Mechanically Inclined
"The last announcement this morning concerns some temporary changes at the Garage." Hank peered over the clipboard at the men of Station 51. "As you know, our friend Charlie had a little skiing accident while on vacation. The Department, in one of its cost-saving strategies, has borrowed a mechanic from the Highway Patrol. Her name is Tangee."
"Her?" asked Chet. "What does a chick know about fixing fire equipment?" John rolled his eyes. "She's supposed to be pretty good. But, I've heard a few things about her from my friend Bear." John shook his head. "Let's hope the squad doesn't need to be fixed until Charlie's back."
"What have you heard?" asked Hank. "The engine has to go in for an oil change today."
"Well," said John, "Bear said that she's a whiz with a monkey wrench, and she can take apart a bike and put it back together with her eyes closed."
"What's so bad about that?" asked Marco.
"Well," said John, as he rocked back and forth on his heels, "it's just that she....isn't very nice at times. Bear once told me, 'Woe to the poor Chippie who incurs the Wrath of Tangee.' Even the hardest veteran has been known to quake in his boots if they get her upset."
Hank paused for a moment, considering. "Well, the Engine only needs routine maintenance. How bad can that be?"
###
"Have you had any trouble with the Engine since the last time it was serviced?" asked Tangee. Her long auburn hair was secured above her grease-stained coveralls in a neat French braid. Her attractive features were highlighted by splotches of oil and grease on her chin and high cheekbones.
Hank looked at Stoker with amusement. The Engineer leaned on the counter, sizing up the mechanic.
"I don't think so," said Mike. "It's been running fine since the last time Charlie looked at it. The pump pressure and the tanks have been okay. I have noticed that the pressure relief valve has been a little sticky. I used a little Three-In-One oil on it. I think there might be some corrosion."
Tangee raised an eyebrow at Stoker and a smile played at her lips as she finished writing the work order. She placed it in front of Hank. "I'll change the oil, filter, and give it a good lube." She looked at Stoker. "I'll check out the pressure relief valve and give it a thorough grease job, if that's what it needs. I'll flush the pump and the tanks really well. Sometimes the hard water can cause a buildup of minerals on the components, causing them to stick. It's a fairly new piece of equipment. There shouldn't be lot of corrosion. It shouldn't take more than an hour to get you back in service."
Stoker raised his eyebrows and smiled. She knows her equipment....and hers isn't too bad, either.
Hank examined and signed the requisition. He passed it to the amused-looking mechanic.
Tangee pointed towards a small waiting area beside the office. Hank could see a table with a large coffee pot in one corner of the lounge. A television sat on another table against the far wall. Chairs were grouped on three sides of the compact area. "You can wait over there, Captain. I'll come get you when I'm finished."
"Thank you," said Hank. He tapped Stoker's elbow. "Come on, Mike. Let's grab a cup of coffee."
"Huh?" Mike looked at Hank. "Oh, yeah, coffee." He stole a glance at the retreating mechanic and followed Hank to the lounge.
###
"She doesn't seem too bad," said Mike. "Gage must have been blowing things out of proportion again." He poured a cup of coffee and sat down.
A small smile crept across Hank's face. "Are you going to ask her out?"
"Was I that obvious?"
"I almost thought you'd been taking lessons from Gage," said Hank. "You know, I could have sworn I saw you turning on that old 'Stoker charm'."
Mike rolled his eyes. "The day I start taking dating lessons from Gage is the day I join a monastery."
Hank laughed.
"Don't get me wrong, Cap," said Mike. "I like Johnny. He just isn't as suave with the ladies as he thinks." He shrugged. "I don't know. I might ask her out. She seems to know her way around a fire engine."
"Uh, huh." Hank looked at his watch. "I wonder how Chet and Marco are making out at that career day?"
"I'm sure they'll be fine, Cap," replied Mike as he sipped the strong coffee. "I just hope Chet doesn't scare the kids with some of his stories, like he did a couple of years ago."
"Yeah, McConnike really rode my ass for that one." said Hank.
Mike craned his neck to see the activity at the reception counter. He sat back in his chair as he recognized the approaching figure. "Speaking of the Chief, here he comes." He picked up a section of the morning newspaper and opened it.
"Here?" Hank exclaimed as he gave Mike a panic-stricken look. "Now?"
Mike nodded calmly and continued to read.
Hank turned around in his chair as Chief McConnike entered the lounge.
Chief McConnike tossed his hat on the chair beside Hank, and opened his jacket. "Hank, Stoker, fancy meeting you here on this fine morning." The Chief grabbed one of the Styrofoam cups and poured coffee into it.
"Good morning, Chief," said Hank. "We just brought the engine in for routine service." He anxiously looked at his watch. "We should be out of here in about a half hour."
Mike looked up from his newspaper. "Good morning, Chief."
The Chief picked his hat up from the chair and sat beside Hank. He gestured towards the scattered sections of the newspaper on the table. "Can you pass me the Sports section?"
Mike picked it up from the table and handed it to the Chief.
"Thanks, Stoker," said the Chief. "I want to see how my stocks are doing." He flipped the paper over to the back. He looked at Hank, who chipped at the rim of his cup with his finger. "Something wrong, Hank?"
Hank looked at his cup and squeezed it. "No, Chief, everything's fine," he said quickly. Hank paused for a moment, searching for something to say. "I'm just hate waiting."
"I remember, Hank," said the Chief. "You were always so fidgety." He looked at Mike, who tried to suppress a grin. "I am too. I don't come to places like this until I absolutely have to." He leaned over to Hank. "Heck, I even did a quick fix on the Chief's car so I wouldn't have to bring it in."
"What was wrong with it?" asked Hank.
"The radiator hose sprung a leak," said the Chief. "I had a roll of duct tape in the back and patched it. I heard this mechanic can be a real battleaxe."
