This story is written for pleasure and is not intended to infringe on any preexisting copyrights. This is not for profit, and is intended only as an expression of appreciation for the original concept of the television show Emergency!

This story is fictional, and is not intended to reflect any real person or incident.

Title: Different

Author: Katanna

Rating: R

Pairing: N/A

Archive: Don't care

Summary: Being different is never easy and John Gage has to face prejudice both on and off the job.

Content Warning: Harsh Language and violence.

DIFFERENT

By Katanna

As the sun began its assent into the morning sky, six weary men limped into the firehouse kitchen. One by one, they each dropped heavily into a chair to wait the last few minutes till the shift change. In the past twenty-four hours, they had worked a total of eighteen hours on a string of emergencies that included two major structure fires, three dumpster fires, a heart attack, a case of indigestion, a child stuck in a tree, and one false alarm.

"Man, I'm tired." Johnny complained as he pushed his coffee towards the center of the table. "If 'B' shift doesn't hurry up and relieve us, I'm never going to stay awake long enough to get home."

Marco looked over at the youngest member of 'A' shift with sympathy. He felt the same way, they all did. For a moment, he considered adding his own claim of exhaustion, but instead he just yawned and laid his head down on his crossed arms on the table.

Roy put an elbow on the table and rested a check against the palm of his hand. "At least the shift went by fast." He said trying to add a positive note to the gloomy atmosphere.

The station phone rang and thankfully the 'B' shift engineer picked it up as he entered. "Gage, Phone!" It took a few moments for Johnny to register that he had been called. Jeff Jones waited a few seconds and called Gage again. "John?" He said waving the phone "Phone. it's a girl."

Frowning John pushed his chair away from the table and headed to the phone. "Firefighter Gage speaking." He said lifting the phone to his ear.

"Mr. Gage," The voice on the other end said in a crisp voice. "This is Mrs. Edwards from personnel. I'm calling about the paperwork we sent to you over two weeks ago."

John's frown deepened and he turned his back on the curious faces of his coworkers. "What about it?" He said stiffly. Marco and Chet looked at each other curiously. Gage never talked to a girl like that.

"Mr. Gage, the instructions in my letter were clear regarding the deficiencies in your personnel file." Mrs. Edwards said impatiently. "We should have received the corrections by now."

John reached up and pinched to bridge of his nose. "There were no corrections required. Everything was correct." John replied with a hint of anger.

"Mr. Gage, it's department policy to maintain accurate and complete records," Mrs. Edwards lectured. "Your records do not indicate a religious preference, and . . . "

John cut her off before she could say anymore. "Look Lady, I said the records were complete." He snapped.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Mr. Gage, I would appreciate it if you would not use that tone of voice with me." She scolded. "Disclosure of religious preference is required and I am only trying to do my job."

"Fine!" John snapped, "Pick anything you think is appropriate and put that down."

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Edwards said sharply, "If this is a joke, I assure you Mr. Gage, I do not find it funny."

"You heard me right Mrs. Edwards." Johnny said sarcastically, "My preference isn't listed on your stupid form so you're going to have to accept it as blank or pick something you think is appropriate. I don't care either way." His back stiffened with tension as control over his temper began to slip. "Now if that will be all, I have to go." Slamming the receiver on the hook, Johnny stormed out into the apparatus bay to waiting out the end of the shift in privacy.

Stunned by what they had heard of the one sided conversation, Marco, Chet, Mike and Roy looked at each other in confusion. "What was that all about." Mike said finally breaking the silence.

Roy rose up from his chair, intent on going to talk to his friend, but stopped short when the 'B' shift Captain entered the Day Room. "All my guys are here, you're free to go."

Roy hurried out of the kitchen, hoping to catch his partner before he left, and managed to find nothing more than a view of taillights as John drove out of the parking lot.

