Copyright: December 2000 By Robin R. Neher

THIS STORY IS WRITTEN FOR PLEASURE AND IS NOT INTENDED TO INFRINGE ON ANY PREEXISTING COPYRIGHTS THAT MAY BE VIOLATED. FEEL FREE TO SHARE WITH FRIENDS, BUT NOT FOR PROFIT.

THIS STORY IS FICTIONAL, A WORK OF THE WRITER'S IMAGINATION. THE CHARACTERS AND INCIDENTS USED IN THIS STORY ARE PURELY FICTIONAL AND ARE NOT BASED ON ANY PERSON AND/OR PERSON'S ACTUAL EXPERIENCES.

Title: The Oddest Couple

Author: Robin R. Neher

E-mail: NRobin1027@aol.com

Rating: R

Pairing: N/A

Summary: Johnny is evicted from his apartment, will he tell his friends?

Archive: Yes .

Content Warning: Some harsh language.

"Please, can't I get my stuff?" Johnny Gage pleaded with his landlord.

"Your stuff stays here til your rent is paid!" The lady replied. "Johnny, I can't let you stay here for free!"

"I know!" Johnny replied. "I will pay it! I swear!"

"Johnny, I know you've had a rough time lately, being in the hospital and with your burns and all, but I got bills to pay too." Mrs. Edith Rabbit said. "Johnny, I'm sure one of your friends will let you stay with them."

Johnny had just gotten out of Rampart General Hospital after being in their burn ward for a month with burns sustained in a building explosion.

"Of all the things to come home to." A dejected Johnny whispered. "Mrs. Rabbit, I try, I really do. On a fireman's salary, it's hard to make ends meet."

"Johnny, you're three months behind on your rent." Mrs. Rabbit told him. "Johnny, you need to learn how to manage money so you won't be in this mess. Quit spending so much on dates and
take out."

"Maybe I need to find a place more within my means." Johnny mused.

"Johnny, you can go in and get what you need, but that's it." Mrs. Rabbit relented.

Johnny entered the apartment, got some clothes, uniforms, and his nineteen inch television set, then left the building, unsure of where he'd stay that night.

*

Two days later, Johnny returned to work at station fifty-one with Brackett's blessing. Johnny winced as he rubbed his sore neck, the result of sleeping on a motel bed for the last two nights. John had already decided that the guys would not know of his current predicament.

I'm the one who got myself in this mess, I'll be the one to get myself out. Johnny swore.

*

Two days after that shift, Johnny again reported for work. The guys all noticed something was wrong. Johnny seemed increasingly tired and not as friendly. Johnny also was developing dark
circles under his eyes. Roy attributed this to too many late dates and it was left at that.

Two weeks later, the guys were really worried for Johnny. He was falling asleep while just standing and the circles under his guys grew even darker. One day after a run, Roy found Johnny,
sound asleep in the squad. Roy opened then slammed the passenger door to wake him up.

"Huh?" A sleepy John mumbled, jolting awake.

"Johnny, our shift was over five minutes ago! Johnny, something's wrong! Are you doing drugs?!" Roy confronted him. "You look like hell! Tell me what's going on, Now!!"

"Roy, it's nothing!" Johnny yawned as he climbed out of the squad and headed toward the lockeroom to change into civvies. Roy followed Johnny to find out what was going on. As soon as Johnny opened his locker door, he again fell asleep and collapsed to the floor.

Roy knelt by his partner's side and immediately noted he was snoring.

"Junior, wake up!" Roy commanded, shaking Johnny's shoulder.

"Gotta go to work! Get fired if I'm late again!" Johnny mumbled in his sleep. "Gotta take Mrs. Knieman to the dance!"

Roy picked up his sleeping partner and carried him to his bunk. Once Johnny was tucked in, Roy went to the phone in the dorm and called the rest of the guys.

___________________________________________________

Forty-eight hours later, Johnny awakened to find all of A-Shift standing around him.

"What? Where am I?" Johnny asked.

"The station." Craig Brice answered, coldly. "You've been asleep for forty-eight hours."

"Care to tell us what's going on, Pal?" Captain Hank Stanley asked. "You might as well tell us. We've already talked to Mrs. Rabbit."

Johnny hung his dark head.

"I got evicted." Johnny admitted. "I was three months behind on my rent. Are you all happy now? You guys gonna laugh at me now?"

