BY Brenda "Bren" Craig

Station 51. Possible Structure Fire, 116 Magnolia Circle. 1-1-6 Magnolia Circle. Cross street, Delaney. Time out: 14:10.

By the time Sam Lanier, dispatcher, had finished relaying the information, all of the men were in place in their vehicles, except for Captain Stanley. He was at the base station writing down the information. Once he had finished, he ripped the sheet of paper from the notepad, handed it to Roy through the Squad's window and ran to take his place in the cab of the engine. The squad led the way out of the bay, followed closely by the engine. No one noticed at first the red truck with the flashing lightbar driven by Keely following close behind the two vehicles.

As they pulled up in front of the house, Johnny and Roy knew that it was a lost cause -- the house was totally engulfed. All that Station 51 could do now would be to protect the other homes in the cul-de-sac – surround and drown. They jumped from the squad as the engine pulled up behind them and quickly geared up. They joined their stationmates as Stanley gave out the assignments.

“Chet, Marco, pull an inch and a half and protect the south exposure. Roy, John, take another inch and a half and protect the north exposure,” ordered Stanley. Each man nodded, grabbing equipment, working smoothly as a team. Mike began working with the dials and knobs on the Engine, preparing to charge up the lines for his fellow crewmen.

Stanley pulled his HT out of his turnout coat pocket and said, “LA, this is Engine 51, respond two more engine units to our location.” He placed the HT back into his pocket and began helping his men.

As Keely pulled up to cul-de-sac, she could tell how bad the fire was. She saw the firefighters working furiously to protect the other homes from going up. She backed up from the entrance to the cul-de-sac and wisely parked her truck out of the way – it was tight with just the engine and the squad, just wait until more companies showed up. She signaled for Aspen to stay in the truck. This was no place for her and Keely felt it would be safer for her friend to stay in the vehicle. If Aspen was needed, she would then come back for her. God forbid anyone was still in there. A worried frown creased her forehead, knowing the only reason Aspen would be needed here was to search out any remains of whoever was unlucky enough to be trapped in the burning building. Aspen whimpered, wanting to follow her mistress, but sat back down when given the command by Keely. Keely walked into the cul-de-sac in search of Captain Stanley. She spotted him standing by the engine, talking into his Handy Talky.

“Engine 86, Engine 51, attack the west side of the structure from Delaney Avenue. The property backs right up to the street in the middle of the block,” ordered Stanley.

“10-4, Engine 51.”

“Engine 110, Engine 51, come around to the cul-de-sac and attack the east façade,” continued Stanley.

“10-4, Engine 51.”

Stanley turned and saw Keely heading his way. He motioned her to come over to him, then turned his attention back to his men. As Keely approached, she could hear sirens and knew that Captain Stanley had called in for more help. She reached Captain Stanley’s side and stood quietly, trying not to get in his way. She watched as the second engine pulled up and the captain jumped out directing his men. They quickly swarmed over to the house taking two hoselines and attacked the fire head on. She could see the smoke start to change from black to white.

“It’s just a matter of containment now, Keely, and then mop-up,” said Stanley.

“Do you think anyone was in the house, Captain?” Keely asked with concern.

Sighing, Stanley answered, “Dear God, I hope not.” He gave her a worried look, then turned his attention back to his men.

Keely tried to find the crew of Station 51, but was unable to do so. The smoke coming from the burning home was still thick and with the wind blowing towards the engines, it burned her eyes and throat. She began to cough a little.

“You okay?” asked Stanley with a concerned glance directed at her.

“Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” she assured him with a smile.

“If the smoke gets too much for you, you can climb into the squad,” he advised her. Keely responded with an agreeable nod of her head.

It took merely twenty minutes for the fire to be knocked down another hour or so to check for hot spots and overhaul. As the overhaul wound down, Stanley began to release the crews until only his own was left.

Keely had known how dangerous a firefighter’s job was, but actually seeing it hands-on was something else. She now had an even greater admiration for them and what they did on a daily basis. She had been able to stick it out and not retreat to the squad and by doing so -- she was able to watch more closely how the fire crews had worked together as a larger team.

Captain Stanley looked over at Keely and was even more impressed by her. She had stuck it out by his side and had not panicked, as other “ride-a-longs” had in the past. She had even dealt with the heavy smoke and not gotten sick by it. He watched as his men started humping the hose back to his and Keely’s direction.

“LA, Station 51 is available,” he informed Dispatch.

“10-4, 51.” came back the reply on his HT.

“What’d ya think, Keely?” asked Chet. He, like all the other men, was covered in soot from the fire. Keely had to suppress a giggle – Chet was trying to be charming but all she could think of was that they all looked like little boys who had played in the mud.

