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Part 3
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“You look wonderful.” Johnny said as he lay on the bed watching her do her hair and makeup. “I almost wish I was going with you so I could brag.”
“About what?” He usually was very modest about what he did, saying he was just doing his job, so she was puzzled.
“About being there with the prettiest girl at the reception.” He got up and went over to her. “You won’t be the prettiest, you’ll be the most beautiful, and I stand corrected.” He bent down and kissed the back of her neck. “You smell good…like wildflowers.”
“I wish I didn’t have to go to this, I want stay home with you. It would be bad even if you were there by me, now it’s going to be terrible. If I stay an hour we still could have a nice dinner somewhere and be home and in bed early.”
“Are you wearing the purple dress?” He asked ignoring her suggestion.
“No, dear heart. The black halter dress with the white shrug and the black and white heels. All very well mannered and demure. Honestly, you can drop me off, pick me up in an hour then we can get pizza or have Chinese…or go for prime rib.” “Bribery will get you nowhere. You want me to drive the mustang since you are so elegant.
“I don’t want to be elegant I want to be comfortable and cozy all cuddled up with you nibbling on my neck. You haven’t seen what I got at Liz’s the other day…Bet if I put that on you wouldn’t make me go to a boring reception without you.” She let out a huge sigh,” I know it was my idea that you didn’t go”
“And I thank you for that. Come on , you need to go. You and the others have worked too hard to make this happen. I want you to go and I want you to have a good time. Tom and Will and Doc and Dixie will be there.”
“Ok, the sooner I go the sooner I can get back. Besides, I can always tell them I need to leave since we have an early day tomorrow. I need to leave here by 6:00 in the morning.”
The reception was being held at a restaurant near the Academy. It had been chosen not only for its location but its decor. It was closed except for the invited guests. (The owner was a retired fireman) A cadet opened the car door and offered to help Lee out of the car.
“Thank you but I need for my husband to help me.” Johnny was getting the wheelchair out of the back. He pushed the chair around noticing the look on the cadet’s face. Johnny lifted her into the chair with ease.
“Have fun, behave and I’ll see you soon.” He kissed her lightly. “If you need…ya know, ask Dixie to go with you. I still don’t think you should have worn those shoes.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m only going to stay as long as I have to. I need to see a few people. Go home and don’t worry.”
The cadet got the door and Lee went in, thanking him for his help. There were about 30 people in the room. Lee wheeled over to a table that was not in the corner but not in the middle of things. She motioned for a server to come over. “Would you remove this chair please?”
“Of course and what can I get you to drink?” “A white wine cooler please.” She saw some familiar faces but not who she was looking for. Tom and Will were supposed to be here, as was Kel and Dixie. Kel would be one of the judges for the paramedic completion. Lee worried about that but kept her concerns to herself. Chief McConnikee and his wife came over to the table.
“Lee, I’d like you to meet my wife, Helen. Lee has been working on the committee. She is in charge of the registration and helped redesign the forms we are using.”
“If I remember correctly, you’re married to a rather impish paramedic.” Helen and Lee shook hands. “I think your husband has contributed to a bit of Patrick’s gray hair.”
“Probably guilty as charged,” Lee laughed. “He also gets blamed for his partner’s growing bald spot and a few other gray heads. I told him I was going to wear my gray with pride.”
“I‘m surprise not to see him hovering over you.” Chief McConnikee said with a smile.
“I didn’t want him here tonight. None of the other participants were invited so I thought it would was a good idea to come alone.”
“You are probably correct. I’m afraid there are a few grumblers about the possibility of favoritism.”
“I have an idea who is the leader of the grumbling.” They talked a few more minutes than the Chief and his wife moved on to another group. Lee sipped her wine and looked around. She saw Will and Tom come in. They came over to her.
“Why aren’t you mingling?” Tom asked as he took a glass of wine from a passing server.
“Because I don’t drink and drive,” she answered.
Looking at the wheelchair, Tom turned bright red as she giggled, taking another sip of the wine.
You think you’re cute, really cute, don’t ya?” Tom grumbled.
“Johnny thinks I am…that’s all that matters.” She smiled and he burst out laughing.
“You are impossible…always have been and getting worst by the day.”
“I do my best not to be boring.” Smiling at the inside joke.
Soon there was a group of people standing there talking with her and enjoying themselves. She was charming and witty and bored but she played the game well… She just wanted to go home to Johnny. After about an hour Chief Houser went to the microphone and asked for everyone’s attention.
“I want to thank everyone who came tonight and to express our appreciation for the hard work done by all on the planning and implementation committees. Registration will be opened at 7:00and will close at 9:45. Opening Ceremony will begin at 9:00. I was just reminded to mention that there will be a special Women and Children’s area that will be under the direction of the Women’s Auxiliary and that they also have several food stands. The money raised by the ladies will go into their Christmas projects’ fund.” He went on to tell about some of the activities and what they hoped to accomplish and thanked several people by name.
Lee was alone at the table. Kel and Dixie were nearby talking with some of the other judges.
“Can I buy a lady a drink?” Troy Braxton asked as he sat down. “A pretty lady like you shouldn’t be sitting here all alone. Troy Braxton introduced himself.
“I’m not all alone. I have several very good friends in this room.”
“Have we met?” He sat down despite her coolness. “I don’t remember seeing you around HQ or the Academy. Where do you work?”
“Neither place, actually.” She was finding his attempts to flirt with her annoying to say the least. She had never really learned how to flirt and saw no need in it.
“Let me guess, married to one of these stuff shirts…Probably not with the fire department. The glitter is real. I would guess you’re the trophy wife of some hot shot from one of the companies with displays of their equipment or services.”
“Interesting observations.” Looking and sounding uninterested in the pushy man.
“Well, I am a trained arson investigator.” Very sure of himself. “I work for several of the larger insurance companies.”
“Oh, really?” Lee raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. “How interesting and exciting that must be.”
“Yes. Was on the police force, arson division until I had a chance at a better job. Same stuff I was doing before just better pay and fringe benefits.”
“Then maybe you know my big brother or my cousin? Lt. Alvarez or Capt. Amos Burke? My uncle in New York is a homicide detective, a captain. I can’t even tell you what my uncle in D.C. does. And I’m sorry but you have read me all wrong. As far as I am concerned there isn’t a better job than being a policeman or a fire fighter. There may be higher paying jobs but not better jobs. Oh, maybe you did know my Uncle Jeff before he went to D. C. He did a lot of work for some of the major insurance companies. Jeff Spencer?”
“Jeff Spencer…Bailey and Spencer Private Investigators…over on Sunset Strip? That Jeff Spencer?”
“Yes, that Jeff Spencer. If you’ll excuse me…” She started to wheel herself towards the exit when someone called her name.
“Lee, Lee Spencer, how are you?” A very distinguished gentleman came over to her. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“Walter, how nice to see you. It’s been what, 4 years?”
“Yes, I think it was the Ryan Industries investigation. Your uncle saved us a fortune on that one.” Walter was the CEO of one the biggest insurance companies in the state. “I must say you have grown into a very beautiful young woman. Troy, if an accident had not put this young lady in that chair she would be an excellent investigator. What is your uncle doing these days? And Stu?”
“He is a security consultant at an international law enforcement agency. Stu is teaching criminology at a university in the San Francisco area.” “What about you?”
“Working at Rampart and doing some work at WBSF.”
“Lee, what time is Johnny’s first event?” Tom asked as he came over. “I want to be sure to be there.”
“Station 51’s first event is at 10. . The paramedic skill challenges are on Sunday from 10 until 2...if all goes on schedule. Awards and barbeque start at 5 on Sunday after the Tug a War.”
“Tell him I’ll see him in the morning. Sorry to interrupt.” Tom walked away then turned back towards her. “Tell that husband of yours and his partner I still want to do a ride along with them.”
“You’ve been saying that for years…call HQ and schedule it.” Lee said with a giggle. “Just hope they don’t get any high rescues…you’re worst than me about not liking high places. Now, if you excuse me I am going home. I have talked to the people I needed to and some that I didn’t…I have to be at the Academy very early in the morning, about 6:30.”
“Why so early?” Walter asked. “You just said the first event isn’t until 10.”
“Because I am in charge of the registration desk. I’m a special project manager for the state and my project is connected with the paramedic program so when they asked me to help I said yes, well, kind of.”
“Kind of?” Walter asked. “As long as they let me do it my way.” She smiled and wheeled herself out. She found a phone and called home.