"Oh, really, Chief ?" Hank nodded.
Mike looked up and spotted Tangee approaching the waiting area. "Uh-oh." He gestured towards the mechanic. "Here she comes, and she doesn't look too happy."
"Chief McConnike?" Tangee shook her head disgustedly as the chief stood.
"Is there a problem?" asked the Chief innocently.
"I certainly hope you got the name of the idiot who put all that duct tape on your radiator hose. It didn't stop the leak, and now the hose is split all the way down. You barely had enough coolant in the radiator. Plus, the coolant dripped onto some of the wires, which caused them to short. That explains some of the other trouble you've had." She sighed. "I'm just glad it didn't catch fire. You can expect to be here most of the day, unless you can get a replacement vehicle from Headquarters. I put a call in already."
"Oh," said the Chief contritely. "Sorry." The mechanic's distress caught him off guard. "I know who the offender is."
"Good," replied Tangee. "I hope you write him up for it."
"Well," McConnike smiled, "I'm the idiot who put the duct tape on the hose."
Mike and Hank exchanged glances.
Tangee's face darkened. "Don't you ever do that again! You've just cost me a full afternoon of work and the Department a replacement vehicle! Think of how you would have felt if you had to call in an alarm for your own vehicle fire! Which you could have done, if and only if your radio worked! Next time, come in and have the repair done properly. You'll save yourself time and money."
Hank snorted, which turned into a coughing fit. The Chief looked darkly at Hank.
Tangee looked at Hank with concern. "Are you alright, Captain Stanley?"
Hank waved her off. "I'm fine," he coughed again. "I just need some water." Hank left the waiting area and walked towards the rest room.
Tangee looked at Stoker and smiled sweetly. "The engine is ready. You were right. There was a little corrosion on the pressure relief valve. I cleaned it and flushed the tanks. I also gave it an extra special lube. Follow me to the desk and I'll get you on the road." She looked at McConnikie. "I'll let you know if HQ brings a car."
Stoker dropped the newspaper onto the table and stood up. "See you later, Chief."
###
Mike reviewed the work order. "Thanks for the fast service," he said. "Cap and I really appreciate it."
Tangee smiled. "Well, it's a pleasure to service a piece of equipment that's obviously been well taken care of." She jerked her head towards the waiting area. "Not like some others."
Okay Stoker, it's now or never. "You know, the Auto Show is this weekend. Would you like to go?"
Tangee smiled. "Actually, I'd rather see that new De Niro flick that's opening on Friday. I heard it was pretty good."
Mike shrugged. "Sure! Sounds great! I didn't think you'd be interested in a war movie. How about I pick you up at six?"
Tangee smiled. "Six sounds fine." She wagged her finger at Mike. "Just because I'm a mechanic doesn't mean I eat, sleep, and breathe cars. I do have other interests. Watching a well-made movie is one of them."
Hank strolled up to the counter. "How did we check out?"
"Everything checked out just fine, Captain Stanley." Tangee winked at Stoker as she gave him a copy of the work order.
###
"Okay, Mike," said Johnny as he sat at the kitchen table. "How did your date with the 'Mechanic from Hell' go?"
"She's not that bad, Gage," said Stoker. He shrugged. "It was fine."
"What did you do?" probed Johnny as Roy and Marco entered the kitchen.
"We went to the movies, and out for a bite to eat," replied Stoker.
"What movie did you see?" asked Marco. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and sat down.
"The Deer Hunter," replied Mike.
"Isn't that kind of...violent for a first date?" asked John.
"She wanted to see it," shrugged Mike. "I didn't think it was too bad, except that scene in the water." He shuddered. "All those rats."
"The Russian roulette scene was pretty vivid, too," said Marco.
Roy looked at John. "You mean to tell me that you have specific types of movies you take your dates to?"
John nodded. "Sure. Doesn't everybody?" He looked around the table.
Marco shook his head. "No, Johnny. We usually look to see what's playing, and just pick one we both like."
Mike shook his head. "Sorry, John. I do the same thing that Marco does."
"Huh," said John. "I usually go for the chick flicks on the first date." He shrugged and rubbed his nose. "You know, to soften them up a little. It makes a guy look....sensitive."
Mike rolled his eyes.
"So, how did it she like it?" pressed John.
"She liked the movie just fine." Mike sighed. "But when we got to dinner, it just, kind of....fell apart."
"What happened?" asked Marco.
"We couldn't keep the conversation going," said Mike. "Turns out our interests aren't all that similar. The only thing we really have in common is our love of new and old fire equipment. She went nuts when I told her about that engine Roy and John fixed up."
"Really?" John perked up.
"Yeah," said Mike. "She said she loved the squads, and she'd really love to talk to you guys."
Johnny sat straighter in his chair. He nudged Roy's elbow. "I'll have to dig the pictures out of my locker."
"Actually, she wanted to talk to DeSoto," said Mike. A smile played at his lips as John sagged in his seat.
"Why Roy?" asked John. "Did you tell her he's married?" He pointed at his partner, who gave John a funny look.
"What's wrong with her wanting to talk to me, and not you?" asked Roy.
"Nothing," said John, with a high pitch to his voice.
"Oh, she knows Roy's married," said Mike. "She figured Roy would be able to give her more details, since he wouldn't be hitting on her at the same time."
Roy and Marco started laughing. Marco got up and slapped John on the back. "Looks like she's got your number, already! I like this chick!"
"I don't hit on every chick!" John raised his arms in protest. "Come on, Roy? Mike?"
Marco, Mike and Roy got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen, smiling.
"Get back here!" John's shouts echoed in the apparatus bay.
"Mechanically Inclined" ©1999 Patricia Embury. "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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