easy, Cap. Just calm down and let Pierce and me take care of you," Corbin said, soothingly. John blinked to try and focus on the speaker.

"Corbin? What happened?" John asked.

"A bunch of boxes fell on ya, Cap," Pierce explained. Pierce placed an oxygen mask over John and hooked up the biophone while Corbin got John’s vitals.

"The – security guard," John said.

"He was never in the building, John," Roy said. Both Corbin and Pierce looked at Roy in staggering disbelief. John sighed and allowed himself to rest while the paramedics worked on him. Corbin began to worry when John didn’t say anything for a while.

"Captain DeSoto, can you keep him awake and talking. He’s got a real bad bump on his head," Corbin said. He gave Pierce the vitals and Pierce relayed them to Rampart.

"Hey, Johnny," Roy began. John’s eyes weakly opened. He smiled when he saw Roy.

"Hey, Roy."

"Ya know, Chet told me that you should be getting into less trouble when you’re a captain," Roy said. John started laughing but it soon became a coughing spasm. The paramedics quickly turned John on to his side in case he aspirated. When the spasm subsided, they turned John on his back again. Roy worriedly watched his partner.

"Sorry, Johnny. I never thought you’d laugh at something Chet said."

"Must be the lack of oxygen," John joked. Pierce got off the phone.

"Rampart says to start an IV of ringers," Pierce said.

"Okay, Cap, you heard the man," Corbin said.

"Can you give me something for the pain? This headache is killing me," John complained.

"No can do, Cap. You have a head injury. You know the drill," Corbin said.

"I know, I know. I was a paramedic once, too," John said.

"And you were a lousy patient then," Roy added. John chuckled. When the IV was inserted they loaded John on to the gurney and put him in the ambulance. Corbin got in with John. Roy watched but wished he could go along to make sure John was really all right. Pierce saw the concerned look in Roy’s eyes.

"Relax, Cap, Captain Gage always pulls through," Pierce said.

"Yeah, I know," Roy said. Pierce closed the doors and gave it a slap before the ambulance raced off to the hospital.

* * *

Dr. Sean Kay, an intern at Rampart, placed the x-ray of John’s skull on the screen. John lay on the gurney, watching him impatiently. Dr. Kay impulsively tapped his foot as he inspected the skull picture. He finally turned off the light and faced the injured Captain.

"Well?" John asked.

"The good news is: you don’t have a skull fracture. You have mild smoke inhalation and a sprained ankle but that’s about it," the doctor explained.

"But…"

"But, you’ll have to stay overnight just in case your concussion worsens," he said.

"Doc, really, I feel fine," John said. He tried to get off of the gurney, but Dr. Kay pushed him back down.

"Gage, you were a paramedic, right?"

"Yeah. I’m still certified."

"Then tell me, what would you do if you had a patient who was injured in a fire, has a case of smoke inhalation, and a mild concussion?" asked Dr. Kay. John lay back on the gurney and put his arm over his face.

"I’d make him stay in the hospital," John said.

"Good."

"Can I at least see my wife?" John asked.

"I’ll send her in. Oh and Gage," Kay began. John looked over at him, "wash up or she’ll hardly recognize you."

John wiped the last of the soot from his face just as the door opened. Laura walked in, her arms crossed over her chest with her "Head Nurse look" clearly marked on her face. After Dixie McCall retired two years ago, Laura had become Head Nurse of the Rampart Emergency Ward. John tried to smile. He felt like Andy whenever he did something wrong and Laura was there to catch it. Between the two of them, Laura was more of a disciplinarian.

"John Gage, whatever am I going to do with you. Two days after we get back from our vacation and you’re already in the hospital," she said.

"It’s not my fault! I can’t help it if a bunch of boxes decide to fall on me!" John said. He quickly hobbled over to the gurney and sat down. "Come on, Laura, you know me. I’m always careful."

Laura was on the brim of tears. John was in shock. Laura never took his injuries this seriously before. He was hardly in the hospital except for the occasional smoke inhalation or injured leg or foot.

"I know you’re careful. I’m sorry, Johnny. I’m just scared," she said.

"Scared of what?"

"I don’t want to be a single mother raising two children because you were killed in a fire," she said. Tears were now streaming down her cheeks. At first, John didn’t read into her words, but then it hit him.

"Two children? Laura, we only have Andy," John said. He saw the look in her eyes. She smiled and continued to cry as she placed her hand over her stomach. A burst of happiness hit John like a ton of bricks. Not even caring about his ankle, John hopped over to Laura and took her in his arms. "Laura that’s wonderful! How long have you known?"

