The Part Time Job - Part 1
The Station 51 crew was exhausted. The tones sounded around 10 pm and they had just returned at 6 am. No one moved towards the shower. They all grabbed water and sat at the kitchen table, no sounds, just quiet. Their thoughts were on the cleaning crew at the office building who had lost their lives after making the mistake to ride down on the elevators after calling in the fire. The two workers had been young and healthy. If they had just run down the stairs, the consensus was they would have made it out. The crew just sat there and unwound. Even Johnny and Chet were too tired to rant over this one.
Finally, Cap pushed his chair back and stood up. "Okay, guys. The Chief said we'll be kept off line unless something big comes in. I'm going to catch up on some paperwork until B shift gets here. You might take a shower or a nap until we're officially relieved." Cap noticed that no one jumped up to follow up on his suggestions. Quietly, he added, "Guys. It was a bad night. You all have to get home in a while. Do something so you feel rested before you leave." At least all the men nodded or, in Johnny's case, waved a hand from where his head was buried at the table.
Marco wearily stood up and put his glass in the sink. "I think I'll go jump in the shower first unless someone wants to fight me for it." He looked around and though he got a few grins, no one looked that energetic. He plodded to the lockers to get his clean clothes.
Mike grabbed Roy's glass and his own and put them in the sink also. He was just starting to go to the bunks when Cap came out of his office, chuckling. "Hey guys. Check this out. It appears someone out there has decided to create a TV show about firefighter/paramedics. The department is really behind it, says 'it will produce tremendous goodwill for our program'." Cap smiled. "Anyway, Mike, they are asking if there are any engineers out there who have an actor's guild card or something like that. Guess they need someone qualified to drive the engine."
Mike looked at Cap. Did he know? Mike decided not but couldn't help but be curious about this show. "I thought we were short on engineers? Do they really want one to quit to do this?"
Cap shook his head. "No, this is being put out as a second job thing. I guess the producers are willing to work around this guy's schedule so he'll be able to continue with the department. I'm going to post it on the board so the other shifts see it too." Cap stuck it on the kitchen bulletin board next to the shift calendar. Everyone chuckled and went out to the lockers or the bunks. Mike waited nonchalantly until they all left the room. Beth's wanted to remodel the kids' rooms. Maybe? He quickly jotted down the contact information from the notice and left for a short nap.
THREE MONTHS LATER
After a rare uninterrupted dinner, the guys sat down in the TV area. Chet and Johnny were deciding what to watch. Normally the discussion took longer than the show but tonight for once they were agreed. STATION 15 was premiering tonight and they wanted to see how hokey it was.
"Well, I think we should watch the football game instead," Mike tried. "The Cowboys are playing the Vikings. That should be a good game."
Johnny and Chet hooted. "Landry will get them past the Vikes easy. Anyway this show is only an hour and only half of it is during the game. We'll change to it afterwards for sure, earlier if it's a dud." Chet grabbed the remote and set the station.
Mike got up and sat at the kitchen table, close enough to hear but far enough to be able to run if necessary. If anyone had noticed he wasn't picking up any overtime lately, no one had said anything. His secret was about to come out and he wasn't sure what the reaction would be.
A fast paced theme song started the show. The young actors who played the starring roles were good looking but Chet and Johnny both laughed wondering if they had any clue as to how tough the physical testing of firemen really was. Johnny chuckled. "That skinny guy doesn't even look like he could pull a hose. I can't believe they are letting him play a firefighter."
Chet had his comments too. "They make it look like the paramedics spend most of their day at the hospital. Don't get any ideas guys. We don't plan on picking up your chores while you're sweet talking all the nurses."
So far the action had been based on the paramedics and the hospital staff. Mike picked up a book and pretended to be engrossed, waiting for the inevitable. It wasn't Johnny or Chet who noticed first though. Roy glanced up just as they showed a shot of the engine backing into the station. The picture wasn't clear but he'd seen that same face doing exactly that same thing so many times……
He turned and looked at Mike. Mike concentrated on that book as if the words were melting off it. Just then the tones sounded and the Station was called out. Mike looked up as Roy got off the couch. They exchanged glances and Roy knew he was right
The house fire they were called to was, luckily, out before they got there. The husband was trying to fix an electric socket and, while somehow avoiding electrical shock, managed to set some insulation on fire. Cap had the men check to be sure there was no fire in the wall, explaining to the homeowner that 'yes, he knew the man had put the fire out, but fire can smolder in the wall and you'd be waking in the middle of the night to a fully involved blaze.' The man started to argue but his wife looked at their two young children and firmly thanked the captain. She handed her young son to her husband and with a meeting of his eyes, kept her spouse from bothering the firemen anymore.
After finishing up, the station crew barely got back in time to see the Vikings' victory over the Cowboys. All thoughts of the new show were now long gone, or at least so Mike hoped. The crew was unwinding after this call so they would be able to sleep later. The conversation seemed innocent enough to Mike.
"Johnny," Chet asked. "Are you going camping tomorrow? I'd like to take you up on the offer to go. The air here has been so bad, I'd really like to get out of LA for a day or two." The smog was worse the last two days than it had been in a while. The city was working on ways to improve the air quality but it looked to be an uphill battle.