**************

Still fuming with anger, John Gage turned his Land Rover sharply onto the dirt road that served as his driveway. In a clouded portion of his sleep-deprived mind he realized that his exhaustion contributed to the anger he felt, but the deep-seated anger was very real and the combination of events had managed to release it. Memories of growing up filtered into his conscious mind, reminding him of the hardships forced upon his people by the dominant culture. Every aspect of life seemed to be an issue for the anthropologists, priests, teachers and common town people to try and change.

Dust and stone kicked up behind the Rover as John depressed the gas pedal to urge the vehicle along a bit faster. Hopefully, the privacy of his ranch would help him to bring his anger under control.

What the whites called religion was a focal point to who and what his people are, how they think, and how they act. The whites had their precious first amendment rights that protected even the most twisted cults, and his people had nothing. Anger that went back to before his grandfather's time boiled in his heart, and John gripped the steering wheel tighter. The government knew what they were doing from the very beginning when it came to the Indian's religion. The so called holy mission to bring the word of the white man's god to the Indian's were convenient tools of a desperate government who wanted nothing more than to assimilate the native culture.

A vision of Roy and his family made it's way through the anger and John backed off on the gas pedal with a sigh. "Maybe I should talk to Roy," he said out loud. It was unlikely that Roy would understand, but he was family in every sense of the word other than by blood, and he would listen if nothing else. Despite his anger, John grinned. "He'll probably tell me that Mrs. Edwards was just asking for my religion, not asking me to change it." His grin broadened as he realized that he had caught himself in what Roy called an 'obsession'. "Thanks Pal." John said out loud to his absent partner.

Several miles away, Roy Desoto sat down at his table to share a few quiet moments with his wife Joanna after getting the kids off to school. Roy smiled tiredly at his wife as she sat a cup of coffee in front of him before sitting down herself. "Long night?" She asked as she sipped her own coffee.

"Non stop." Roy confirmed as he reached out to toy with the handle of the coffee cup.

"So you're tired then." She said with a hint of a smile.

Roy raised his eyebrows a bit. "What do you have in mind?" He asked expectantly.

"Well, there are a few things that need done around the house," she teased. When his brows fell and a frown appeared on Roy's face she chuckled, "But that can wait till you get some sleep."

Roy's frown turned into a grin, and he bounced his eyebrows suggestively. "Soooo, would you like to tuck me in Mrs. DeSoto?"

Joanna set her coffee cup on the table and stood up. Winking at her husband, she turned and sashayed towards the stairs, "Why Mr. DeSoto, if I do there will be no way you'll be able to fall asleep right away."

Grinning, Roy pushed his own coffee away and followed his wife. After all the years of marriage and two children, Joanna never ceased to arouse him. At the bottom of the stairs he reached up and scratched his ear before pulling his wife into an embrace.

Joanne noticed the small tug Roy' made at his ear, "Someone talking about you?" She teased.

Roy leaned down and gently trailed kisses Joanna's neck, "Probably someone commenting on how lucky I am to have such a beautiful wife."

By the time John pulled his Rover to a stop in front of his house, his anger had begun to dissipate. Stepping out of the vehicle he listened for the soft whinny's from his horses welcoming him home, but found silence. Looking around he realized that his horses were not in their corral where they should be. Concern grew as he hurried towards the barn. His friend and neighbor Bob, a retired police officer, always took care of the horses when John worked. The routine on his ranch never changed whether he was there or not. The horses were always fed and groomed by 6:30, then released into the corral while their stalls were mucked. Once the barn work was complete the horses would be released into one of the pastures for the day.

On the day's John worked, Bob would leave the horses in the corral for John to release into the pastures. It was past 8 in the morning, something had to be wrong.

As he neared the barn, John spotted an old beat up blue pick up truck parked off to the side, and he heard a clatter from inside the barn. Concern overruled common sense as he continued his trek towards his barn. He paused just outside the barn door to listen. By the sounds of movement and the soft whispers, John was able to determine that there were two intruders inside his barn. He couldn't tell what they were doing, but the fact that they were where they had no business to be was enough for him to assume their activities were no good.