"I think I’ve known since our vacation. I took a pregnancy test this morning after you left and it tested positive. I made an appointment with Dr. James tomorrow to make sure," she explained. John reached down and hugged Laura’s stomach and began to kiss it. He looked up at his wife and then stood to meet her eyes.

"Laura, you won’t be a single mother. If it means that much to you, I’ll take the Battalion Chief’s exam. That means I’ll hardly ever run into a burning building and we can have as many kids as we want without fear," John said. Laura hugged John, clinging to him as if he were going to disappear.

"No, Johnny. You love your job too much and you’re not ready to give up fighting fires. Do what you love, John," she said.

"I love you and I love our son and I already love our second child. It’s just a job, Laura. As long as I’m in the Department, I’ll be happy."

"Why don’t we discuss it later? As I recall, I’m supposed to give you a lecture and then you’re supposed to become the best patient who ever came through Rampart," Laura said. John laughed and hobbled back over to the gurney and lay down.

"All right, I’m ready," John said.

"Well, the first thing you have to do is……"

* * *

And now they’d all entered a new millennium. There were no fears, only what seemed like the perfect life. At 49, John still felt like the young hotshot paramedic who’d entered station 51 back in ’72. Five years earlier he’d finally become the Battalion Chief of station 110 at the marina. It was by his own request that he be stationed there since he’d come to love watching the boats come in and out. It also helped that Hank Stanley was now the acting Assistant Chief. John, along with Roy, was also a certified paramedic and an acting representative of the Paramedic Advisory Committee. Every so often he was selected to travel to other cities to observe new developments in the profession. He’d come to love Seattle because of all the trips due to Medic One. As young as he felt, John could feel the symptoms of old age. His hair was almost entirely gray and wrinkles were setting around his eyes and other parts of his face. He wasn’t as strong as he used to be, but other then the occasional back pains, he seemed all right for now. But John still looked at himself in the mirror and could still see the essence of Johnny Gage looking right back at him.

Laura was 42 with every bit of her beautiful auburn hair the same color. Although, John often told her his hair was still its natural color. Laura wasn’t ashamed to admit she died her hair but John’s teasing got on her nerves once and a while. Going as strong as ever as Head Nurse, Laura held a tight shift with her nurses and her patients. Sometimes it was hard for her to switch gears when she was home taking care of the kids, but John was her other half and was always there to keep the Head Nurse in the hospital.

Andy Gage looked like a cross between John and Laura. He kept his russet brown hair short and often spiked it with mousse. His eyes were slanted like John’s but were hazel like Laura’s. He had chiseled features like John had once had as a young man and was one of the most popular boys in school. But as a thirteen-year-old, Andy was less interested in school and put all of his energy into rodeos. After his homework was done, Andy could always be found practicing his roping or riding his horse, Spark. John was always outside with Andy helping him with his skills and took him to every rodeo he could.

The second child of the Gage family was Teresa Joanne Gage, or Tess. She was every bit her father’s daughter. John couldn’t get enough of his little girl. As she grew, Tess looked and acted more like her father. She especially showed a great interest in her Indian heritage and wore her long, black hair in two braids. Always around her waist and on her wrists were a beaded belt and bracelets. To surprise his daughter on her tenth birthday, John took the whole family to the reservation in Montana to visit the Gage ranch that John’s younger brother, Michael, was running. When they arrived home from the vacation, Tess wanted nothing more than to go back and John promised they would.

Like Roy and Joanne, when Laura became pregnant for the third time, it came as a shock, but John wasn’t about to look poorly upon an unexpected child. It was then that Jonathon Roy Gage, J.R, came into the world in the early days of 1990. It was also found out early that J.R. had a bad heart, which made it hard for him to play like the other kids. John was at a loss as to how he should handle the situation. J.R. didn’t seem to be interested in many things and kept to himself mostly, locked away in his room, watching the world go by. Laura’s only advice was to let their son come to him. It proved to be good advice. Several years ago, John had taken up guitar again. One night, as he was fiddling around with some melodies, little J.R. walked downstairs and listened to his father play. An immediate interest sparked in John’s youngest and father and son found a common interest, music.

Roy’s family had also changed and grown.