"Pal, why didn't you tell us? We could've helped." Cap told him.

"Cap, I'm a grown man who should be able to take care of himself." Johnny whispered. "Now, I don't have a place to stay."

"Serves you right, Gage." Brice sneered. "You never can be responsible. You're like a kid in a candy store."

"Brice!" Roy hissed, warningly.

"What's the matter, DeSoto?" Craig sneered. "You having the urge to take Gage in?! DeSoto, Gage is not your responsibility!"

"I can't let him live on the streets!" Roy yelled

"Why not? That's probably where Gage came from anyway!" Brice sneered as Johnny's face contorted in anger as did Cap's.

"Brice, shut the fuck up!" Hank growled. "Johnny's going through a hard enough time without you adding to it!"

"Captain, Gage brought his problems on himself!" Brice insisted. "You all want to bail him out everytime he gets in trouble! You all are doing a huge disservice to him by doing that! By taking him in, you're just making Gage all the more dependent!"

Johnny quietly got out of bed, washed, dressed then left the station, knowing that Brice was right.

Gage, you gotta stand on your own two feet. You can't ask anyone to take you in. You'd be just another mouth to feed. Johnny told himself as he drove off in search of a place to live.

Johnny's first stop was to buy a paper so he could search the classifieds for apartments he could afford or someone looking for a roommate. Even a boarding house would do. Johnny just knew that he could not and would not depend on his friends. Johnny's next stop was a park, where he sat on a bench and began searching the classifieds

______________________

Back at 51's, Roy was tearing into Brice.

"You Son of a bitch!" Roy yelled, shaking Brice by his collar. "Thanks alot! Johnny took off, thanks to you!"

"Roy, let him go!" Cap ordered.

Roy calmed down and let go of Brice. His was still mad, however.

"Brice, go wait in my office!" Hank told him.

"Yes, Captain." Brice nodded, then walked out of the room.

"Roy, you go out back and cool off!" Hank ordered. "I'll deal with Brice!"

Roy opened his mouth to argue but the tones sounded before he could say anything.

Station 51, station 86, station 110, battalion 14, structure fire at Denny's restaurant. 900 Stanley Street. Crossstreet: Pine. Time out: 9:01.

"Station 51, 10-4-KMG-365." Cap acknowledged, as the crew boarded their respective trucks.

"Brice, this isn't over!" Roy hissed as he drove the squad out ahead of the engine. Brice just sat quietly in the squad's passenger seat, not uttering a word.

___________________________________________________

Two hours later, the squad and engine returned to the station. Roy turned to Brice.

"Brice, I wanna talk to you out back!" Roy growled as Cap saw the anger in Roy's blue eyes.

"Roy-" Cap began, only to be cut off.

"Captain, if DeSoto has something to say to me, I wanna hear it! DeSoto, whatever you have to say, you can say in front of everyone!" Craig declared. "If you have something to say, be man enough to say it in public!"

Roy just glared at Brice, then went to take a shower. As Roy entered the latrine, shut the door and took off his sweat and soot covered clothes. As Roy stepped under the hot spray, he kicked himself for not telling Brice off.

Roy, you wimp! Why can't you stand up to Brice? You're senior medic, not him! Roy chastised himself as he washed. Why do you let Brice push you around? You're bigger and stronger then Brice! You wouldn't let Johnny push you around, so why do you let Brice?

As Roy rinsed and dried off, his mind told him to confront Brice.

Roy, you can't let Brice push you or anyone else around anymore! You have to show him who's boss! Roy thought as he left the latrine and went to the lockeroom for a clean uniform. Roy watched as Brice entered the latrine, then went to join the others in the rec room.

Roy snickered to himself as he poured himself a cup of hot coffee. Seconds later, a scream was heard from the latrine.

"Roy, what'd you do?" Hank asked.

"I made sure and used all the hot water." Roy laughed.

"DESOOTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Brice roared, running out of the latrine, naked.

Cap and the rest all laughed their heads off as Brice realized he was naked. Brice turned bright red as he quickly ran back to the latrine.

"Roy, forget about cooking this shift, Pal. I don't feel much like eating." Hank laughed.

The rest of the crew agreed, unable to wipe the image of a naked Brice out of their minds.

______________________________________________

Johnny, meanwhile had just arrived at an apartment building in response to an ad in the paper. Finding the right apartment, Johnny knocked on the door. A few seconds later, it was answered by Dr. Joe Early.

