SquidgeWorld Archive

Reunion
by Ornery

John watched intently as a young woman dodged three other paramedics, and forcefully shoved Craig Brice out of her way. As she brushed him off, Johnny could hear her insulting remark, and it made him smile. No one had spoken to Brice like that in years!

"Get out of my way, Craig! YOU ain't doing jack-shit! Not to ME! I prefer to SURVIVE the experience!"

Two of the other paramedics who were still following her laughed loudly, while the third exclaimed "OUCH! You tell 'em Lady!"

The girl ignored all of them, looking around until it was apparent that she was seeking a particular medic or medics. The others calmed down to see who it was she sought with such dedication. "Now where on Earth is...oh! There he is! JOHN! JOHNNY!" She shouted, "I busted my arm again!"

From behind her, a soft voice said, "I'm closer." A well-loved voice she answered by extending her badly shattered arm and breathing his name before she had even turned to look a him.

"Roy!" She whispered, then shouted, "Oh God, DAD!" Just before she flung her good arm around his neck, hugging him tightly. At the words, John slowed from the sprint he'd begun at hearing her call him to fix her arm.

"Dad?" Brice muttered. "That's NOT Jenn, so...is that Streeter? That foster kid, that young hellion. HER?" Brice was already backing up

"You bet your ass it's me!" She looked up at Gage as he joined the pair, and smiled. "Think you can get rid of that jackass?"

"Sure, hon. It's good to know where you are, though." He turned to glare at Brice, "You know better, Craig! She despises you, and has since she was a little!"

"I'm going, she broke my jaw the last time I tried to treat her."

"Yeah, it was also the first time," She commented. "I warned you!" She snapped, then told him, "Now leave us be! I haven't seen dad or JOhnny in 10 years! As soon as Joe has this in a cast, I'm going to deliberately go nuts! Maybe sooner, if John so much as touches me: Dad's touch I can handle, but not both of you."

She returned haunted eyes to her foster-fathers. "I was here, you know? No way to get out, and nowhere to hide!" She shuddered. "And body bag detail afterwards. I don't know how much more I can take..." She told them on a half-choked sob.

Roy reached out and caught her up in his arms, cradling her gently against his chest.

"Oh God, Sweetheart, let it go. Let it out! Come on, cry! Get it out of your system, yes. That's it, let it go." He urged her. He began to rock her slowly.

She found herself pulled into her dad's comforting arms, held tightly against him, and once again found shelter beneath his strength. It felt like coming home..." Then she burst into tears.

They had their hands full trying to handle her near hysterics and get her arm into a splint at the same time, but their eyes met with humor.

"Same old, same old; huh Roy?" John said softly.

"Hasn't changed a bit." Came the answer as he juggled the girl in his arms. This was the only female he could hold without alarming John or making him jealous. That was because John was itching to have his own turn at holding her.

"Between us?"

"Tonight? Probably, she's gonna need to feel us close for a while. Find anything she didn't mention?"

"Not yet, but one of us will. Count on it. She always forgets to mention something important."

Roy snorted, "Forgets? Don't you mean neglects? She hates giving us what she used to call 'extra work'." His experienced hands and fingers searched her carefully. He snorted again. 3rd and 4th ribs...find anything else?"

"Possible sprained left ankle. Her left knee's very swollen, but I don't think it's actually injured. It looks like a bad tendonitis flare up.Might be some fluid in there too. It's the one she landed on after that street bike hit her when she was 13. Ithink maybe it's begun to bother her a lot. And if it does, often enough, she just might be so used to it that she forgets about it. THat'd be like her."

"Yeah, does it hurt her enough for her to forget that ankle?"

"Probably. It'doesn't look at all good. She 'bout done?"

Roy studied the sound of her sobs. "Yeah, I think so.Thing is, they changed a little bit ago. I think she's happy..." DeSoto's voice trailed off into that bewildered voice that happy tears cause poor confused men to use at times like this.

John grinned at him. "Give her here, you can't handle tears." He said as he drew her onto his waiting lap, and listened to her howl.

He smiled as he rocked the girl. "You never could. That's why she always ran to you whenever she wanted something: she knew she'd get it."

The ride in was routine, now that they'd sussed out and treated ALL of Annie's injuries. Their resigned acceptance was due to the fact that they knew she hated making them work on her, when someone else might need them more. It wasn't that she didn't like them working on her; anything but, she would have refused treatment from anyone else.

They were her legal guardians, not kin though, and that put them on the sunny side of legal, barely. As her guardians, they'd have had to sign the consent form anyway, so it was a lot easier for them to just take care of her themselves.

