Work Text:
The Visit
AKA - One Last Time
Roy walked into the station and immediately entered the kitchen, intent on grabbing a cup of coffee before facing the day. The three firemen seated at the table warily eyed the paramedic. Tension was oozing from his body. No one ventured to ask what was up even though Roy was usually extremely calm and level headed when he did get angry everyone knew to keep their distance from the man. Everyone, that is, except the person who knew him the best, the one he was closest to on shift. Immediately upon his arrival to the station, John Gage read the mood of his partner. Unlike his shift mates, he chose to confront the mood head on. For most of the day, he continually badgered his partner about his mood.
"Inquiring minds want to know...What's up, Roy?"
"Nothing," was the terse reply.
"Come on, partner. A little spat with Jo, again?"
Roy's mouth twitched, but he refused to answer. Johnny saw the expression on his face and knew he'd struck the jackpot. For the rest of the day, Johnny continued to badger Roy. For the most part, Johnny's way was to invent ridiculous reasons behind a possible fight between Roy and his wife. If Roy hadn't been trying so hard to maintain his aggravated mood, many of the reasons would have made him laugh because they were so ludicrous.
However Roy was determined to not reveal the reason for his mood to his partner. This made the shift crawl for Johnny and the rest of A shift. Accustomed as they were to the variable moods of the younger member of the rescue team, having the older man experiencing such moods brought about an air of tension and depression that was not normal for the shift. While continuing to function at his normal top performance level on calls, Roy had basically excluded himself from anything but forced companionship.
Late in the afternoon, Johnny stood by the refrigerator, hunting down ingredients for the dinner he was about to prepare. The engine crew had been called out to a fire and he wanted to have the meal basically done by the time the guys returned, as he knew they would be starving. Having been rebuffed by his partner for most of the shift, Johnny turned a deaf ear to the conversation that was happening on the other side of the room.
"That's not what I mean, Jo..."
Roy turned his back to the kitchen in an effort to prevent his partner from overhearing his words.
"I've never been anything but polite to her. She's the one who hates me!"
Out in the bay, the large overhead door rose to permit the engine to back in. As the rest of the crew trudged into the kitchen, they all noted the tenseness in Roy's back and the way he sputtered as he attempted to recapture the attention of his obviously irate spouse.
"FINE!! I DON'T CARE WHAT THE OLD BAT DOES THEN BUT SHE BETTER NOT EXPECT ME TO DANCE AROUND HER LIKE SOME MAN SERVANT!!"
Completely frustrated, Roy slammed the phone back on the wall. He turned to storm out of the kitchen and collided with the taller body of his captain.
"Easy, Roy. You look like you could spontaneously combust in a matter of seconds."
Cap placed his hands on the man's shoulders to put a stop to the steamroller motion. Four pairs of eyes watched the exchange closely, each man wondering if the boss was going to intervene and demand an explanation for the mood that had enveloped his entire crew. Cognizant of the eavesdroppers, Cap let his voice drop to lower tone so that only Roy could hear him.
"Look, I know this is a personal matter between you and Joanne. But it's been affecting the all of us for the entire shift. Why don't you come into my office and we'll talk?"
Although posed as a question, it was obvious that this was something that Roy could not refuse to do. Glumly, he followed his captain out of the room to his office. Cap carefully shut the door behind them although he doubted that the rest of the crew would attempt to listen in. Roy's foul mood had successfully distanced him from everyone over the last few days. Cap sat down in his chair but didn't comment when Roy refused the proffered seat, preferring instead to pace the length of the office. Slowly, haltingly the story came out.
Joanne's mother was headed to town for her yearly visit with her daughter and her daughter's family. As usual she had made it no secret that seeing her son-in-law was a part of the visit that she could do without. Cap instantly understood that, while also angry; Roy was mainly frustrated with the woman's attitude.
"I bend over backwards for her when she's here. We do everything that she wants in the ways she likes them done! And still, no matter what, I'm still nothing in her eyes and not good enough for her daughter!"