"Doc! You placed the ad?" A suprised Johnny asked.

"I sure did." Joe grinned. "You here to answer the ad?"

"Yeah," Johnny admitted. "I got evicted."

"I heard." Joe smiled, sympathetically. "Johnny, come on in. You've just found yourself a new home."

"Doc, you should know that I'm a slob." Johnny hedged.

"Johnny, that's okay with me. I'm a slob too." Joe reassured him.

Johnny smiled as Joe led him inside.

"Johnny, I know you haven't been sleeping." Joe stated as Johnny sat down on his couch.

"That's because I've taken a second job." Johnny admitted. "I had to so I could pay my back rent. I've been working at an escort service."

"Johnny, you're not-" Joe began.

"No, Doc, no!" Johnny laughed. "My clients are over 60! Besides, I'm an escort, not a prostitute!"

Joe laughed with Johnny, then turned serious.

"Johnny, I want you to quit that escort job." Joe told him. "It's beginning to endanger your health. You were exhausted the other day."

"I know." Johnny replied. "How am I going to pay my back rent?"

"Why not set aside some of your next paycheck?" Joe suggested. "I'll take care of the rent and utilities here if you'll handle the groceries."

"Agreed." Johnny smiled.

________________________________

Over the next few days, Johnny settled in with Joe. He'd moved most of his stuff into storage until he could afford his own place. Now, as Johnny readied himself for his shift at the station, Joe approached him.

"John, I think it would be a good idea if you didn't choose your own dates for awhile." The doctor said.

"I can't afford to take anyone out anyway." Johnny replied

"Johnny, your taste in women is terrible." Joe told him. "You go out with women who are airheads and who want nothing more then a one night stand."

"If you think you can choose a date for me, go ahead." Johnny agreed. "I have an open mind,"

"Good." Joe nodded. "I think you need to start gearing your search toward a serious relationship. Have you thought about marriage?"

"Yeah, sometimes." Johnny nodded, as he buttoned his uniform shirt. "I sometimes wonder how it would be to live Roy's life. To have someone waiting at home for me."

"Have you thought of having children?" Joe asked.

"From time to time." Johnny grinned. "But there's a part of me that doesn't want to put a lady through the hell of dating a fireman or being a fireman's wife."

"Your job is dangerous and anyone you're with would have to understand that." Joe agreed. "She would also have to understand what your job entails as far as the hours and such."

"Joe, are ya trying to fix me up?" Johnny laughed.

"You saw right through me." Joe grinned. "I've got the perfect girl for you."

"Uh, Doc, I've had about enough of bad blind dates." John hedged. "I gotta get goin or Cap will have my ass. Later, Doc."

Joe hugged John, then left for his own shift at Rampart. Johnny then left to join his friends at station 51.
____________________________________

Arriving at the station ten minutes later, Johnny happily greeted his friends.

"Mornin!" Johnny grinned.

"Mornin, Pal." Captain Hank Stanley replied. "Cutting things a little close, aren't you?"

"Sorry, Cap. I got a new place to live, not to mention a new roomie." Johnny announced. "I now share an apartment with one Dr. Joe Early."

"I'm happy for you, Pal. Glad to see you're not on welfare." Chet Kelly joked.

"Shut up, Chet!" Johnny snapped. "You will not ruin this shift for me!"

"Roll call in five minutes!" Cap ordered as they all went for coffee in the kitchen.

"It's great, John, it really is." Roy DeSoto grinned.

"I'm not so sure. Joe is already trying to fix me up on a blind date." Johnny told his best friend.

"Good for him." Cap smiled.

"He says I should start looking for a serious relationship!" Johnny griped.

"He's right, Partner." Roy soothed. "Johnny, it's about time you started getting serious about your future and about love. You're almost thirty years old, yet you still live like you're twenty. Alot of men are married by the age of thirty."

"You think I should be married?" Johnny asked.

"Maybe not married, but a least in a long term relationship." Engineer Mike Stoker replied. "Johnny, you're not in high school anymore."

"I know, but I'm not sure I'm ready to settle down yet." Johnny told his fellow fireman.

"Johnny, you just can't keep going from girl to girl." Roy told him. "Don't you want a permanent relationship sometime in your life?"

"Yeah, Pal, marriage has it's benefits." Cap said.

"Like what?" Johnny asked.

END PART 5: The Oddest Couple
TBC..........