“I’m speechless, Chet,” she said seriously. “I knew you all had a dangerous job, but until I actually saw it with my own eyes…. I never really comprehended how dangerous.” A look of concern came over her face as she asked, “You don’t think anyone was in the house, do you?”

“No, we were lucky this time,” answered Roy quickly, seeing her concern. “I asked one of the neighbors, who was standing over there in the crowd. She told me the Henderson family was out of town. Man, are they in for a shock when they get back.”

“I feel sorry for anyone who’s lost their home like this,” Keely stated sympathetically.

“Where’s Aspen?” asked Johnny, looking around for the dog.

“I left her in the truck,” replied Keely, motioning with her hand behind her. “I didn’t think it was safe for her out here and I didn’t want her to get in the way. Thank God, we didn’t have to use her today.”

“Well, let’s not just stand around here, time to get back to the Station,” said Stanley. “Marco, it’s your turn to cook tonight isn’t it?”

“Yeah, Cap,” replied Marco.

“Keely, I hope you’re going to join us for dinner tonight,” invited Stanley.

“Yeah, you don’t know what you’re missing, until you’ve tried some of Marco’s Irish Stew,” said Johnny, rubbing his stomach at the same time. All the men laughed and agreed with him, except Marco of course, he turned a little red in the cheeks at the compliment.

“I would like that very much,” accepted Keely.

Later that evening, they were all back at the station and sitting around the table. The meal Marco had cooked had been very good, agreed Keely. She had tried to help with the dishes, but the men would not hear of it. They had told her as a guest she was privileged and not expected to help. She sat thinking about them, as she watched them banter back and forth to each other. She needed to do something special for these men. They had welcomed her with open arms and had accepted her right into their domain. An idea came to mind as to how she could thank them.

“Guys, I want to thank you for making me feel welcome here at the Station. And to show you how much I appreciate it, I’d like to cook you lunch on Friday, when we meet back here for your next shift. Would that be all right with you?” she asked, looking at each of them, but mainly at Stanley.

“Sure, that would be great!” jumped in Johnny before the captain could reply.

Stanley sent him one of those looks and Johnny turned away feeling chastised like a little boy. Stanley then smiled -- he wasn’t upset with Johnny, he knew how Johnny spoke sometimes without thinking. He then turned to answer Keely.

“That would be very nice Keely, only don’t over do it? Before you know it, these guys here will have you cooking all of the meals,” he told her, laughing at the looks his men now were sending him.

“What are ya going to fix?” asked Chet curiously.

“Oh, I thought I would fix you some good old Cajun food. Have you ever had any?” she asked.

“No, don’t think I have.” Chet frowned, trying to think if he had.

“No,” came the reply from the other men as well.

“Good then, I’ll fix you some on Friday,” Keely announced. “I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me today, but I think it is time Aspen and I headed home. I have to work tonight and I have a few things to take care of before I go in for my shift.” She stood up from the table and called Aspen over to her. Aspen moved from where she was laying beside the sofa. Henry and Aspen it seemed were becoming real good friends. She smiled at that -- even Aspen was feeling welcome here.

"We'll walk you out," said Hank. He and his men followed her out to the back parking lot of the station.

Keely loaded Aspen up into the truck, then turned and shook each of the their hands. "Bye. See you all on Friday," she said as she climbed into the driver's seat.

The men waived to her as they stepped back to allow her to maneuver the truck out and down the drive. They headed back into the station.

* * *

Keely had gotten up early on Friday morning, loading her truck up with all the essentials she would need to cook the men a Cajun meal. She had decided to fix them a big pot of shrimp gumbo served with some homemade bread she had just taken out of the oven. She also had two homemade lemon icebox pies, which she had made the night before. She was thankful her mother had recently sent her some Cajun seasonings, after her mother had learned from her that she could not find them in LA. She hoped the men would like it -- Cajun food to many was an acquired taste. But, she felt comfortable with the idea the men would indeed like it.

She glanced over at Aspen and frowned, worried about Aspen’s behavior during the night and again this morning. Aspen was restless and would occasionally whimper at her. The last time she had acted this way was last year just before an earthquake had hit the LA area. Keely hoped this was not a forewarning to another one. She knew animals sometimes could sense an earthquake before it happened. She hoped she was reading Aspen’s behavior wrong.

She turned her thoughts to Johnny. Since meeting him, she couldn't seem to get him out of her mind. Every time she thought of him, goose bumps would run up and down her arms and she would feel the heat of her body rising as her cheeks flushed. She just hoped she could hide these feelings from the men -- especially from Johnny. At least, until she could tell whether he reciprocated her feelings or not. She had not felt like this about a man for years.