***

Johnny was pretty sure he'd finally convinced her that no, they did not think that she was 'bad', but he knew he'd have to watch what he said. Annie took everything he and Roy said to heart, he knew he'd hurt her earlier, and hadn't missed the shame in her eyes a little while ago, either. Maybe that boarding school wasn't such a great idea after all. After all, thirteen was still awfully young to be away from home for most of the year!

****

"Hey, Roy?" He said into his H.T..

"Yeah, somethin' wrong?"

"No, but I want her home, for good!"

"Johnny, that means she has to be in the station when we're on-duty, and what about school then?"

"School bus, we can give the school our work schedules and we only do overtime at other stations on weekends. That would be easy enough."

John glanced at her, her eyes were shining as she took the H.T. from him and pleaded, "Roy? Please?" She didn't hear the unhappiness at the prospect of being sent away again, but Roy could hear the hurt and fear in her voice when she spoke again. "Please? I'll be good, I swear I will."

DeSoto swore silently, wanting to kick himself; "Okay,baby-girl, you'll be staying home. I don't like having you think what I know you're thinking, Sweetheart. That never came into it! We do, too, want you!" He tried to reassure her. No wonder she was failing in most of her classes!

Johnny's eyes filled with realization and tears as he rapidly came the same conclusions."We love you, Sweetie. Never doubt that, not even for an instant, okay? You're our kid!"

John's mind went back five years to the day that Child Welfare had delivered a battered, bruised, scared little girl to them at the ranch. The social worker had been a cold bitch.

"Granted," She'd said, "To survive her own parents she needed to be tough and know how to fight, but this little brat fights dirty. Really dirty, she's put six grown men into the hospital at different times! She even attacked a doctor at St. Francis and the hospital barred her after she trashed a treatment room there. Are you sure you can handle her?"

"Lady, she's eight years old, and scared half to death! She's a baby! Hell yes we can handle her: who do you think responded to the last incident? That so-called `foster-father' had beaten her until she was bloody. He's the reason she's covering black and purple bruises now!" Roy said angrily, pushing the little one behind him to put himself between her and the cold fish of a social worker. John had done the same, gesturing the little one into the ranch house.

Annie had fled indoors, but watched from a window. But,John heard her open it so she could listen.

"You're the last chance the state intends to give her, if she can't make it here, we're going to put her into a reform school." She had told them stiffly.

"You bitch!" John had found himself snarling. We've filed for her!"

"You're going to adopt that little hell-raiser? I'll do everything I can to help; just to wash my hands of that brat!" She had said decisively, and had left abruptly, but two weeks later the girl was finally, legally their's.

*****

"What a royal bitch!" Roy had said angrily to his mate, "If that's how she's been treated, no wonder she acts up! I would too!"

Both men turned at the sound of the front door opening, and Annie's little form emerged from the house. "Rampart's a better hospital than St. Francis anyway, love. We're going to keep you."

But it had been John who had seen the girl's huge hazel eyes fill with sudden tears, and who had dropped to one knee and opened his arms to her. Sobbing, she dove for the shelter and comfort he offered, and let him gather her in.

That had been the beginning: John shook off the memories of that long ago morning and gently brushed the hair out of her eyes.

It worked out rather well. On days when they were going in, the bus picked her up at home, and dropped her off at #51 in the afternoon. The next morning, it would pick her up there, and drop her at home. After one attempt of sleeping along had waked the shift with four screaming nightmares in a row, John had tucked her in next to himself. Now she slept tucked next to him most nights safe and sheltered in his arms, and there were no more nightmares.

"For God's sake," Hank Stanley had demanded as John had first tucked her in next to himself. "What in the hell was done to that child?"

Wearily, Roy's eyes had met his Captain's outraged gaze. "You don't want to know the details, Capt., trust me on that. Her nightmares are really flashbacks; I think that should about cover it." He replied sadly.

"Poor kid." Marco whispered.

"I don't think anyone until me and Johnny had ever loved that little girl." They could hear John's voice, low and soothing as he gentled the girl. "I think we screwed up when we put her in St. Mary's, Captain Stanley. She doesn't trust, doesn't need, and definitely doesn't want anyone but us near her. She needs us rather intensely, though. And she's going to have us! He met John's eyes as he calmed her tears, hearing her soft hiccoughs. "And I think that we'd better keep her with us as much as possible. Including in the squad, if she nightmares when we're not close to hand."