Running his fingers through his hair, John considered going into his house to call the police and letting them handle his unwanted visitors, but that though fled when he heard one of his mares grunting unnaturally. Adrenaline pumped into his veins and he launched himself into the barn. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" He yelled.

"I don't know who shoved a bee up your butt buster, but it's not normal to yell at the help," snapped an unseen woman from one of the mare's stalls.

John stepped further into the barn, "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you got no business ... " He stopped short when a woman covered with sweat and dirt popped her head up. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and he was still posed for a fight. The woman accounted for only one of the two whispers he had heard.

"Look, we're doing a favor for a friend of yours so unless you want to brush down this horse yourself, stop yelling," she said with irritation.

John glared at the smart mouthed interloper, "Where's Bob and who are you?"

"Names Katherine O'Donnell," the woman said as she rested an elbow on the stall door. "Bob's laid up with a bad sprain." Katherine opened the stall door, stepped out, and then reached back to secure the door. "It took a lot of talking to keep Bob from coming over here this morning, but he finally gave in and let my daughter and I take care of things for him." She took a few steps towards Gage, wiping her hands on her dirty pants as she moved. "You must be the owner, Mr. Gage," she said holding out her hand in greeting.

Reflex took over, and John extended his hand and firmly shook hers. "Hi," he said in confusion.

A clatter of tools being dropped distracted both John and Katherine and they turned to the source of the noise. Standing beside an overturned wheelbarrow stood a little girl who was obviously Katherine's daughter. "Ma, he's an injun!" The little girl shouted in alarm. "Run before he scalps ya!" She screamed as she raced towards her mother.

John visibly turned red and his jaw clenched tightly in order to avoid saying anything nasty to the young girl. Narrowing his eyes he turned to the child's mother and spoke in what he hoped was a calm even tone. "Thank you for assisting Bob, but I'll take care of the rest by myself."

Katherine colored with embarrassment and gave her daughter a look that clearly indicated there would be a long talk coming once they got home. "Mr. Gage, Sara didn't mean .."

John shook his head, "Nothing personal Mrs. O'Donnell, but I'm not really interested in hearing what your daughter did or didn't mean. I'd like you to leave." When she hesitated John added in an icy tone, "Now."

The little girl tugged on her mother's side and began tugging at her hand. "Come on ma, we gotta hurry and get out of here before the injun burns us at the stake or somethin' like that."

Katherine didn't think she could get any more embarrassed then she already was, but she had underestimated her daughter. She looked at Mr. Gage hoping to explain that her daughter's knowledge of Indians had come from a poorly written TV show that had been on the night before, but his expression clearly indicated that he was past the point of listening to anything. "Sara, we have a lot of talking to do when we get home kiddo, till then I want you to keep your mouth shut."

The little girl looked up at her mother in confusion but did as she was told. She could see that her mom was mad even if she didn't understand why. She nodded once then looked over at the injun fearfully expecting him to pull out a tomahawk.

Mustering what little pride she could considering the situation, Katherine held Gage's glare and spoke, "I apologize for what my daughter said in ignorance." She waited to see if he would respond, and when he didn't she turned and ushered her daughter out of the barn.

John stood as still as a statue until he heard the pickup truck start up and pull away. He slowly shook his head, still appalled by the stereotypical comments that the child had made. It was just like being at home, and he figured that the child's comments to be a reflection of the parent's opinion. The mother had seemed embarrassed but he couldn't honestly tell if it was because she had been actually affected by her daughter's comments or because she didn't like her own opinions being voiced in public. As tired as he was, Johnny really didn't care about anything other than getting his horses into the pasture and getting some sleep.

****************

Rest eluded the tired Paramedic on his two days off. Days were filled with thoughts of Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. O'Donnell's daughter, and his nights were filled by strange dreams that kept him tossing and turning all night long.

The night before his next shift, John went to bed early, determined to get a good night's rest. Shortly before dawn John began to toss and turn.

A groan of discomfort followed the sudden absence of sound, and John Gage snapped his eyes open in alarm. A brilliant light momentarily blinded him, and he forcefully blinked his eyes to bring his surroundings into focus.

