Chapter Text
The Boot
Chapter One
By GCS
DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.
This story is a prequel to "The Wedsworth Townsend Act" when Johnny first graduated from the academy and joined L.A. County Fire Station 10.
'Here I am again.
I must've ridden by here at least a hundred times since I got my assignment.
There it is a couple of blocks down, the station, my station.
I can't believe I'll be riding on one of the engines in a few days. Wonder what they'll have me do on my first call.'
Smiling to himself the young man leaned on the handle bars to his Yamaha cycle pondering the beginning of his career with the L.A. County Fire Department.
'This is big, really big, maybe the biggest thing that has ever happened to me. I mean yeah graduation from high school was pretty big, but nothing like this. I'm finally reaching my dream. I'm a Fireman, a real live Fireman. Not the Tillerman I dreamed of, at least not yet, but a full fledged Fireman, Fireman John Roderick Gage.'
He heard the tones, watched the doors slowly rise, and leaned forward not wanting to miss the parade of vehicles as they poured from the bays.
The wind from the passing vehicles blew his tousled hair from his face, the bike beneath him swayed from the gusts.
The crooked grin plastered across his face did not go unnoticed by the Engineer as they sped by. "Hey Cap, what do you wanna bet that kid is one of our new recruits."
"Well Scotty my man, I seem to remember another young recruit sitting on the hood of his car in just about the same spot when I was an Engineer. Now he's one of my most trusted men."
Engineer Dale Scott smiled at his Captain. "Yeah." The both chuckled at the memory.
"But to answer your bet, I would win. That's John Gage, top of the class, new boot at our station. I got his picture in his personnel folder yesterday. He'll be under your wing."
"Why me Cap? I trained the last boot."
"Well Scotty, I've been watching him pass the station and sit out there watching us for a few days. He's had a rough go of it. According to his paperwork the other probies gave him hell during training. He's half Indian. You won't hold that against him. I can't say for sure that some of the other guys will give him the chance to prove himself as a good fire fighter or wash him out before he even gets started. This probationary period will really test that young man."
"Okay Cap, you're the boss."
Johnny watched the parade of vehicles until the last one disappeared on the horizon.
Gripping the handle bars he kicked the cycle to life, turned into traffic and followed the sounds of the Fire Department as they raced to the scene of their call.
The adrenalin mounted in his veins as he first saw the plume of smoke rise in the sky and then the multitude of equipment at the scene.
'Man I can't wait to get my turnouts on and feel the power of the hose in my hands.'
Scotty watched the dark haired man pull his cycle to the curb and sling his long slender leg over the seat. 'Well you are a skinny one boot, but not many young lads joining the department would take the time to come watch us work. I think you'll do just fine. I can already see you feel the energy in your veins. The excitement is written all over your face.'
"Well Scotty if you're finished checking out our new boot over there, you can charge the hoses." The Captain slapped him on the back and walked away laughing. "Yes sir you'll keep an eye on him, Scotty that you will."
Scotty laughed as he adjusted the water pressure and turned his attention back to the job at hand.
Sliding off his bike, leaning against it with arms folded and ankles crossed, Johnny watched intently. 'They sure have their job cut out for them on this one.'
The hairs on his neck stood up, his arms dropped to his sides; he rose slowly from his leaning stance and stepping a few steps forward he froze.
Scotty saw the movement out of the corner of his eyes. 'What are you up to boot?' Following the younger man's gaze he saw the smoke slipping back into the building.
Grabbing the HT, "Cap it's gonna flash!" he screamed into the radio. "Back right section, it's gonna flash! Get out! Cap, get out now!"
The warning heard the men from Station 10 dropped their hoses and scattered from the building just as all hell broke loose. Explosions rocked the warehouse sending debris raining down all around the area.
Scotty watched as the dark haired future boot ran shaky hands through his hair. 'You have a feel for the fire my friend. You can read it, feel it. You're a natural.' He smiled, shaking his head. 'You saved lives today. You saved your future crew mates, and you don't even know it.'