"Oh God," Hank breathed, "Yeah, you two do that, I'll clear it with H.Q., provided she stays in the squad. No time limit, either. This sort of thing is a chancy business. It could take a very long time for you two to fix."

"I know."

"You'd better stay close to her here, too. Earlier she was terrified when you and Johnny went into the locker room at the same time: She kept looking at the rest of us like she thought we were going to attack her."

"Johnny's been through some rough shit, but not on this scale." Roy mused, "I think he's good for her."

"I can relate, Roy, I've been where she is." John told his mate softly, before looking down at the 13 year-old next to him.

In gentle tones, Roy explained, "Honey, Capt and Mike are a couple, and so is Marco and Chet. Just like me and Johnny are, okay?"

"You mean they don't like girls, either?"

"No, they don't."

The sudden, visible swiftness with which she relaxed spoke volumes, and every man on the shift paled in horror at the implication. "Jesus H. Christ!" Hank whispered in open revulsion. "That was what? Five years ago, and she's still.look kid, none of us are interested, not this shift, not anyone assigned to this station, okay? We have our own mates! You belong to Roy and Johnny, and that makes you part of the family: And we take care of, and protect our own!"

"Really, Johnny?" She asked plaintively.

"Yes, really, Sweetie." John told her softly.

"Oh!"

"Call Stoker, Uncle Mike, Lopez, Uncle Marc, and Kelly Uncle Chet. Uncle Capt might sound funny, though."

"He's old, isn't he: Really old. Could call him Grampus, couldn't I?"

"How about Pa-paw instead?" Roy asked while trying not to look at his Captain.

"Okay, but."

"Yes, Little One?"

"Do I have to take the short mean one with the Woolie-Worm on his upper lip? He's such a troll!"

"Unfortunately, he's family too, how `bout as a cousin?"

"A fifth one three times removed. Please?"

"Oh Lord, you really don't like Chester B. at all, do you?"

John said with a grin.

"He's mean." She said, lower lip quivering.

"He's not mean." John soothed, "Most kids love Chet."

"He does mean things to you."

"Oh, hell." Kelly muttered. "She thinks I'm a monster!" But only Hank heard the comment.

"We're just playing, it's a little rough, maybe, but it's still just play." They heard John explain.

"Playing with waterbombs?"

"Yeah, and a lot of other things, like putting a dummy in the trunk of his car to scare him."

"Can I play too?"

"Capt.?"

"Sure, why not? It'll make her feel better, lessen her fears around us, and it ought to be fun to watch. Kids have a better imagination than you twits!" Hank Stanley chuckled.

The morning following the next shift saw Kelly doing a very good imitation of an Easter Egg: Annie had capped off one end of a piece of garden hose, and had filled it with several different brightly colored clothing dyes, and had added enough vinegar to make it set rapidly. By the time he got the showerhead off, the garden hose out of the pipe, and had gotten the hot water running to wash off the dye, it was far too late. He howled as he realized just how badly he'd been set up.

Chet's startled, dismayed yells alerted the shift to trouble, but Annie's delighted giggles made everyone relax and wonder what she'd done to Chet. He finally came into the dayroom, cringing at the dumbstruck expressions and wincing at the roaring wave of laughter that followed on it's heels.

"Dear LORD! Stoker exclaimed when he saw Kelly. "What the...?"

Annie was giggling fit to bust, and bouncing gleefully all over the room. The happy sounds made the short firefighter groan silently. He knew better than to complain...this was the first time she'd laughed or smiled since John and Roy had gotten her, and Chet knew it.

"What, how did she do it?" Capt. asked when he got his own laughter under control, though he coughed and choked a bit to fight it down. "My GOD, Pal!" He started chuckling again when Kelly had explained. "I could smell the vinegar, and I knew what that was in the dye for, but I had to get the hose out of the pipe before I could shower and by then..."

"It's clothing dye, Johnny!" She burbled happily, "It'll have to WEAR off!" She was dancing in excitement, "Do I play good enough, Roy?"

He had a struggle getting himself under control, before he could answer her. Then he said, "Oh, you did just fine, Honey. It looks like the "Phantom finally has competition!" He threw his head back and roared with laughter, wheezing out, "Oh Chet, you poor man!"

John got off the phone where he'd been talking to the biggest Mouth in the Department, grinning evilly at Chet. The short Irishman cringed. "What, Gage."

"You're official entered in the Annual Picnic's Practical Joke Awards, Kelly!"

"Oh no, please, no..." The other one whispered in horror.

"You did it to me, difference is, I think you'll win this time."

END