"Sure, Chet." Johnny grabbed the maps he'd brought in earlier. "Look here. I have a couple places I was thinking of going. Check this out and let's decide where. Guys, do any of the rest of you want to go too?"
Cap shook his head. His wife was redoing the yard and he knew his days off were already planned. Marco took a rain check as he had a date set up. Roy declined since the kids had scout meetings and soccer games. Joanne had already drawn up the battle strategy for the two of them to be able to attend most of their events. With an evil glint in his eye, Roy turned to Mike. "Mike, I heard Beth and the kids took a short vacation to check on her dad after his surgery. Since you're batching it, why don't you go with 'em?"
Mike tried hard not to glare at Roy. "Sorry, got plans the next two days. Some stuff I've got to take care of." He tried to ignore Roy, hoping the paramedic wouldn't say anymore but no such luck.
"Gee, Mike. If you have some stuff you need help with, I'm available while the kids are in school. Just say the word. I'm sure I could drive over and consult with you on any work you might be doing." Roy accented the words just enough for Mike to catch. Cap looked up. He knew what was up since the department had contacted him prior to Mike being offered the position. Little did they know that one other person in the room also knew what was being discussed.
Roy and then to Mike's surprise Cap did some quiet needling of Mike for the short time before lights out. Mike began sketching out their payback as he settled in for the night. He knew he was lucky that it was Roy who figured it out because when either of 'the Bobbsey twins' discovered his secret, he would probably never get a moment's peace. He fell asleep scheming.
The wake up tones called out and the men prepared for the end of their day. It had been a very quiet night. They actually managed to get a full night's rest. Mike went to his locker to get his uniform. He opened his locker, looked inside, stared, and then slammed the locker closed. He furtively glanced around to see if anyone was there and then opened the door again. Someone had set a toy fire engine in his locker and had put a sticker with the numbers 15 on it. Roy! He began planning an even more devilish retribution for his tormentor.
After dressing, Mike went to check on the engine. He opened his door and his jaw dropped open. There on his helmet were the numbers 15. After checking, he found they were easily taken off. Whoever did this had thought it through and knew that it would have to come off before a fire. All of the guys knew that checking the engine every morning was just part of Stoker's rituals. Mike went in pursuit of the man whose life was soon to become the target of his revenge.
"Roy." Mike challenged. "Does Chris want his toy back? Just need to know if I can give it to my kids or not." He waited for Roy respond. Roy just turned from the refrigerator where he was grabbing the orange juice. "What toy? Did he leave something at your place last week?" Mike stared hard at Roy. One thing about Roy was he had a guilty conscience when he did something. Mike watched the paramedic's eyes for some clue. His own eyes widened as he realized Roy really didn't know.
Mike turned around. Cap was the only other one in the room. "Cap? Did you decide to try and replace the Phantom? Someone left me a gift. You two are the only ones who know."
Cap looked momentarily confused. Then grinned, "Not me, pal. What did ya get?"
Mike blushed. "A fire engine with a '15' on it and then an easily fixed sticker on my helmet. That couldn't have been Chet. He wouldn't have thought it through and I would still be fixing that number." Mike spent the last hour of his shift watching Johnny and Chet, waiting for one of them to slip and let him know who the joker was.
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The next shift started almost immediately with a multi-vehicle traffic accident. Everyone handled their jobs so efficiently that Mike was able to stay with the engine and away from the civilians. A few of his friends had commented on his part-time job but so far no one at the station had brought it up. His part had been very small and on screen time limited to driving the engine in the first show. Mike knew it was a matter of time before everyone knew but he didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Roy and Cap seemed to be looking forward to the brouhaha that they figured Chet and Johnny would make when they finally knew and didn't want to spoil the fun. Mike knew Marco didn't get to watch much television at his home because the nieces and nephews always visited and commandeered the set.
When the engine rolled into the station, the guys all went in and started on their chores. Mike, having pulled bunk duty, went to strip the beds. As he pulled the sheet off his bunk, a book flew out. Mike reached to pick it up and then, groaning, looked around quickly to see if anyone was near. "An autograph book? Ah, man! Who knows?" He set the book under the pillow to hide it for the time being.
After getting his chore done, Mike went to the bay to clean up the engine. One by one, the rest of the shift wandered around, putting supplies away, checking the squad, and going to the hoops to play. Mike listened to the discussions going on and then heard one of the guys whistling. The tune sounded familiar…Wait a minute. That was the theme song! Mike wandered out to the basketball hoop and watched as Johnny stopped whistling as he shot the ball.
"He scores!" Johnny turned and grinned at Mike. "Done polishing the engine?"
"Yeah," Mike answered. "Hey, what was that tune you're whistling?" Johnny looked confused, then brightened. "Oh, I guess it's from that new show. They use that song in the commercials for it and I can't get it outta my head." Mike looked at him suspiciously. Johnny looked back at him. "Mike, what's wrong? Did I do something?"
Mike realized Johnny had never been that good an actor. Johnny'd never be able to keep a secret that long anyway. He just shook his head at Johnny and walked back in the kitchen.