“Come get me. I did my duty. Come take me to dinner.”
“See ya in 25 minutes. I timed the drive on the way home.”
“Smart Boyo…O’Sheas’ sound good to you or Chinese?”
“O’Sheas’…prime rib and twice baked potatoes.”
“See ya soon, drive careful.”
Registration Procedures
Lee watched as Johnny put the sign up, hoping everyone got her message.
Lee and her cadet helpers had everything in place and had gone over the sign in procedure. She smiled as the laughing and complaining groups of firemen began coming into the challenge area. The first group came up to the table were the guys from Station 51.
“Good morning.” Lee was surprised to see them so early. “Hank, are you signing in and taking responsibility for this bunch?” “Yep…which is one person short. John was supposed to meet us here.”
“That’s my fault. I sent him on an official event related errand. Chief Houser wanted some things so I sent Johnny to the command post with them. He should be back soon.”
“Tell him we went over to get breakfast; we’ll save him a seat. Anything you need?”
“No he fixed me a mini cooler with water and juice and soda…and I have some muffins and sticky buns I fixed for me and my helpers. I also have some stuff at our booth for sale, by the way.”
“Why should we buy it when you send it in free all the time?” Chet said not thinking how it sounded. Lee’s eyes narrowed but she didn’t say a word
By 9 o’clock all the stations had checked in except two. Lee was hot, tired and ready to leave the tent. Her two helpers had done a good job. She told them how much she appreciated them. They looked at her, surprised. She was nothing like they had expected from some of the gossip they had heard.
“My cousin works out of 88, he said I would enjoy working with you. Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure. Might not have an answer but you can ask.”
“Is it true you almost drowned saving a little girl’s life?
“No, I couldn’t use my arms very much there towards the end, but I knew I could tread water until Johnny came back for me.” “That was really brave of you…”
“What you all will be doing after you graduate and what Johnny and his friends do, that is bravery. I was never really scared because I knew Johnny would be there and the Rangers were there.”
By 9:30 there was still one team that hadn’t checked in. Lee was starting to worry but she had to have everything put away by 9:40 when someone was going to push her over to the viewing area for the first event A shift was in. Just as she was giving up hope of getting out of there in time a frazzled group of firemen from Lancaster, Station 112 came in.
“Did Chief Houser call you about us?” The worried fireman looked at all the materials boxed up. “The CHP guy said he would relay a message. There was a bad accident and we stopped to help.”
“Wouldn’t have expected anything less.” Lee said with a warm smile. “Don’t panic, I have your registration material here, sign this and make your way over to the staging area. The speeches and introduction and explanation of how they are running the skill challenges should be about over. Should be about ready to start the actual games.”
“Thanks. Sorry if we messed you up.” They took off in a fast trot as Lee motioned for the two cadets to place the boxes on the dollies and move them to the commands post. She checked her watch frowning as Tom came hurrying over to her.
“Any problems?” He said once he had caught his breath. “Johnny said to remind you to put on more sun screen and to fasten your seat belt. He gave me strict orders I wasn’t to move that chair until that belt is fastened.”
“”Bossy little critter, isn’t he?” Lee said as she fastened the seat belt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ \ field. Tom showed his tag to the Cadets at the entrance to the field and they moved down closer to where 51 was. “Get ready, set…Go” An air horn sounded and the scramble began.
Lee watched holding her breath as Johnny raised his hands just a fraction of a second before Mike, and Chet and Marco put their hands up almost as one. She glanced around at all the teams …their hands raising high. She watched as the cadet runners took the score sheets to the judges’ table.
“Chet, that was your best time ever…you all did great… We should be in the top three.” Cap said. “Don’t you think so, Roy?” The men had pulled numbers from a bag to see who would be in the event. They had decided that was the fairest way.
“Yeah. 88 was fast and so was the guys from Lancaster…It’s gonna be close.”
The emcee’s voice cut through the background noise. “The judges have just passed me the results. With a time of 43:28 seconds is Station 51. Second place 44:15 is the team from Lancaster, station 112. Third is Station 6 from Lomita, a time of 44:17.” The cheers and applause was encouraging and all the teams broke off to the next location. “The object of this challenge is to fill the container by following verbal instructions. Three blindfolded firemen will depend on the their team mate who is not blind folded to locate a line then fill a container. The winner is the team with the most water at the end of the allowed time.”
Mike had drawn the slip of paper saying commands and would be giving the directions. Johnny and Marco would be sitting this one out. Lee really wanted to talk to him but knew she couldn’t. Tom had spotted Emily and Jo in the crowd. He found one of the instructors to go up and have them come down to where he was with Lee.
“I need to get over to the other side and do a few things…Would you ladies do me a big favor and stay with Lee?”
“You make it sound like it’s a chore to hang out with me. Have I been that hard to get along with lately?”
“We love hanging out with you, you know that.” Emily said with a smile. “You look tired.” “We were here by 6:30. We had everything set up and arranged like I wanted by 7. Johnny changed the tables around for me. I we had set one up so it would be behind me but it had been moved. I am very glad we didn’t leave the notebooks or judges books here Friday afternoon as was suggested.”
“Anything you need before I go?” Tom asked.
“If you see Bob Houser tells him I need to see him or Chief McConnikee. An important message wasn’t delivered to me.” Lee said.
“Will do.”
“Are we ready? One…Two…Three…” The air horn signaled the start of the competition.
“Move towards your left, now forward…keeps straight more to the left…about 6 paces, Move right just a little more, Chet…ok, almost there…Cap step just a little to the right…Roy, in front of you down…got it…ok straight ahead ….to the right Roy… Cap was behind Roy as the they listened to the directions and the first rush of water entered the hose. “Ok Cap bend down…Chet turn left…Got it…” Straight ahead…raise the spray….” Mike’s voice was strong and confident.
“Michael’s going to make a fine captain in the future.” Emily said.
“Yes. I may be selfish but I hope it isn’t in the near future…I know its not practical but I hate the thought of A shift changing.” Lee said softly. “It’ll be like family moving away.”
“Just because people move doesn’t mean they lose touch,” Em reminded her. “Doesn’t your Uncle Jeff prove that to you?”
“You’re right. Johnny and I will be so proud when we host a party for Hank becoming a chief… I can see Marco and Chet becoming engineers when they are ready. I don’t think Chet’s heart was really in it the first time he took the test…who knows he may decided as long as he can do the job well to keep on being a linesman. That is a hard job that demands a lot of a man…regardless what some Nay Sayers spew.” Lee said. “There is no one I trust more to have Johnny and Roy’s back than Chet and Marco.”
“I think Lee summed it up well…they aren’t just crew mates they are a family.”
The air horn sounded the end of the challenge and the officials went out to each barrel… After all the results were taken up to the judges table they waited for the announcement. “Third place goes to Hermosa Beach with a depth of 6.0’’ , second place to Station 51 with 7.5’’ and first is Station 88, with 8.0’’
“That’s good …” Lee watched as the teams went off the field. They looked really good, Mike did a great job giving directions…They all followed well.”
Johnny and Roy stood back watching their teammates. Everything was going well when suddenly the hose jumped and twisted. It only took a few seconds to get the kink out. They had hit the target just as the air horn blew. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone that 51 didn’t place in the top three that event but were in the top 5.
“Mike, your directions were spot on…no one’s fault that kink happen.” Hank told his engineer and friend.”
“The Combat challenge is next. There are three courses set up. The winner will be the team which finishes the 5 steps with the lowest combined time. Step one is carrying a 42 pound hose up 6 flights of stairs. The hose is 100 feet long and 1.75 inches thick which is standard. After carrying the hose up 6 set of stairs the fireman must place it in a box. The hose cannot touch the ground at any time. Step 2, he must hoist a 45 pound hose up the side of the 3 story stairwell. Only things the firefighter may touch is the 3 story platform and the rope and he must keep both feet on the floor. Once the hose is in the box, the firefighter moves on to the third step. To gain forcible entry the firefighter stands over a 165 pound beam, hitting it until it moves 5 feet. He will be using a 9-pound sledge. The firefighters hands must stay below a tape marked line and the beam can only be hit by the 9 pound head of the sledgehammer. The pressure sensitive tape covering the upper edge of the beam will be visible. One warning will be given a second mark will earn a 5 second penalty. Pushing or raking the beam is not allowed and will result in a disqualification. Once the sledgehammer is placed on the 2ft by 3ft platform at the end of the 5 foot distance the competitor moves onto to the hose advance. This fourth step requires the firefighter to sprint 140 feet then pick up a 1.75 inch diameter hose filled with pressurized water.. After sprinting 5 more feet with the charged hose the firefighter drags it another 75 feet. He goes through the swinging doors and opens the nozzle and releasing the water to a small target. Once the target has been hit the nozzle is closed, the hose dropped and the step is completed. A 2 second penalty will be given if the hose nozzle is opened before the nozzle opens the swinging doors. The final step is the victim rescue. The firefighter must drag the victim 175 feet by placing his hands beneath the victim’s arms and around and up on his chest. The victim cannot be picked off the ground. The competition ends when the victim is dragged over the 100 foot mark.”