Johnny ambled back to perch on his bike. 'Man that was close.' He rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans, he breathed deeply. He could feel his knees shake. 'They got out just in time.' His head shot up and he looked around at the men who had returned to fight the beast that threatened them. 'Did they all get out?'
The engineer found himself watching Johnny as much as he monitored his gauges. 'You're worried about them now aren't you boot?' He watched the emotions as they appeared on the boot's face. First the tightness of his jaw as he watched the explosions, then the glazed look of relief in his eyes and finally the open mouth, darting eyes, and raised eyebrows as the realization that someone could have been hurt swept over him. 'You are wound up tighter than a drum. Relax buddy, you ain't seen nothin' yet.'
Johnny spent the next couple of days preparing for his first shift at Station 10.
Arriving at headquarters as soon as they opened at 9 o'clock in the morning, as the top man in his class he was first in line to get the starched blue shirts, the navy slacks, regulation boots, protective helmet, department badge and his nametag, J. Gage.
Then he was presented his turnout gear. Running his fingers along the stenciled name on the back, G A G E, feeling the rough fabric beneath shaky hands, he trembled at the realization that tomorrow he would be riding an engine for the first time as a certified Fireman.
"Welcome to the department Mr. Gage." He took the outstretched hand of the Battalion Chief gripping it hard like his grandfather had taught him. 'A strong handshake shows strength of character.' Johnny smiled at the memory and lowered his hand placing it back on the rough fabric of the turnout gear, his gear.
The last thing the new recruits were presented with hung on hangers in zippered plastic suit bags. Hooked on the hanger the stark white dress hat hung draped in clear plastic. Johnny knew that inside the bag he would find his dress uniform. 'I hope I don't have to wear these anytime soon.' Like most Firemen he knew the dress uniforms were mostly worn at funerals and retirements.
"Men as of today you are a member of the L.A. County Fire Department. Wear those uniforms proudly. Fight every fire as though your life depends on it. It very well may. Protect your crew mates. Watch their backs, they'll be watching yours. Some of you will report to your stations this afternoon. The rest of you will report at 0900 hours tomorrow morning, dismissed."
Johnny watched as the Battalion Chief disappeared behind the door to his office. Before turning to leave, he paused and looked at the photographs that lined the wall. 'I'm one of you now. I hope I do you proud.'
Pushing through the exit door he followed the rest of the new recruits out. He neatly folded his uniforms into the pouch on the back of his cycle.
"Hey Tonto several of us are heading over to O'Malley's to celebrate. We need an injun to sit among us cowboys." The man rejoined his friends all laughing at the bad joke.
Johnny ducked his head and ignored them.
Climbing onto the bike he gripped the handle bars until his knuckles turned white.
He looked up to see the Battalion Chief looking over at him. 'You want to see if I'll respond to that jab. Well I won't give them the satisfaction or you either. I'm going to be the best Fireman you've ever seen come out of the academy. I'll show all of you what John Gage is made of.'
He pushed the motorcycle back out of the parking space, turning it to the street and throwing dust as he pulled away from headquarters.
He was up before the alarm, pacing the floor of his scantly furnished apartment.
Fully dressed with half of his extra uniforms packed securely in his duffel, along with a pair of jeans, plain black t-shirt and his Converse tennis shoes, Fireman John Gage stood in front of the dresser mirror studying his own reflection. 'Well you certainly look the part.'
He adjusted his name badge and smoothed his short regulation style hair into place. 'I guess today will be the real test of whether you can play the part.'
Stooping he grabbed the handles of the duffel and left the tiny apartment, early.