The war had caused her to harden her heart and put up a wall around her emotions. No one in LA knew of the lost love and the pain she had suffered in the war. She and Jake had been engaged to be married and had planned on having the ceremony back here in the states once both their tour of duties were up. One week before Jake was to ship out and come home, he was killed in a helicopter crash. She had been devastated and had closed her heart to anyone and everyone who had come close to her from that point on.

She slowed the truck down, flipping on the turn signal, so she could turn into the side driveway of the station. As she came around the building, she noticed six automobiles already in place. She especially liked the Land Rover, having been debating on whether to buy one or not. She had thought it would be the perfect vehicle to use in rough terrain when she and Aspen had to go on a rescue in remote areas. She needed to find out who owned it and talk to him about it. She pulled into an empty parking space and turned off the engine. As she started to get out of the vehicle she heard, “Hi Keely!” Looking towards the stationhouse, Keely saw Roy and Johnny standing there in their uniforms talking.

Her heart skipped more than one beat at the site of Johnny. Whoa Keely, old girl. Keep your cool! she told herself, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down. She had to try and act normal.

“Hi, guys! How are you this morning?” she called back.

“Fine. Just fine,” they replied in unison.

Keely grabbed Aspen’s leash and the dog climbed out of the truck on the driver’s side. Roy and Johnny began to walk towards her. She unlocked the toolbox and flipped open the lid, reaching in to pull the boxes of food out.

“Hey, let us give you a hand with that,” Roy volunteered his and Johnny’s services.

“Thanks, guys,” accepted Keely, pulling out a small box for herself. Then, she waited as each man took a larger box.

“Hmm, something smells really good,” commented Johnny, smelling the wonderful aroma coming from the box he was carrying.

“That’s homemade bread. Mother’s recipe,” Keely told him.

“Oh boy! I can’t wait to try some,” Johnny remarked, again taking a big whiff of the box.

“It’s for lunch, Johnny. Don’t go sneaking any before then,” Roy ordered his friend.

“Ah, Roy. I wouldn’t do that,” said Johnny looking hurt and innocent at the same time.

Keely couldn’t help it -- she burst out laughing. The two men looked at her and began to laugh, too. They made their way into the station, then into the Day Room. As they sat their boxes on the table, the other men, who had been sitting there drinking their morning coffee, looked up curiously.

“What’s that?” asked Chet.

“Our lunch!” returned Johnny with a big grin.

“Oh man, something smells good!!!” Chet said as he rose from his chair and moved over to investigate the smell further. He put his hand in the box Johnny had carried in, trying to rummage around in it. Johnny slapped his hand. “Get out of there,” he ordered Chet.

“Hey!” Chet yelled out, rubbing his hand.

“As Roy said, it's for lunch. So, no nibbling before then,” Johnny repeated what his friend had told him.

“I wasn’t gonna eat any of it! I was just curious,” whined Chet.

“Okay, then if you’re that curious, you can help us put everything away for Keely,” Roy commented as he began to remove items from his box.

It took only a few minutes with the help of the whole crew to empty the boxes and put everything away. As soon as Keely had taken Aspen’s leash off, the dog had moved over to the sofa. Henry was there and wagged his tail at her in greeting, but didn’t get off the sofa. Aspen lay down on the floor beside the sofa.

“I can’t wait to taste that bread and those homemade pies,” admitted Chet to Keely. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had that kinda home cooked food. Maybe one day I’ll have a wife who can cook me homemade food.”

“Don’t bet on it, Chet,” Johnny razzed him.

“Betcha I get married before you do, Gage,” countered Chet.

“Oh boy, here we go again,” whispered Roy to Keely as he rolled his eyes heaven ward. Keely laughed. She enjoyed watching Johnny and Chet razzing each other. She had already figured out that the two men liked each other and that this was the way they showed their affection to one another.

Suddenly, Keely felt a wet nose touching her left hand. She looked and found Aspen at her side. The dog started whimpering again and Keely placed her hand on Aspen’s head rubbing it back and forth trying to calm her down.

Roy, who had noticed this frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with Aspen?” The other men heard Roy’s question and turned concerned glances in the dog’s direction. Johnny and Chet had even stopped and looked at the dog, too.

“I’m not sure. She’s been acting restless and has been whimpering like this since last night,” answered Keely. “The last time she did this was just before we had that earthquake last year.”

“Man, I sure hope we don’t have one. At least, not a big one,” commented Marco frowning.

“I’ve heard that animals could sense earthquakes. Do you really think she’s trying to tell us there’s one coming?” asked Mike.