Cap and Mike stood there cheering for Roy as he began the challenge, Jo watched hoping that the kids and Kathy had gotten there in time. She held her breath watching Roy run up the 60 stairs. She closed her eyes once sure he was going to lose his footing. .
“Marco, he’s gonna give you about a 45 second lead over the guy from 16.” Cap said as Roy began the victim rescue. It went really well and the official signaled for Marco to get start. Roy came back over and dropped to the ground. He took off all the required equipment and nodded thanks as a cadet handed him a bottle of ice cold water.
“You did great, Pal.” Hank said. “You looked like it was a piece of cake.”
“Tell that to my calves.” Roy moaned. “Are you sure it was only 60 steps? Seemed like 120.”
“Any advice?” Chet asked as he kept his eyes on his best friend.
“Just keep as even as possible pace. It was hardest when I was doing the Hose Hoist. I wanted to lean more but you have to keep both feet on the ground or you get 5 seconds added to your time.”
“Man. After this Morton can’t say we’re soft.” Chet said as he watched the resident from Rampart being taken by golf cart to one of the other training towers. “I’d like to see him do this course.”
Everyone waited for the go ahead but the signal was delayed as an ambulance went down to where Dr. Morton was. A murmur of concern went through the crowd as a firefighter was helped onto a stretcher and placed in the the back of the ambulance that quickly left the field.
“We are happy to report that while he will not be able to continue with today’s activities the injury to the participant from Alhambra County is not serious.” The announcement was met by cheers. Chet was given the go ahead and began the trek up the stairs. By the time he reached the top he had gotten into a good rhythm and soon had the hose up in place. The forcible entry challenge gave him a little trouble and he received a 5 second penalty for hitting the beam with the handle when it slipped. But he recovered well and went onto to the victim rescue without a problem. “You ready, Junior?” Roy asked as Chet neared the finish line.
“Ready.” It wasn’t until then he realized he would be going head to head with Brice. The perfect walking rule book that had good technical skills but his people skills were dubious. Since Brice had been so vocal about his criticism of Lee and the advisory board, Johnny had been making an effort to keep their relationship on a strictly professional basis.
“You ok with this?” Roy said as he watched Johnny looking over at the next tower.
“There isn’t much I can do about it…Besides I am going up against other guys not just Brice.”
“You gonna be able to keep your mind on the task?” Cap said as he followed their conversation and Johnny’s gaze.
“Sure, Cap. I’m not gonna let Brice make me let you or the guys or Lee down by letting him get into my head.”
“John, as long as you do your best you aren’t letting anyone down, regardless of the outcome.” Hank said very seriously. “This is supposed to be a combination training experience, public relations and fun.”
“Johnny is next. Chet is doing really good.” Lee said as she watched the field. “16 is about 5 seconds behind and have a 5 second penalty too.”
Johnny had no problem with the stair climb carrying the hose. It seemed to Lee that he was struggling a little with hoisting the 45 pound hose. The doughnut roll of light weight hose was one of the commonly used hoses inside a house. She wondered if Johnny’s shoulder was giving him a problem as she watched him. He placed the hose then went down the stairs. To herself she was yelling at him not to skip any stairs and to keep his hands on the railing. The forcible entry step was one of precision as well as strength. It the beam was hit with the handle the pressure sensitive paper would show it and would add 5 penalty seconds for the second and each additional mark. Lee looked over as Brice was coming down the stairs…Was it her imagination and wishful thinking or did he miss a step and not have both hands on the guard rail? Or was it the angle she was watching? Johnny laid the 9 pound hammer on the platform and moved on to the next step.
The hose advance was next and Johnny sprinted the 140 feet without a problem. Picking up the charged hose he sprinted the additional 5 feet. Then dragging the hose another 75 feet he opened the swinging doors with the nozzle . Opening the nozzle, he hit a small target. Once he closed the nozzle and dropped the hose, the step was completed.
The 175 pound dummy was on the ground and had to be dragged backwards for the 100 feet, his arms around the mannequin under its arms, high on the chest. As he was dragging the mannequin, Johnny thought it would have almost been easier to get him up in the traditional fireman’s carry as drag him. The back of his legs were protesting as he moved backwards as fast as possible. Johnny dropped the mannequin and let out a sigh of relief. He felt the hands on his back as he accepted a cold bottle of water from Roy.
“Good job, Pal…it was a clean run…I don’t think any of you got penalty times.” Cap said as he patted his junior paramedic on the back.
“Chet and Marco went down to watch the teams on tower three soon as you crossed the finish line. Mike left to go home. They said to tell you they’d see you tomorrow.”
“They aren’t ready to start the next round yet. I don’t think me ‘m going to wait around. Em wants to go over and see how the auxiliary booths are doing.” Cap said.
“I wouldn’t mind going and looking around at some of the exhibits,” Roy said as they were moving over towards the side lines. They made their way over to Lee, Jo and Kathy and the girls.
“The Rover is right there in the first space across from the registration tent. Why don’t you store your gear there? I’m gonna drop my stuff off then we’ll do the rest of the stuff.”
“I need to see Chief Houser before we go to the food court. But the command station is on the way.” Lee said.
“Give me your stuff and I’ll drop it off while you go see the Chief.” Roy said. “The Rover locked?”
“Yep,” Johnny answered as he began pushing Lee.
Chief McConnikee and Chief Houser were talking to several others when Johnny and Lee stopped at the command tent.
“Lee…wonderful job of organizing the registration…The judges also like the way you did their note books. Made it really easy to keep track of everything.”
“Did you ever find out why I didn’t get your message this morning? Since I never heard back from you I assumed you had gotten the problem straighten out.”
“I didn’t know there was a problem to straighten out.” Bob Houser said with a frown. “You sent me a message?”
“Yes early this morning, after I talked with the men from Lancaster. I wondered why you hadn’t let me know they were going to be deployed due to the fact they were first on the scene at an accident and had stopped to assist injured motorist and help with traffic control until someone got there.”
“There was a breakdown in communication somewhere. But apparently you handled it well.”
“Ok, we’ll talk about this at the follow up meeting…Right now I have a starving husband to take care of… See ya all tomorrow.”
“Mrs. Gage, aren’t you going to help the judges with the final scoring?” A chief from one of the other departments asked. “We were told you were in charge of recording the final scores.”
“No way. I am not going near the judges or their books. Good bye.” Johnny just smiled shrugged and pushed her away.
“Can’t you order her to stay?” One of the other Chiefs asked. “Doesn’t she work for you?”
“Technically she works for the state, but her 2 supervisors can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do. If they tried she would just say good bye, try to figure out what I do.” Bob Houser said laughing. “I don’t even think John could stop her from something she really wanted to do. That chair didn’t stop her from saving a child’s life a few weeks ago. Not that he would have, he was busy saving another child. Then he went back and helped her to shore. She could barely move for three days after being in that icy water.”
They went over to the food court and had dinner with the DeSoto’s and the Kildare’s. Lee really wanted to go home but she agreed when Johnny suggested they walk around for awhile.
“Johnny is your shoulder ok?’ Lee asked as they were looking through one of the craft booths sponsored by the Auxiliary. The others were nearby but couldn’t hear what was said.
“Yeah, why? What makes you think it wasn’t?” He answered as he looked at the carved horses done by a guy from the station in Lawndale.
“Just the way you were moving every so often back on the challenge course. You had a good time, a few seconds faster than Brice I think. I can call Tom or Will later and find out the results. Unless you want to stick around here.”
“I think you need to get home and get some rest…I could use a nap too.”
“Lead the way, McDuff.” she said with a giggle. “Are you going to buy the carving you were looking at?”
“Yeah I think I’ll take the whole set.”
“Get me the stain glass sun catcher with the purple flower, please.”
“Anything else?” He asked as he gathered the 5 horses and got the sun catcher.