Silence fell on the office and Roy stood still as he appeared to finally be all talked out. Cap mulled over possible answers to his paramedic.
"You know, Roy, I'm probably the last one who could give you advice on how to deal with a demanding mother in law."
Cap grinned a little and Roy couldn't help but answer it with a small grin of his own. The stories of Cap's mother in law were nearly legendary among the guys on A shift.
"However, what you fellas don't know is that, no matter how rotten she can be, I always try to treat her like the lady she is, the way I want my wife to be treated by our son in law one day. "
Roy's eyebrow arched up in surprise.
"Yeah, I know. I don't usually tell you guys that. But it's easier to just vent here. Doing so allows me to always treat her right when I'm off shift. Now this wasn't an easy thing for me to do - and still isn't. However I always remember my father and the way he treated my grandmother. Whenever she came to visit, she was the queen of our house with both my parents at her beck and call. Sometimes it was appreciated and sometimes it wasn't, but no matter what the reaction, every visit she was treated the same. At the end as she was preparing to go, my dad would come up to her and kiss her cheek. Then he would say, in a low voice, 'As always, Mom, thank you for my wonderful gift.' Inevitably she would pat his cheek but not answer and then go about her preparations to leave.
Finally the day before one of her visits I was out in the yard with him. I was a teenager by now and the last thing I wanted to do was to spend the whole weekend 'serving' my old grandma. I thought for sure I could get my dad to agree to let me spend the weekend at a friend's. However he was adamant that I be there. He never told me then but shortly after that last visit, Grandma died and it turned out that my folks had known she was sick and that she probably wouldn't be with us much longer. As with all of her visits, my dad again thanked her for her wonderful gift. The morning of her funeral, I finally found the time to question my dad about it. At first he didn't know what I was talking about - or at least he pretended not to know. Then I confessed that I'd been listening for years to his good byes to grandma. I told him I couldn't understand how he always thanked her for his gift when it never appeared that she had brought him anything when she arrived. I'll never forget his answer.
'Son, your grandmother doesn't need to bring a gift when she visits because she has already given me a gift of such rare beauty and love that nothing she could possibly give me now would ever equal it. Your grandmother gave me the gift of her daughter. On my wedding day, I promised that I would love and keep her safe forever. I promised her and everyone with us on that day. Your mother was not something I was entitled to have. She was and is a gift, so it's only right for me to thank her mother - the woman who raised her and loved her and had the strength and courage to let her go when we fell in love.'
Roy, I've always remembered that story and I'll never forget the way my dad treated both my mother and my grandmother. It is one of the things I've always tried to do with Ellen's mother. Lord only knows, she can be difficult and demanding, and selfish..."
Cap's voice trailed off a bit as he realized what he was saying. He paused for a few minutes before continuing.
"But no matter what she does, how she acts or the way she treats me, she is still Ellen's mother - the woman who raised my wife and loved her and had the strength and courage to let her go when we fell in love. So each time she visits, I thank her for her gift and give her a rose before she leaves."
Cap wasn't sure if he should say more or not. But then Roy raised his head.
"Uh, Cap, I gotta go make a call."
Roy quickly left the office and went immediately to the phone in the kitchen. Unobtrusively, the other men in the room all gathered to one side - not wanting to be involved in the escalating Desoto wars as they had come to be called around the station.
"Jo, it's me...no, now wait, don't hang up, OK?...Listen a sec - I've been thinking here and I really want your mom to stay with us, OK?...yes, I mean it! Yes, I know I'll be off for almost her whole visit. It will be fine, honey, you'll see. So you call her and tell her I can't wait for her to visit. We have a lot to talk about... Yeah, I love you too, honey. I'll see you in the morning."
Roy hung up the phone and then turned towards his shift mates.
"Well is chow ready yet? Come on, guys I'm starving!"
As he walked over to sit at the table, he walked by his captain.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"No problem, Pal."
the end