Squinting against the light, John's mouth opened slightly and a look of total confusion washed over his face. Instead of his comfortable bed, he found himself lying in a sea of white sand. Sitting up, John ran a hand through his hair and for the first time noticed that the surroundings weren't the only thing that had changed. "What the hell is going on!" He muttered as he rose to his feet.

One hand lingered at the back of his head fingering the soft down of eagle feathers neatly attached to the back of his head. At the base of his skull he found the beginning of braids. Lifting the right braid, John turned his head. "This is too weird," John said aloud as he looked down at his chest.

With one hand still holding a braid, the other hand reached up to finger the beads of a finely crafted Lakota breastplate that hung protectively over his bare chest. "I'm dreaming again," he said softly as he fingered the hand carved bone beads. The breastplate was his own, a gift from his grandfather when he was still a child.

"Wear it with pride when you are a man," his grandfather had told him. John felt a wave of guilt when he realized that he had made several changes in his lifestyle when he moved to LA. Fresh from the reservation, he had been determined to prove his worth in a white mans world. The braids had been the first to go, and he had consciously left most of his heritage packed out of sight. He was not ashamed of his heritage, he only wanted to be known for who he was rather than what he was. Life as a general rule is never easy, and it's even harder when you're different, and off the reservation, away from his people, that's what he was . . . different.

A sound as gentle as a soft as a summer breeze surrounded him and he spun in search of the source. When he reached full circle in his search, John found himself standing before a white buffalo calf. His eyes grew wide and he took a few steps backwards. Words escaped him and he reached up to rub his eyes as if the motion would make everything go away. Blinking to refocus his vision, he found the calf patiently staring back at him with warm brown eyes. "What our people were in the past, we are now and will be in the future," the calf whispered.

Johnny's jaw dropped open in shock and he took a few more steps back. The calf shook its head and began to glow. Slowly, it stood up on its hind legs and began to transform. At first its flesh stretched and then began to contract, reshaping into the form of a beautiful young woman wearing a heavily beaded and fringed white buffalo robe. "Our people are doomed to perish if we chose to set aside who we are." She said in a hauntingly sad voice.

To his right, a coyote stepped into his vision field. "Nice looking chick, huh Gage," the new addition to the dream taunted with a swish of his tail. "Aren't you going to ask her out?"

Johnny shook his head and a chill ran up his spine. The coyote's voice sounded so familiar, but still it took him a moment to place it. "Chet?"

The coyote sat down beside the young woman and seemed to grin. "What's the matter pigeon, can't you see that she want you?" They coyote snickered.

John glared at the creature taunting him. "Shut up Chet, this is confusing enough without your big mouth." Was this dream the result of the Chet's recent attempted joke with the peace pipe?

"GAGE!"

Johnny whirled at the sound of his Captains angry voice. "Cap?"

A large black bear speaking with the Captains voice advanced towards him walking on his hind legs. "You twit! When are you going to realize that Chet targets you because you spend so much time trying to be something you aren't?" The bear nods its head in the direction of the coyote and the young woman standing off to the side. The bear reached out a claw and poked John in the center of his chest. "You hide who you are to try and cover your differences." The bear poked him again. "And another thing Gage, you better get your act together and realize that your friends might accept who you really are rather than push you away like you think they would."

"Ah.... ah" Johnny stuttered as he glanced between the woman and his Captain. "Ah .... Right Cap."

The coyote laughed and licked his lip, "A good pigeon, a good pigeon.... Don't make me break in a new pigeon."

The sky began to rumble and Johnny looked up. After the first rumble the sound grew louder and began to change to an insistent 'beep - beep - beep-beep'. The sound grew so loud that he had to cover his ears. Closing his eyes tightly he tried to escape the noise. "Stop!" he cried out. "Stop"

The alarm clock persistently continued to ring despite John's protests. Driven from the dream by the annoying noise, Johnny rolled over and slapped at the alarm.

part five soon