“The pewter faire with the blue and purple wings. See if they have cards so we can check on some other things later.”
Johnny took the horses up to the counter and told the lady he was getting two of the stain glass pieces. As he picked up the faire he saw a small silver box with a stain glass heart in shades of purple on the lid. It was a music box that played Do You Wanna Know A Secret. He picked it up hoping Lee wouldn’t notice. He smiled ads he saw her looking at some placemats and napkins. “My wife loves the old Beatles’ music.” He gave the clerk one of his crooked smiles. “I think she’ll love this.”
“Johnny, don’t you think these would look great on the patio tables?”
“If you do.” He went over and got the 4 sets of place mats and napkins and 2 table runners. Anything else?”
“Just some fudge on the way out and something to drink.” Lee answered as she saw several other things that would make nice gifts. But hopefully they would still be there tomorrow.
The clerk looked at the items in front of her and was surprised. There was over $500 worth of merchandise there. She gave Johnny the total.
“Ok, the sign says you take checks with ID, right?”
“Yes sir.” She was nervous taking such a large check. An older woman came over to help wrap the items.
“Johnny, it’s so nice to see you.” Susan Houser said warmly. “I hear the games went really well this morning.
“Yes ma’am they did.” He still had some trouble being informal with some of Lee’s friends, especially the ones connected with the department.
“Looks like you had a good time shopping. “
“Yeah, would you put the music box in a separate bag? It’s a surprise for Lee.” Johnny looked around to see where she was. “She has worked so hard on this…everyone has…” She had moved so a large group of ladies could go in the tent. “She wants some fudge and I need to get her home and out of that chair….Have a good day.”
He gave her the packages to carry except the music box. They made their way back to the Rover, talking and laughing.
Johnny took the packages and put them in the back seat of the Rover then lifted her into the car.
“You know one of these days when I’m not so tired I’m going to try to get in here by myself.” Lee said as he waited for her to click the seatbelt
“Don’t like me lifting you?” He kissed her lightly.
“You shouldn’t have to…It was my own fault I fell that day.”
“If you really want to we will work on it but there isn’t any great need.” He shut the door and put the wheelchair in the back then headed home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning Johnny helped Lee get the registration table set up as far as carrying materials to the table in the sealed boxes, then took a thermos of coffee and some of her good homemade pecan rolls over to the Rover to study some of the newer technology and terminology before going over to the challenge area. He frowned when he noticed the cadets assigned to her hadn’t shown up by 7:45. There were only 15 stations taking part in the paramedic skill challenge but still that was a lot for one perason to handle, especially if several teams came in at once. The folders were different for the paramedics as they just received an overview of what the judges would be looking for. Even the pages in the judges books were non specific until the event began then they would receive additional information as needed
Lee had insisted on it. He was debating what to do when he saw Tom and Will pull into the parking lot. (He had to be in the staging area at 9:30 with registration closing at 9:15.) He got out and went over to them.
“”You look upset, what’s wrong?” Will said as soon as he saw Johnny’s face.
“No one showed up to help her. She is doing pretty good I was watching. But that’s a lot of twisting and lifting.”
“I’ll stay and help, Tom you go see if you can find out what is going on. Johnny, you stay out of it ok? Lee doesn’t want anything to make it look like favoritism.” Will ordered the antsy paramedic.
Will hurried over to Lee as he saw several men crowding the desk. He heard the rude tone one of the men was using. And the mutterings of the others.
“Ya trying to say we can’t take part in this because we have a substitute?” He leaned on the desk and gave Lee an unfriendly smile.
“No, I’m saying you aren’t on the list at all. You need to go over to the desk at the command post and talk with them. I never received any information on your coming.”
Lee is there a problem?” Will Fargo was not tall nor a muscular man but he would not allow any one to threaten a woman in his presence. He also knew if John Gage thought Lee was in physical danger he would be in the fray.
“The lady is not in the habit of messing up.”
“This stupid broad is trying to tell us we can’t be in the paramedic challenge because she messed up.”
“I’m sure this can be straightened out.” Will said. “What station are you with?”
“32 out of Azusa.” Lee looked up at him and cringed. She knew there was no registration for a Station 32 or a team from Azusa.”
“Did you get your confirmation information? Can I have the number?”
“I don’t have any information or number…Look we sent our stuff in with Station 44. They don’t have a paramedic team of their own so they asked us to represent them.”
Lee looked up the forms they had gotten from 44. There nothing with the original forms about participating in the paramedic challenge. Will jumped back as the 6 ft 2 inch fireman slammed his fist down on the table. Her bottle of water tipped over into her lap soaking her shirt and the front of her skirt.
“Stop that.” Will said as he started to move around to the other side of the table.
“You gonna make me little man?”
“No, but I will.” Johnny said as he came over to Lee.
“John Roderick, stay out of this.” Lee said afraid for him. “I’m sure this can all be worked out.”
“Yeah, pretty boy, let this stupid crip make it all better…” He turned and hit Johnny hard in the ribs, twice, then before he could recover hit him again on the shoulder, almost like a karate chop.. Will stood there with two men keeping him from moving as he watched helpless. They heard voices coming from 2 directions and left quickly.
Lee sat there unable to catch her breath as she watched Johnny struggling to catch his. Will was at Johnny’s side, helping him straighten up. She didn’t even realize tears were running down her face or hear anyone come up next to her. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“What the hell happen?” Lee heard a voice and saw someone going to his side.
“MY fault…they were angry at me…Lost reg…istration…Help him please…”
“I’m …ok…just knocked…the win… outta mme.” Johnny said slowly. He winced as Roy pressed on his shoulder and around his ribs.
“They said they were paramedics and got rude and angry when she didn’t have a registration for them. Johnny came over when they got a little physical.”
“From the look of John’s face I’d say it was more than a little.” Hank said angrily. “How is he Roy?”
“I don’t think anything is broken. He’s gonna be sore…”
“I’ll have them take you guys out of the competition and call an ambulance to get him checked over at Rampart.”
“No…I’m gonna do this.” He had that look on his face. “Leona Elizabeth, stop that. Take a deep breath…Roy, is there a paper bag in a box back there? I think it has office supplies in it. She is hyperventilating.”
“I’ll get it.” Will said, glad to be able to do something useful. He handed it to Hank.
“Are they ok?” McConnikee said looking at the paramedic and his wife. Lee sat there breathing into the bag and quivering as Hank rubbed her back and shoulders. “Who did this?”
“You couldn’t. Those two had you penned in. Roy is she ok?”
“Yeah, she is.” He had checked her pulse and respirations. “Just a little scared.”
“I don’t think they were from 44 or 32...The one looked familiar…but I can’t…can’t remember where.” Lee said softly as she put the bag down. Her brow wrinkled as she tried to find a name to go with the face. “They were thugs not firemen.”
“Are you sure?” McConnikee said, relieved. He didn’t want to think someone in his department would do this.
“Chief, if Lee said he was a thug, he was… Didn’t she ever tell you about her misspent youth?” Cap said trying to get her to relax and smile.
A group of paramedics had come up and were waiting patiently. Lee looked at them and then at Johnny.
“Gentleman, excuse me I have work to do…John I think I have a sweater in the car.” Her shirt was still pretty wet from the water bottle spilling on it. The others moved away and Lee with some help from Will began the sign in process. Soon all 15 teams were signed in and Lee was ready to close up the booth. Johnny had went on into the challenge area, refusing to withdraw.
Chief Houser and McConnikee came back just as she started the close down.
“Not that I don’t appreciate your being here, but don’t you gentlemen have somewhere else to be?”
“No, someone tried to break into the office where the judges information was stored last night. The cadets that were assigned to you were called last night saying you had decided you could handle the table and given new assignments on the other side of the field.”
“This was all planned? To make the registration procedure and me look bad or to make the event look bad?” Lee said not looking up. “Then why hurt Johnny?” Then it dawned on her. “To make me get so flustered that registration would be messed up? Or to insure that someone else would win? Someone who was threatened by how good the guys are?”
“But that didn’t happen. You were upset but handled the job without a problem.”
***************
“”You know, no one would blame you if you wanted to drop out.”
“Not happening. We may not win but we aren’t going to give up. Roy, you sure Lee was ok? She was still pretty pale. I mean why …who would ….they had no call to treat her like that.”
“I think Lee was right, they were thugs.” Roy said wondering if he should listen to Johnny. Maybe he should talk to the Chiefs about making him go to Rampart to be checked out.