Arriving at the station he pulled around the side of the building only to find that he couldn't find an empty space. Fortunately his cycle would fit nicely beside the truck in the last space and the fence that housed the trash dumpster. 'Well that's one good thing about not being able to afford a car. My bike fits almost anywhere.' He pushed it back into the space, lifted his leg over the seat while unstrapping his motorcycle helmet. Turning to face the back of the large fire station he stood in awe of the sheer size of it.
The doors stood open allowing a view of the equipment lined up inside. Several other firemen began piling out of the other vehicles. 'I guess I'd better head on in. These guys must be part of my shift. I'll ask that guy over there where to find the Captain's office.' Johnny reached for the straps that held his duffel bag on the back of his ride unbuckled them, grabbed up the bag and walked slowly toward the building.
"Well if it isn't Tonto." A burly man about the same 6'1" height as Johnny but a good 50 pounds heavier spoke from across the lot.
Johnny glanced over his shoulder and groaned to himself. He could only guess by his the stranger's appearance that he must be a relative of one of the guys that attended the academy with him.
"Cody said to say hello, Tonto."
Johnny kept walking not looking or responding to the taunts. 'Man will I ever get away from those jerks. I thought after the academy, after graduating at the top of the class I would get a little respect. I guess not.' He thought sadly. "Excuse me could you tell me where I might find the Captain."
"He's in the office, last door on the left."
"Thanks." Johnny gave a small smile and went in the direction the man had pointed. Knocking on the door he waited for an invitation.
"Enter." Captain Jones called out.
He opened the door, "Excuse me. I'm John Gage reporting for duty."
"Come on in John. I'm sure you know Jeff Swanson." Johnny nodded greeting to the other man. Jeff didn't move or acknowledge his presence. Johnny stood waiting for the Captain to move the conversation forward. "I was just telling Jeff here that due to the size of our station you have both been assigned here as well as Cody Graves. His brother Jim is one of our linemen."
'Well that explains the jerk in the parking lot' Johnny thought.
"You'll be on different rigs. I'll have one of our senior men work with each of you today helping familiarize you with our equipment. Jeff you will be on the ladder truck. John you will be on Engine 1. Cody will be with his brother on Engine 2. Each of you will work with the Engineers this shift. You will shadow them until I tell you to do otherwise, understood?"
"Yes sir," both men responded.
"Now John you will report to Dale Scott. He's probably in the kitchen getting coffee. Jeff you will be with Gary Cooper, and yes he was named after the actor. But don't ask him about it. He hates it when he has to explain about how much his mother loved the actor. They'll show you your lockers and where to stow your turnouts on the rigs. Dismissed."
Both men moved to leave.
"Gage, stay a minute."
"Yes sir." Johnny paused and turned to face his new captain.
"Close the door." Johnny did as instructed.
"Listen I know you probably already know this, but your standing as top of your academy class is already public knowledge. As I'm also sure you already know boots fall victim to a lot of pranks. You can expect more directed at you, because you're good. Just be prepared, okay."
Johnny's gaze fell to his boots, "Yes sir, I'm used to it. It won't be a problem."
"Good, now how about some coffee?" The Captain reached out and shook Johnny's hand.
"No thanks. I don't drink coffee."
"Well son, that's one thing that will change fast at a fire station. Without coffee we'd be walking in our sleep most of the time. Come on I'll introduce you to Scotty...um Dale Scott." He chuckled.
Johnny followed him to the kitchen.
"Look at Tonto already suckin' up to Cap," Cody Graves could be heard talking to his brother. "I knew it wouldn't take him long to kiss up to the brass."
"Keep it down Cody. Don't let Cap hear you call him that. You'll be the one in trouble, and you don't ever want to piss Cap off." Jim scolded his younger brother.
Johnny shot a glare at the man. It only lasted for a split second. It was only a flicker of emotion. Dale Scott saw the interchange and then he watched Johnny's emotionless mask fall back into place. He looked away and pretended he hadn't noticed.
"Scotty, this is John Gage. He's assigned to you for the next few shifts. Show him the engine and where to stow his gear."
