Squad's Indirect Method

By

Kathee Pafford

Ouch! Johnny, I know that your frustrated, but pounding your bare knuckles into my door isn’t going to help! He just went into the ER again. He had come out here to try to get himself together. He knows that I can’t tell anyone if he loses it with me.

I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to tell him that, but he never listens to me. He never hurts me, but I’m kind of worried that one of these days he’s going to break his hand! I’ve worked with these guys for what…five years now? Of the six guys that work with me, Johnny is the one that I worry about the most. He gets so involved in every rescue, and there’s nothing I can do for him when it goes wrong. I know that I nag him about things, but I do care. I guess that Chet and I have that in common.

He and Roy are my favorite riders, though the others are good, too. Johnny and Roy take real good care of me, no matter what Charlie says. They make sure that I am cleaned ever time they are on shift. By the way, Johnny wasn’t hearing things when he heard that “rattly” noise. The first time anyway. And except for that dumb switch I never let them down. I just couldn’t get that thing to stay in place. That’s one time I was glad that Charlie was around. That time that they had Dr. Early did feel a little weird, though it was fun. Who ever heard of a human doctor treating a truck?

Whatever, as I was saying, though Johnny has me worried today. We have this lady paramedic trainee with us today. Things haven’t been going to great with her, but I think she would so fine if she would just loosen up a little. We were at a structure fire, when Johnny and Roy went up to the second story to get a lady out. I was watching Roy come out the window when his ladder slipped and he hit the power lines. Man, that scared me to death. Karen counter-shocked him, but Johnny is still very worried. I waiting out here hoping that they will come out with good news.

Hey, Johnny’s got a SMILE on his face. Must mean Roy’s going to be okay.

“Man, I was scared to death when I saw him slipping. Boy, was I glad that you were with us,” Johnny said to the young woman in the passenger’s seat.

“Yeah, he said that I would learn if I could do it when I had to. I guess I can,” Karen replied.

“You definitely can,” Johnny grinned at her. He starts my engine and we head back to the barn. Ah, good news. Means Roy should be back with us soon. Good, that means I would have to put up with a replacement for long. Johnny’s a pretty good driver, but Roy is the best. Watch it, Johnny! I hate those potholes worse than you do. Do you have any idea what they do to my suspension, not to mention my alignment and…..