“Look, I told you I’m ok…maybe the old me would have done something stupid like hide being hurt. I can’t do that because now I have to think about Lee. If I was hurt and ignored it, could hurt her…What if there was something wrong with my shoulder and I went to lift her into the rover? I could drop her…Not to mention how guilty she would be if she thought she hurt me worst…” He went on having a good Gage rant and getting it out of his system.
“Feel better now? Did you save some of that energy for the challenge?
“Pally, that just fired me up …I have energy to spare.” Johnny flashed one of his famous crooked grins. “She is gonna be there watching me…I gotta do well.” He saw Hank over by the staging area.
The Station 51 paramedics handed their notebook to the cadet collecting them after signing the sheet on the clipboard sheet. In the notebook the order they signed in had nothing to do with the order they would take the challenge. That was determined by the luck of the draw. The scenarios had been taken from actual incidents paramedics had been involved in from stations not involved with the challenge. The 5 sets of judges who were station captains and doctors from non participating stations and hospitals. Plus, Kelly Bracket who was the head judge and would only intervene if there was a serious disagreement among the judges. There had been some questions about Kel being on the panel but since he was the head of the paramedic program it was decided he should be on the panel. Chief Houser seriously doubted any one would question Kel‘s impartiality. In his mind, if anything, Brackett would be harder on Gage and DeSoto. After they received the score sheets the votes would be tallied by instructors from a local community college’s accounting department.
Tom and Will went with Lee from the registration area to the gymnasium.
Lee smiled when she saw a place had been reserved for her and there was seating for Em, Jo and Melissa as well.
“Must be nice to get special treatment.” Lee recognized the voice of Brice’s reporter friend. “Everyone else had to get here early if they wanted a front row seat.”
“Miss Cross, I was probably here before anyone in the bleachers, including you. Were you here at 6:30?” Her eyes widen and her head tipped slightly, looking very sweet and innocent.
Mia Cross looked at the woman at the wheelchair and knew it was useless to try to make her angry. There were probably 75 people watching and listening. Nothing was going according to plan. If anything it had backfired terribly. Lee Gage was being a perfect lady while she was sounding like a spiteful witch. With a shrug Mia Cross moved down to where her friends were waiting.
Troy Braxton stood back watching the three women laughing after Mia Cross walked away. Even in the more casual way she was dressed today, Lee Gage was a very pretty woman. Smiling he moved down to where she was. Maybe playing up to her wasn’t gonna be so hard after all.
“Lee, nice to see you again.” Troy Braxton said as if they were old friends. He gave the other women on of his most beguiling smiles. “It was a pleasure to spend time with you the other night. I hope we can do it again soon…”
“Mr. Braxton.” She nodded at him. “I’d like you to meet Emily Stanley and JoAnne DeSoto.”
“Very nice to meet you ladies…Lee do you have plans for lunch later?” Being very attentive and placing a hand on her wheelchair. “I’d love to take you to a small cafe I know. Very discrete and good seafood. I remember how much you love seafood.”
Lee ignored the slight intimate touch of his hand on her shoulder as he talked “I‘m sorry but my husband and I will be having lunch with our friends.” A slight nod of dismissal and she turned her head towards Jo. Lee shuddered and bit her lip.
“What a slimy creep.” As Braxton walked away she glared at his retreating back.
“The creep was actually trying to make it sound like you had been out on a date …or worse.” Jo said giggling. “But how did he know you loved seafood?”
“Maybe from something that was said Friday night. They had some really nice crab puff appetizers. They were the best part of the evening until Johnny picked me up to go to dinner. I thought he got the message the other night I didn’t find him interesting or charming.”
The announcer continued with a short explanation of how the challenge would run. “A combination of actors, Hi and low fidelity simulation can be used at any station. The patients are trained to be as realistic as possible, props will be used as much as possible to make it as realistic. Parents, please be aware that fake blood is a being used…your discretion as to how appropriate a scenario maybe for your child is advised. Also be advised that there may be some chemicals used to simulate smoke or dense fog and loud noises are a possibility also. There will be two judges at each station…one medical and one fire personnel. If there is a serious disagreement between the judges the head judge will review the findings of both and make the final decision. You are encouraged to cheer and support your favorites but no interaction or assistance is allowed. The teams waiting to take part will be kept apart so they will have no advance notice of the simulation. Winners will be announced at the award ceremony following the Tug a war and barbecue. It is to be assumed that all are authorized to perform any procedure that is within the normal limits of the job. While they do not need authorization for any procedure they are accountable for any procedure that they perform.”
```````````````````````````````````
The small classroom was on the other side of the building from the gym. The paramedics were instructed to be seated by 9:30 with nothing on the desk except a drink if they so desired. Luke Morgan was in charge of this part of the challenge. He became an instructor at the Academy following an injury that ended his career when he was a captain several years previously.
“Gentlemen, we will be passing out the exams in a few minutes. Partners, you are not to sit near each other. There are 15 questions, a combination of true false and fill in the blank. You are not to open the folder until told to do so, then you will have 15 minutes to complete the test. You need name and station number on the front of the folder… You can do that as soon as receive the folder. I am sure I don't need to mention there are proctors and silence is golden. Before I start passing out the folders I will tell you this part of the challenge is 150 points. If you want after you have completed your simulation you can come back here and check on your scores. If you have any questions we can answer them. Once the simulation is over and these are given to the judges there will be no changes after the last group has had 15 minutes to come in and see their scores. The cadets passed out the folders and pencils. Johnny was sitting 2 rows behind his partner and there were several empty seats around him.
“I feel like I’m back in high school taking a final,” grumbled someone
Then as a buzzer sounded Capt. Morgan said, “Begin.” For the next 15 minutes the only sound was the scraping of pencil to paper and several muttered damns, and other assorted groans and moans. Johnny quickly read through the questions answering the ones he was confident about. Roy was doing the same as this had been something they had done when studying for certification and had used old available tests as study guides and aids. Then when they felt there was one they needed to spend longer on they could go back if there was time. No one was really surprised that Craig Brice was the first one to get up and take his paper to Capt. Morgan. Johnny was rereading the two answers he wasn’t sure about when time was called. Roy had been rereading his exam also. As they walked out they were stopped by Belliveau.
“Brice isn’t gonna be happy when he hears I didn’t get the last 3 questions done…got hung up on one and just ran out of time.” He shook his head. “This whole competition has been bugging him. That crazy reporter keeps egging him on. She’s still a little pi…upset about
“If you did your best then tell him to back off. “ Roy said as Johnny kept his mouth shut but was frowning. They went out to the staging area.
“…we are just about to begin. The judges had received their check lists and making their way to their stations. The announcer continued, “You all stick around and enjoy the other displays and activities until the Tug-a-War followed by the barbecue and awards ceremony. Good luck to al the competitors and to the audience, I know you are going to be amazed and proud at the skills you’ll see demonstrated here today.”
“Just a reminder, the judges will not be making any comments during the simulation.” The Klaxon sounded and the dispatcher’s announcement of “Unknown rescue” was made and the challenge began.
Roy knocked on the door frame, “Fire Department.” He knocked again louder. Hearing no response he turned the door knob. Again identifying themselves as paramedics they entered the house.
Roy knelt down beside the man as Johnny set up the biophone. He had placed the trauma box within easy reach of Roy then went around to the female victim.
“Sir, sir can you hear me?” Roy took hold of the man’s wrist after checking the pulse point in his neck. The victim opened his eyes and made a garbled sound before closing them.
Johnny was taking the woman’s pulse as she opened her eyes and pulled away with a frighten sound.
“Just relax, ma’am. My name is John and I’m a paramedic. My partner Roy is right over there checking on the gentleman… Roy, can we move him?” He noticed her breathing was a little strained. Roy had began to run his hand over the man to check for any obvious signs of injury to the neck or back.
“There is no apparent injuries to his neck or back…Help me roll him so he is flat on the floor…Lets keep his neck supported and his head as straight as possible. Slow and easy…” The moved the man and Johnny returned to the woman. He smiled at her.
“Can you tell me your name? “
“Jane Mason. That is my husband George.” He took the vitals and gave them to Roy.
“Mrs. Mason, can you tell me what happen?”
“My ankle twisted and I fell. George called you because I had a knee replacement about 8 months ago. He came over to me up and suddenly grabbed at his chest and fell on me.”
“Can you tell me what your pain level is?’