"Sure Cap. Come on kid." He pushed off the wall he leaned against. "Just lemme get a refill. Want some coffee?"
"No thanks." Johnny shrugged. "I uh...I don't drink it."
"What? No way man! You will. Mark my words you'll drink it alright, probably by the end of the month. Yes siree you'll learn to love it." Scotty filled his cup and returned the pot to the burner. "Come on I'll show you to the lockers first. After you put your things away I'll show you my baby. Johnny followed him from the room and across the apparatus bay. "Over here we have the locker room, latrines, and showers. Upstairs is the bunkroom and dayroom complete with weights and the TV."
Entering the locker room they could hear voices. "Don't worry about it Cody. He's on a different engine. We could very well be on different sides of a fire. Cap knows you're my brother. He won't wash you out. You're family. Just leave that Indian to us. You know how the department guys treat boots. Well our little Native American will get worse than either of you other two. We'll see to that. He'll probably ask for a transfer or wash himself out when we're done."
Scotty looked over at his charge noting that his face didn't reveal that he'd heard the exchange, but in his eyes he could see hurt, pain, and sorrow. 'This kid has seen some tough times. I wonder what his story is. He does a good job of masking his face, but those eyes tell all.' He thought to himself. "My locker is over here and there's an empty one next to it. You may as well have that one."
Johnny opened the empty locker, unzipped his duffel, pulled out his extra uniforms and hung them on the hook. Then he removed his turnouts and helmet, re-zipped the bag and slid it into the locker, placed his bunker pants and boots in the bottom of the cabinet and closed the door.
"Well okay, let me take you to see the prettiest babe you'll ever see." Scotty slapped him on the back as he passed him. Johnny flinched and pulled away from the man. Scotty slowed, but didn't stop. 'Man this kid is wound up real tight.'
They made their way through the bay and to the engine parked in the first space just inside the large roll up bay door. Beside it a smaller truck sat waiting for the tones to call it into service. It had compartments on both sides, oxygen tanks lining the center of the bed and more larger compartments there as well. "Here's my baby," Scotty said as they approached. Johnny's attention seemed drawn to the smaller vehicle, but Scotty continued talking about the engine. "She's a beauty isn't she?"
Johnny realizing that he had not been listening to the engineer suddenly focused his concentration on what Scotty spoke about. The red engine stood in all its glory. "Yeah she's a real nice rig."
"Nice? She's the best rig in L.A. County." The pride Scotty had for his engine could be seen all over his expressive face and in his eyes. "Now you'll be riding here behind me. Bill rides on the other side and Cap rides shotgun. You should feel honored to be on the same rig as the Cap. He usually puts probies on the other rigs."
"Oh." Johnny responded but no emotion came across his face.
"Yeah. Well anyway you'll keep your coat either on your seat or hanging on the door. Your helmet goes on the seat, so you can grab it fast."
Johnny hung his coat on the door like the others had been placed and lay his helmet on his seat. He took a little time to glance around the interior of the rig. "Uh now what?"
"Now I'll show you every inch of this baby, starting with the cab." Scotty took a long time in showing Johnny around the engine. He had seen engines at the academy and brief instruction about how they worked, but since hauling hose was his primary responsibility more attention was spent on the aspects of the tasks a lineman performed. The workings of an engine were the responsibility of an Engineer, and you had to be a lineman for several years before becoming eligible to take the Engineer's exam.
"Roll call in five Scotty," one of the other Engineers with Jeff following close behind informed them.
"Thanks. I guess we'll finish the tour of the Engine after roll call. Cap prefers we meet in the kitchen."
As they entered the kitchen Johnny could see all the men of his shift gathered together. There had to be at least fifteen or twenty men in the room. "Okay men I hope you're all rested up, because today you have the pleasure of hose and hydrant drills at the fairgrounds. We'll head on over there right after lunch unless we're toned out. Before assignments I want to introduce you to our newest crew members.