Roy had become a Battalion Chief two years before John but was hinting to his friend that he was thinking of applying for an opening as Chief Engineer. He was not exactly a young man himself. His hair had become entirely gray, and was thinning a bit. Somewhere along the way, Roy’d developed a potbelly, but Joanne was able to convince him that it was a sign of contentment. Like John, Roy was still a certified paramedic and even occasionally trained a new class along with his friend. Roy was a few years older than John was; he was now 53 and closing in on the required age for retirement. Joanne could see it in her husband’s eyes that he wasn’t ready to give up the Department. As much as Joanne wanted Roy to retire, she wasn’t about to be responsible for her husband’s misery. She told Roy that it was his decision when he wanted to retire and it didn’t matter if it was his choice or if the department forced him to retire. Roy wondered how he’d ended up with such a wonderful woman as his wife.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Chris DeSoto entered the fire department when he was eighteen. He’d been a paramedic for a few years before his interests turned to fire science. After ten years in the department, Chris began training to become a Fire Investigator, following his mentor Mike Stoker. Chris had also extended the DeSoto family. After high school Chris married his sweetheart, Erica. They were soon blessed with the first DeSoto grandchild, Roderick DeSoto. Though Chris was devoted to his family, he seemed more devoted to his job. Roy wondered if it was his fault that his son had turned out this way. Joanne reassured him that Chris was a smart man and he would work his family problems out on his own. But Roy never stopped being the spoiling grandfather. Against Erica and Chris’s objections, Roy and Joanne bought enough presents to last Roddy many more birthdays and Christmases.

Jennifer DeSoto was hardly ever seen anymore. Roy’s relationship with his oldest daughter was usually by phone. Since he could remember, Jennifer had been an excellent artist. She’d put her talents to good use when she began drawing clothing designs and submitting them to different companies. Just after high school, Jennifer was accepted as an apprentice to a famous designer and was traveling all over Europe. Soon, Jennifer’s designs were becoming more famous than her employer’s. At age 25, Jennifer DeSoto started her own design company, Firefly. She was very successful and had shows in New York, Milan, Paris, and often in Los Angeles. The last time Roy’d seen his daughter was last year. She had cut her hair very short and wore a women’s casual pants suit with a blue scarf around her neck. Roy knew there was no boyfriend, but it worried him that his daughter wasn’t looking for any kind of relationship.

Lexie was the last DeSoto child living in the house with her parents. She was now seventeen and the most beautiful young woman Roy’d ever seen. She was never without a date to any of the school dances, which bothered Roy but he just took it as fatherly jealousy. Lexie spent a lot of her time at John’s ranch when she could. Sometimes she babysat Tess and J.R., but mostly she went over to spend time with her Uncle Johnny. John treated Lexie like his own daughter whenever she came over the same way Roy treated John’s children when they visited. Roy noticed where his daughter was going in her choice of career. While he was looking for a CD that Lexie had, Roy noticed an Italian leather bound portfolio with tons of drawings of clothing inside. Lexie’s name was engraved on the inside cover. Roy was happy for his daughter, but sad that he was losing both his daughters to the world of fashion.

It seemed that life was as perfect as it seemed. Everything in the past was exactly where it should be, in the past. But the past always does have a way of catching up on you.

* * *

Lexie was sitting on the couch watching the television as she sketched. Her father was in the bathroom getting ready. They were going over to John’s house for the afternoon to go riding and stay for dinner. As she was finishing up on her design for a new evening dress, there was a knock on the door.

"Lexie, can you get that!" shouted Roy.

"Yeah, hold on!" Lexie called back. She put down her sketchpad and ran for the door. She nearly fainted when she saw the person standing in front of her. He was tall and thin with wavy, black hair, chiseled features, and ocean blue eyes. He was dressed rather casually wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. In his hand was a suitcase with a suede jacket draped over it. He smiled and revealed a set of perfectly white teeth. But the smile was familiar and so was his face.

"Is this the DeSoto residence?" he asked. His voice was deep and rich.

"Yes it is," Lexie answered. She was completely speechless. She couldn’t remember what to do next.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah…yeah come on in," she said. The young man entered the house and looked around the living room. He noticed the sketchpad and looked at the drawing.

"That’s very nice," he said. Lexie blushed. Quickly, she gathered up her sketchpad, wrinkling half the pages in the process.

" Thank you. I’ll just go get my father. You can sit down if you like," Lexie said. The young man nodded and sat down. Lexie rushed around to the bathroom. She pushed through the door not even caring about how fully dressed her father was. Luckily, Roy was fully dressed and finishing combing his hair. He was surprised by his daughter’s sudden entrance.

"Lexie, what’s wrong? Who was at the door?" he asked.

"Daddy, you won’t believe it but there is a guy in the living room who looks exactly like Uncle Johnny!"

"Father of Mine" ©2000 Samantha Cross. "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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