“It’s just kind of throbbing…my whole leg…Nothing near what it was before the replacement. I don’t hurt anywhere else. It was kind of hard to breathe with George on top of me like that. For a big man he has bony elbows.” Johnny smiled at her and she smiled back.
“Does your husband have a history of heart problems or on going medical problems?” Roy asked as he finished his assessment of
“Rampart this is Squad 51, how do you read?”
“Loud and clear 51.”
Roy gave him the information on the two victims. Johnny supplied new vitals. He had the splints ready as he assumed the ’hospital’ would want the leg splinted as a precaution due to the knee replacement.
“51 is the male on any medications?” The doctor asked.
“Negative rampart, no medication no history of any on going medical problem. The female patient had a knee replacement approximately 8 months ago, no problems since then. She said she twisted her ankle and fell….Said pain level is a slight throbbing.”
The doctor did order the splint and had them send in the strip. Soon they had done everything required and said they were ready to transport. This ended the challenge for them. They were told to report to the judging area. They would be given time to answer any questions the judges had about their response.
As they walked over to the judging area Johnny looked around to see if he could see Lee. He had spotted her briefly when they first went in but then all his concentration had been on his victim. He smiled as she waved to him and did a thumbs up gesture and signed I love you.
“So, Pally, how do you think we did?” Johnny asked as they neared the judge’s tables.
“Good…the guy playing George did a good job of keeping a straight face. That had to be cold when we put that gel on to do the fake strip.” Roy answered. The other 3 teams were also finishing up.
“Thank you sir.”
“Go enjoy the rest of your day. Please remember not to discuss anything about this with anyone.” There were 4 possible story lines but no one knew which would be presented until just before the set up took place for the actors.
Lee and Jo were waiting for them along with Emily and Hank.
“You guys did great. I was proud of you out there.” Hank said. “ This one was so intent on what you were doing I thought I was gonna have to call for oxygen to get her to stop holding her breath.” Hank teased, patting Lee on the shoulder.
“I have no thumb nail left.” Lee said with a giggle. “You two are awesome.”
“And you are biased but thanks for thinking that way.” He leaned down and kissed her lightly. “Now that is over I am starved.”
“There is plenty of stuff at the apartment to eat and you don’t have to be back here till 3. If everyone is ok with sandwiches and salads and snacks come on over. “
“Yeah it’s gonna be help yourself because you are getting out of that chair.” Johnny said in a no nonsense tone. “See you all there.” As they were making their way to the cars they saw Chet and Marco and they agreed to come along.
```````````````````````````````````
Brice was not happy with his partner. He had went over as many possible questions as he could with him in the weeks leading up to the test today. Then to only get 12 of the 15 answered…and two of those were different answers than he had…so they could only get 270 points top. They went into the staging area. They were at the last staging area, 51 at the first. He noticed that Gage and DeSoto’s wives had special seating. He supposed that was necessary because of the wheelchair. He realized the third person with them was Captain Stanley’s wife. He looked around until he saw Mia Cross in the audience and nodded towards her. She was talking to some men he had seen her with before. She looked angry. The simulation began and he forgot about her.
“Fire Department.” He knocked on the door then turned the knob. He went in Bob following him. He didn’t call out again but went through the door in the fake wall which was then removed to show they victims.
“Help me move him off of her.” The judges watched then wrote something. He continued to give orders as they did the basic assessments. Mrs. Mason became more upset as she listened and kept trying to interrupt the paramedics.
“If you would quiet down we could do our job. Once we get your husband stabilized we’ll check out your knee.” Brice told her. They finished with the man and examined her and put a splint on it after the doctor ordered it.
The judges came over to the paramedics. “Your approach is very brisk, Brice.” The doctor said as he handed his score sheet to the runners.
“I feel that making small talk with the victims is counterproductive.” Brice answered in a clipped voice and tone.
Once they had left the staging area Brice returned to the classroom to see the scores from the written exam.
“Captain, I’d like you to explain why numbers 4 and 11 were marked as incorrect.” Brice had expected a perfect 150. He reread the questions and still thought his answers were correct. The total scores of each team were posted by station number. Station 51 had a score of 280 as did Lancaster. The lowest score was 220. Brice cringed at the score for 16 ---240 was totally unacceptable. Brice was sure they had make up points in the actual simulation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After all the teams had finished the judges meet in groups for their round. They would compare notes and scores and be able to factor in any additional information. While all the actors had been given the same instructions they had been told they were allowed to improvise as needed. The judges who watched stage A said they were impressed by the team they observed, especially how well they communicated with each other and the patients. B and C‘s observed made a few observations but nothing critical. The two judges from stage D looked at each other and shook their heads.
“Our team was very good as far as the technical aspect. I did make a note that the lead paramedic did not do any check for spinal or bone injuries on the male before turning him off the female. I did not give him a critical on this as the female was having very apparent breath difficulties due to the man’s weight.”
“Brisk is the word I used to describe the lead paramedic’s attitude both towards the patients and his partner. And I was not happy that he would use the word victim instead of patient as he transmitted to the hospital. Every time he used victim the female patient would become more upset. The young lady who played the wife commentated afterwards she felt the paramedic had been rude and didn’t listen to her. “I would not want to be treated like that in a real emergency situation,” she wrote. Each set of actors had been given a form to fill out also on how they perceived the experience. The actor who played the husband felt the second paramedic was more understanding of the human side of medicine while the first was all technical and unfeeling.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hey, Gage you got any beer?” Chet asked as he put a plate down on the dining room table. “All you had in the fridge was diet Dr. Pepper. That stuff is nasty.”
“It’s all a matter of taste, Kelly. There is other soda and beer down in the pantry. You know where it is.”
“Anyone else want any beer?”
“Johnny why don’t you go down with him and bring up some other sodas.”
“I’ll go with him,” Marco volunteered. Soon they were all eating and talking about how they thought the day had went so far. There were two questions Roy and Johnny hadn’t agreed on the written test but
“Bob wasn’t too happy about his test, he figured Brice was gonna have his head for not finishing.” Johnny said between bites of his sandwich.
“Why? Don’t you get aggravated enough watching him when we work together?”
“Yeah but I just wanted to see if other people see the same thing as I do. The guy has all the technical skills but no people skills… I was kinda of wondering if it was just me.”
“You guys are beating a dead horse…it’s over just relax.” Lee said. “I for one am very glad its over. From what little I got to talk to Will and Tom today they and the department are pleased with the way the exhibition part went. The vendors all seemed happy and the feedback from the public was good. Em, Any idea how the auxiliary did?”
“From what I heard from Susan Houser it was doing very well. The craft booth had a very good day yesterday. The food stands were doing excellent. And thanks to the O’Sheas the Fire Safety cup cake walk was a great success over in the children’s area. Charlie Frantz said they had made several request for follow up on the counseling and support groups being offered. “
“We got some things over in the craft tent. See my new faerie? I love the way the light hits her wigs. I also got some table sets and some runners and Johnny got some hand carved horses. I got a new sun catcher. I saw some wind chimes I would like to get…Hopefully they will still be there.”
“You gonna have horses at the new place? She buys you any new toy you want when you’re a good little boy.” He laughed at the look on Johnny’s face.
“Chet, I am only a few feet from you and I can hear you…so please don’t talk about me in the third person,” she chose to ignore the insulting tone and comment. They talked awhile longer, Hank steering the conversation away from the challenge.
“How is the new house progressing?”
“Good…because we owned the land and the hook ups are available for the utilities we maybe in by Thanksgiving if the weather cooperates.”
“So when are we going to see pictures of this house?” Chet asked.
“When I am ready to share them.” Lee answered. “They started work in May . I really want to be in there by Christmas but Thanksgiving would be better.” She looked over at Johnny as if asking permission to say something. He shrugged as he had no idea what she was going to say. She changed her mind and instead said, “Boyo, I need to go in and change clothes, so would you bring my chair over here? Anyone who wants to change into their Tug-a-war clothes is welcome to use one of the other guest rooms if you have them with you.”
“Everything you need is in the car except your camera. He hadn’t taken any pictures yet but planned on it this afternoon at the barbecue and awards ceremony. A family style barbecue had been suggested rather than a formal banquet and ticket sells had been very good. A family ticket for up to 6 people ages 12 and above was $20.00. Individual tickets were $5.00 each. A grant from WBSF had underwrote a large portion of the barbecue. Lee had wanted to make sure the firemen with larger families could take part in the day. The barbecue was open to any LA Co FD member regardless if they took part in the challenge. Any profit from the barbecue would go into the charity fund. Lee knew they had estimated that 500 adults would be attending the barbecue. Two of the local community colleges culinary arts program were providing the food and servers as well as the Academy ‘s cafeteria. Cadets were helping so helping with this
Johnny parked Lee far enough away she wouldn’t get splattered. Roy and Cap had gotten a few folding chairs from the patio so Kathy, Jo, Em would have seats. Marco had gotten 2 in case his mom and dad came to watch. Chet didn’t think his family was coming until the barbecue.