First we have one of our little brothers that I'm proud to say has passed the academy. Everyone give a warm welcome to Jim's baby brother, Cody Graves." There was a round of applause and several whoops. Several men slapped Cody on the back. He was clearly ecstatic at the welcoming he received.
"Next we have Jeff Swanson whose grandfather is retired Chief Swanson." Several men shook hands with Jeff and a round of hey and glad to have you was heard.
"Finally, I want to introduce you to the top man of the last graduating class, John Gage." A few nods and a couple of handshakes later Johnny clearly embarrassed, but not overly surprised at the small greeting he got, again lowered his eyes to gaze at his boots.
The cold welcome given to the young man didn't go unnoticed by Captain Jones or Scotty.
"Okay before I dole out your duties for this shift I want to give you seasoned firemen a word of warning. The department frowns on the mistreatment of probies. I expect these men to be treated with respect. I do not want anyone getting hurt, so lay off the pranks. Understood?"
No one answered. No one looked in the direction of the Captain.
"UNDERSTOOD?" he barked at them.
"Yes sir." the group of men all said together.
"Now that we have that out of the way, Graves...uh Jim, you, Cody and Gotchalk have the latrines; Brady, Scotty, Gage and Wheeler the dorms; Miller, Cooper, Swanson and Smith, you have kitchen detail; Martin, Coleman and Patterson the bay. The rest of you can hang hose and watch the rigs, dismissed."
"Well John since we have dorm duty I may as well show you your bunk, and the pole." Johnny followed Scotty up two flights of stairs to a large open room that served as the station's dormitory. There were beds in rows against the wall with a small table between each set of two. "Here's your bunk John." Scotty pointed to the bunk that stood at the end of the row near the weights and other exercise equipment. "Over here is the workout area and on the far end over there is the dayroom with the TV."
Johnny looked around the room taking in the large number of beds to be changed, "I guess we'd better start changing these beds."
"Yep, I think your right. It does take a while to get them all done. We'll take the right and leave the left row for the other guys. Let me show you where the linens are. Johnny followed him to a bank of cabinets at the end of the room. "Now after we strip the beds we put the dirty things in this laundry chute. There's a rolling bin at the bottom. "So grab some sheets and let's get this done."
Johnny was no stranger to hard work and in no time the two men were finished with their half of the room.
"Uh w..where can a...a guy get something cold to drink around here?" Johnny asked.
"Let's stop by the kitchen for a break before we finish our tour of the engine. I think we might find something that you do drink there."
"Got any milk?"
"Milk?"
Johnny nodded.
"Well yeah we've got milk. I mean usually it goes on cereal or in coffee around here, but we have it."
After a stop in the kitchen and watching Johnny gulp down two tall glasses of cold milk which left a milk mustache that he unceremoniously wiped on the back of his hand, they resumed the engine tour.
It had been a slow morning at Station 10, but as it normally goes at a fire station, that was about to change. The tones rang out through the station and men ran from all directions to their spots. Turn out coats flew through the air as they were whipped around the heads of firemen and arms slid into them. Engine 1 started rolling as Captain Jones jumped aboard.
Johnny could feel the excitement growing.
He sat up tall and proud with his helmet strapped securely under his chin.
Turning sideways in his seat he peered out looking for signs of the fire they were being called to.
Scotty could see his face in side mirror. He could see the sparkle dancing in the deep brown eyes, the wide lopsided grin across the young face. 'Yes sir probie, you have a fire in your belly and a desire in your heart. You're going to make a good fireman. When I get through teaching you the tricks of the trade you'll be a fire fighting machine.' He chuckled to himself.
Captain Jones looked across at his engineer and smiled. He could see Johnny's profile and the excitement etched on his face. Cap knew what Scotty was thinking. He was thinking it too. 'John Gage is gonna make one hell of a fireman. It's in his blood, in his soul and it shows in his eyes.'