“OK, folks, we’re ready to start. The hoses are charging…This is for
“Yew…you are too messy Uncle Johnny…” Jen squealed as he playfully lunged at her.
“What Princess no hug for your favorite uncle?”
“Not till you’re clean.” Jenny said laughing as she dodged another attempt to hug her.
“That goes for me too Boyo.” Lee giggled as he turned his attention to her. “Is your shoulder ok?”
“I’m fine. I’ll go clean up then we can go over to the craft booth before they close. Why don’t you guys start over there?”
“I can take the chairs.” Hank said. “Chris and Jimmy can help.”
“Good idea. See you in a few.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lee was looking at the stain glass faeries and sun catchers . Jo and the others were at the various booths in the section. Some were packing up and having last minute sales.
“It’s nice seeing you again.” Troy Braxton said as he put his hands on the back of her wheelchair. “I had hoped to see you earlier but you always seemed to be busy.”
“ I still am. If you will excuse me…” He was standing so she was pinned in between 2 tables.
“Before I do may I make a suggestion?”
“If that is the only way to get rid of you.” Her tone was icy her even icier.
“Stop the vendetta against the Reynolds family. They have friends too.”
“I’m sure they do but since I have no idea who or what you are talking about …”
“You ruined Steven Reynold’s career and now you’ve started in on his niece. Don’t act so innocent , Mrs. Gage. You and L.A. County Fire Department made a big mistake making him the fall guy.”
He left a very puzzled Lee sitting there. The one thing she knew for sure was that she wasn’t going to worry about it or let it ruin the day for Johnny and the crew. After they did some shopping they were on their way over to the barbecue area. When you bought your tickets for the barbecue for an additional fee you could reserve a table, if bought by a given date. Lee had reserved 6 tables.
“That was good thinking on your part.” Cap said as they made their way over to their section.”
“Well, Mama Lopez told Maria that they had at least 10 people coming today. I think we will fill the tables we have easily. Maybe I should have reserved more. I don’t know if any of B shift is coming.”
“Relax Baby girl, it’s not your job to take care of the whole Station…The guys most of the time appreciate all you do…” Johnny said as he positioned her chair at the end of the table.
“Like Chet saying he didn’t have to buy anything from the bake sale since you send it in all the time. That was rude. No wonder Hank calls him a twit.” Emily said with a shake of her head. Lee had told her of that conversation.
The speeches by Chief Houser and McConnikee and others were brief and for the most part good. The fire department and the committee form the state were happy with the turn out. The feedback had been good from most of the venders. The crowds had met or exceeded
“The first place winner is a station with a history of excellence. And a station some said should not be allowed to participate in this challenge. A charge of favoritism was leveled from the beginning of this process by some, others felt it would be a greater injustice to exclude them. Station 51 has shown nothing but good will and dedication to the principles of fairness and the high standard of behavior set by our department. Captain Hank Stanley, would you please come up and get the trophy and your $500 gift card. As many of you know two years ago A shift received the highest rating given by the state following survey and inspection by the State Legislature. Their continued striving for excellence is to be commended.”
“Thank you Chief for the kind words. I have often said I was honored to work with such a dedicated group of men. I am sure we will be able to put this gift card to good use. Thank you on behalf of all the men on all the shifts at Station 51.”
Chief McConnikee waited for the cheering and other noises quieted down. “It is my pleasure to introduce our good friend Dr. Kelly Brackett. Not only is Dr. Brackett the head of Rampart General’s Emergency Medicine Department he is County Medical Supervisor for the paramedic program.”
Kel went over to the microphone and nodded towards his good friends from Station 51. “It is well known that I was not in favor of the paramedic program when the bill was first introduced. A few hard headed hose jockeys, a good friend and a very wise head nurse helped me see how wrong I was. Today I couldn’t be prouder of what I see happening in this program and all the fine dedicated men in the field.
“Will the paramedics from Hermosa Beach please come forward. I am pleased to present you with this trophy and a gift card for $300. These cards maybe used for something for the station or for a station sponsored charity or activity just the same as the previous ones. The two paramedics came forward and accepted the award with pride.
“Well, Hank, you said about everything I was gonna say about your paramedics. I have seen these two at their best and at their worst. I had no part in the actual judging today, the judges were all from out of LA county for a reason. So that personal feelings positive or negative would have no part in the judging. I am proud to say that the judges were impressed with all the teams and the point difference between the firs and the last place teams was not that great. Just a bit of history, this team was the first in the field when the program came into being. The judges today did not know that. Would the paramedics form Station 51 please come up.”
Roy and Johnny went up not really believing it was real. They took the trophy and the card and shook hands with Kel and the Chief. Johnny swallowed hard as he saw Lee gesturing to Hank and Mike. She and the others stood up applauding and cheering for them. He was relieved when she sat down with a little help from Hank. He had also noticed that Hank and Mike had their hands on her elbows as she stood.
The guys made their way back down to their family and friends. Lee had not known that WBS had donated the cards as they had not gone thru WBSF as the other donations had done. Wiping the tears from her face she lifted her mouth to Johnny’s. The kiss said all they didn’t have words for at the moment.
“Something wrong?” worried she had hurt herself when she had stood up.
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Mia Cross was looking over the press releases and the stories that had been done about the Skills Challenge . The more she read the more determined she was it was not over.
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The weeks following the Skills challenge a went by quickly. They had hosted a July Fourth pool party and broken ground for the new house. They spent as much time as possible at the lake house. The only negative aspect of their life was the continued rejections of their applications to both government and private adoption agencies. Lee was trying hard to stay positive but was scared it was a lost cause.
Lee and Johnny were out at the pool. They had finished with the exercises and laps and were just enjoying the warmth of the morning sun on a nice mid July day. Maria and Hector came out to join them.
“Would this be good time to talk?” Maria asked as she sat down next to Lee. They both had serious expressions. Lee’s first thought was that someone had been injured or was seriously ill.
“Of course.” Johnny heard the quiver in Lee’s voice and moved over so he was sitting on the lounge with her.
“There are going to be some major changes in our family. We wanted to tell you when we could all sit and talk with no pressure to be somewhere else or having any distractions.” Hector said as he pulled a chair closer to Maria’s.
“Is something wrong?” Lee asked.
“We’re moving to Denver at the end of August.” Hector said. “We will be living there from August till June. Connie is going back to teaching and Tony is going back to school. He’s going to be working on his doctorate. He will be teaching at the University part time, also. They have asked us come live with them and help with the children. With the problems they had, they are not comfortable with putting the twins in day care. The small house next door to them is for sale and they are willing to sell it to us at a very fair price, an older couple who has no family in the Denver area… The yard work and all is getting too much for them so they are moving to be near their nieces and nephews.”
Lee sat there stunned. She could not focus. Of all the things she had thought they might say, this had never entered her mind.
“In June when school is out we will come back here and I will help Eddie during the summer. Maria and I are building a small house next door to Cisco. That way when we come back in the summer we will have our own home here also. And when we are gone we won’t have to worry about an empty house.”
“I’m happy for Tony and Connie and their kids…sad for me.” Lee said when she finally found her voice. “They are so lucky to have parents like you…I was so lucky to have had them share you with me.
“Eddie and Cindy are planning on starting a family soon. They want a bigger place so they will be moving in here. I have talked with Ben and he said there should be no problem with having our new house ready by June. And we will be back for Christmas and for spring vacation.”
“I guess I’m being pretty selfish…I want to tell you no, you can’t go. I need you. But, part of me is happy for you, Tony, and most of all for the babies. Maybe by the time you come back we’ll have a baby.”
“I pray every day that you will be happy.” Maria answered softly.
“Will you let us help with the new houses? Money is so little to offer for all you have given me from that first meeting.”
“We are fine…Eddie said Alvarez and Son will be hiring we have so much work lined up. Our commercial work has doubled as well as the home services. Our new offices are very impressive. It will be good for Eddie to be the boss without me looking over his shoulder all the time. You and Jeff have given us so much more than just money, you have given us a chance to make life better for our children and grandchildren. Because of you and Jeff, we had a nice home in a good neighborhood. Maria could be home for our children not raising someone else’s. Did you know she wanted to be a teacher? She had it all planned out to go to school to teach the little ones. She was even accepted into college.” Hector said proudly.
“I never knew that.” Lee said as she sat there holding Johnny’s hand.
“My brother Antonio came home from the Marines with a friend in tow…By the time their leave was up I all I wanted was to get married and have happy babies. We agreed to wait six months then talk about getting married…We were married 3 months later. I was miserable without him.”
“I was miserable without her…All my money was spent on long distant phone calls. Her papa said for me to get back there and get married so I could save up for my own business and get on with our life. Not to waste thinking and planning for some day. You have to plan, do not get what he said wrong. But don’t get so busy planning for some day you forget today.” The tough weathered face showed the gentleness inside for those who he loved. “We moved here and started our lives. I have no idea what that life would have been without you in it. I know with you in it has been an incredible journey. And now we can move onto to a new challenge, knowing our little lost one is safe and no longer lost and alone.”
“I guess I have always thought of you as my mother and father in law. I made you a promise before we got married. I should have told you then how honored I felt in your trusting me to keep that promise.” Johnny said softly.
All her resolve not to cry broke into a thousand pieces, Lee let the tears run freely down her face. Johnny looked at Hector and moved aside. The powerful older man scooped her up in his arms and held her rocking softly as he sang to her in Spanish. It was an old song, the one he had used to chase the night mares away from the frightened 8 year old and the heart broken teenager who saw nothing good in her future. He had sung that song to her as they had waited in Kel’s office as he and his staff fought to keep a deathly ill John Gage alive.
Johnny had moved over to where Maria was sitting watching as Hector rocked Lee. He was surprised at the pang of jealousy he felt seeing someone else comforting her.
“They both need this time. I think he loved her as one of our own the first time he saw her. We had decided I would get a job so he could start his own business. Our priest recommended me for a job as her nanny. The job was almost too good to believe. I would be a live in nanny. My family and I would be provided with a home, all utilities paid and a food allowance as my employer worked strange hours and often my charge would be eating with my family. I would not be responsible for any laundry or heavy cleaning or if I wanted to include that in my job I would be paid extra. With practically no household bills and the ability to be a stay at home mother it was perfect. I went home and told Hector about Lee and Jeff. Then both we came to talked to Jeff and Lee. When Jeff found out that Hector wanted to start a landscaping and gardening service he introduced him to Ben Oliver. You pretty well know the rest. For the first year we had all kinds of inspections and went to court twice before the judge said there was no way he was going to separate Lee from her new found family…her uncle or her family of the heart. She told the judge she had adopted us, that her heart knew we were her family.
Johnny had heard bits and pieces of this story before but never this much. “Thank you for loving her and protecting her.”
“We thought long and hard about this move, prayed about it…The day I saw you two laughing in the hospital, I knew moving was the right decision. Together you can conquer whatever life throws at you.”
“You have my word I will always do my best to make her happy and safe.”
“Other than her jumping into that freezing lake to save a child, you’ve done good.” Maria teased. “Do you think they will ever catch the men who caused that?”
“One of these days, yeah. I think they’ll be back out on that lake when we are up there.”
Maria went inside to get some coffee for them. Johnny stayed back to give Lee and Hector some privacy and to think about what this move was going to mean. He had just always thought they would be there for her when he was on shift. Now he realized he had been unrealistic and a little unfair to her and them. Lee would do fine and she had a good support system now with the ladies from 51 and other friends. And if they had to they could hire someone to come in and help with the cleaning and anything else they needed. It was time they moved on from the apartment to the next phase of their lives. Hopefully, one that would include a child.
The End Posted to Site 10/22/13
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“This challenge will time the teams as they get fully dressed for a fire. All teams will compete in this event at the same time. There will be an official timer responsible for each team. Time for each teams ends when the last man is finished.” The announcer said as the teams took their places on the 
“Hank was hoping he would get to be the command in this game, he figures he is going to be soaking wet by the time its finished.” Em said as the teams made their way to the starting line. They had taken a different approach to the games than some of the other teams. They wanted to win but they also wanted to give everyone a chance to participate with no one person chosen as better than the rest. Hank believed that that type of thinking under minded the whole team concept. Yeah Johnny was faster than most in the knot tying drills but Chet was as good if not better at the drills getting the water to a target. Marco and Chet were very fast and efficient in getting hoses set up, as was Mike. Each man brought his strength and expertise to the team. Roy showed quiet confidence in his every action.
“The challenge is Hose stream deployment. Each team will connect a hose line and nozzle to a hydrant , directing the spray to a target 25 feet away.” 
Lee watched Roy but she was also watching the firefighter from Station 16. She couldn’t remember his name but she had seen him at several events over the past year. Roy was about 6 steps ahead of the other firefighter. Occasionally she looked over to where Johnny was waiting for his turn. He was watching Roy with total concentration, As if it was prearranged he turned towards her just at that moment her gaze shifted to him. Seeing that smile and the slight nod of his head, the uneasy feeling she had most of the morning left her.
They made their way over to the judging area. There would be several different scenarios and the paramedics would have to do a rescue. Johnny wasn’t very talkative on the way over. Roy worried about the way he was favoring his shoulder.
Marco and Chet stopped by and talked with the three for a few minutes before going to find a seat. Mike and Melissa family obligations with her family but had given each of the paramedics a good luck card that Melissa had made just as they left the event 
“DeSoto, Gage you did a fine job out there. We don’t have any questions for you. The dialog you provided as you were performing the task was precise and professional. The explanations you provided for the wife was excellent and the pick up on the condition of the man’s pupils was spot on as well as picking up on the garbled speech. John your interaction with the lady was also spot on. You gave her enough information to calm her but not in a way to overload her. I was impressed with your ability to anticipate what the doctor would be telling you and the way you anticipated each other’s needs.” Capt. Browne said. (He was with a department up near Sacramento.) The doctor agreed with what the captain had said. He also commented on the ease they worked together.
Lee sat in the recliner and watched as the others milled about the kitchen and dining room. She had a pillow under her feet so her legs were slightly elevated, Johnny had tucked a blanket tightly around her legs to keep the pillow from moving. He had moved a TV tray over to the side of his chair and pulled a dining room chair next to it.
A large field was the site of the Tug-a-War battle. It was going to be the site of a new building in a few months so it was decided it made a perfect spot for the messy game. What they were doing was a combination of a water ball battle and a tug of war. Each team had 20 players and they could rotate in and out but no team could have more than 12 on the rope at a time nor 3 on a hose at a time. This was to give everyone who wanted to participate a chance and also theoretically to help keep injuries down. Some stations had chosen not to participate as a station so those men who wanted to participate would be included in the reserve pool. It had been suggested that the participants wear old clothes and gym shoes. After getting sprayed off they would be allowed to go shower in the gym if they wanted.
“I and all the fire department personnel are very proud of the twenty stations that took part in this week end. Hopefully next year we can do this again with more stations taking part. I want to congratulate you all. The warm up challenges scoring was 100 points for a first place, 75 for second and 25 for a third place finish. The Combat challenge was worth 500 total points. Today was the skill challenge for the paramedics with 150 possible points for the written test and 500 for the simulation. All are to be commended for the time and effort they put into the challenges. I am proud to announce that Station 122 from Lancaster earned the third place trophy. This in spite of the fact they stopped at the scene of a serious traffic accident and assisted with the injured and other tasks until help could arrive. Would the team captain please come up? In addition to the trophy your station has been presented with a $200 gift card for a local store. This may be used to purchase items for the station or a station charity. The captain made a short thank you speech. 
“The station coming in second and receiving a $300 gift card is Station 88. I was told by an auxiliary member that these guys have spent part of their down time for the last several months repairing play ground equipment at several parks within their territory. They are a fine example to the spirit of community involvement. The team captain came up and thanked everyone and said the money would go along way towards the community picnic on the Fourth of July that the station was co-sponsor of. 
The guys were cheering and thumping each other on the back as Hank made his way back to the group. Emily was so proud of Hank and his boys. Like Emily, Jo, Lee and Melissa had tears in their eyes. And even though she couldn’t see them Lee was sure that the Kelly and the Lopez families were reacting in the same way. All over the room people were standing and applauding for A shift.
Craig Brice accepted the trophy and envelope with his usual controlled expression, his partner was smiling as he shook hands with Kel and Chief McConnikee.