“I hope not. But, like I said, the last time she did this was just before we had that earthquake.” Keely reiterated.

“Humph, Henry hasn’t ever done anything like that,” Chet complained as he looked over at the lazy basset hound.

“He’s too lazy to do anything,” agreed Marco as he too looked at Henry.

The Day Room got very quiet as Keely and the firefighters watched Aspen closely. She continued for a few minutes to whine and pace around the room, then as quickly as she had started, she stopped, going back over to the sofa and laying down again on the floor. No one knew why, but they all had begun to feel uneasy.

“Keely, Johnny and I have to go to Rampart for supplies, would you like to come?” asked Roy.

“Hm, well, it’d be a busman’s holiday, but sure. Why not?” replied Keely. “Let me bring in Aspen’s travel carrier in case you guys go on a run. She’s been trained to stay in her carrier.”

“I’ll give you a hand, Keely,” volunteered Roy.

“Thanks,” said Keely.

As Keely and Roy quickly settled Aspen, her thoughts wandered. The thought of sitting in close proximity to Johnny in the squad made her feel giddy. She followed them to the squad and waited while Johnny opened the passenger door and then she slid in to sit in the middle. Johnny climbed in, brushing his left side against hers. Oh, no! thought Keely, here I go, again! Those same feelings of attraction came rushing back at his touch. Her body was on fire and her heart was racing. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying not to let either man notice.

"You okay?" asked Roy with a look of concern.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine. Kinda hot today ain't it?" she replied trying to cover up the real reason why her face was flushed.

Roy looked at her for a second longer, then smiled. "Oh, I don't know. It’s not that hot. What do you think, Johnny?"

"No, in fact, it feels great," answered Johnny as he buckled his seatbelt, missing Keely's flushed face and Roy's knowing smile.

Roy cranked up the squad and pulled out of the station. He'd keep Keely's secret, at least what he thought was her secret. He'd have to start watching Keely and Johnny a little closer from now on.

What Roy and Keely did not know was Johnny had been feeling the same physical attractions and reaction as Keely. He hoped his fiddling with the seatbelt had hidden his flushed face and body reactions to Keely's body pressed against his.

Roy, Johnny and Keely walked down the corridor of the Emergency Room towards Dixie McCall, who was Head Nurse. She was perched on a stool at the Nurses’ Station working up a chart of a patient who had just been brought in and admitted to the hospital. She looked up to see her paramedics coming towards her with Keely Summers. She stopped her work and looked at them with a questioningly stare.

“Hi ya, Dix”, Johnny greeted cheerfully.

“Hi yourself, Johnny,” replied Dixie as she continued to look in Keely’s direction.

“Hello, Dixie. Guess you’re wondering why I’m with these two handsome men?” Keely remarked with a smile.

“You could say that, Keely,” returned Dixie as she now watched the two men blushing. Her smile grew wider.

“I’m doing a ride-a-long with Station 51 to observe how they perform their rescues,” informed Keely.

“Oh, that’s right! You’re with that new dog search and rescue organization aren’t you?” replied Dixie as she now remembered Keely telling her about it in the cafeteria some time back. “How are they treating you?”

“Just great. They’ve made me feel very welcome. In fact, I’m fixing them some Cajun food for lunch today,” she informed Dixie.

“Now Roy, Johnny, you’re not putting her to work are you?” admonished Dixie, turning to the two paramedics who had begun working on their supply list.

“Oh no, Dixie. Keely asked to do this for us,” corrected Roy, stopping briefly in the resupply.

“I wanted to show my appreciation,” Keely also corrected.

“She’s already made us some homemade bread and lemon pies, but won’t tell us what the main course is,” said Johnny as he continued to pull out the supplies they needed from the cabinets behind Dixie. He placed them in a box, as Roy checked them off the supply order form.

“Cajun food. I haven’t had that in years,” Dixie smiled whimsically. “I think the last time was on a vacation back, oh, about three years ago during Mardi Gras.

“You’ve been to Mardi Gras, Dix? Man, I bet that was a blast!” Johnny remarked enviously.

“It was, let me tell you,” Dixie laughed.

“Well, guess we better get back to the station, Dix,” said Roy as he handed the signed Supply Order form to Dixie. Then, he and Johnny gathered up the supplies and moved to the front of the desk.

“See ya, Dix,” said both men as they waived goodbye to her.

“Bye, Dixie. See you around the hospital,” said Keely as she turned to follow the two men.

“Bye,” called Dixie after the trio. Then turned as Dr. Kelly Brackett came out of the enclosed base station area.

“What was Keely doing with the boys, Dix?” he asked.

“Talking Cajun,” replied Dixie, smiling at his confused look.

“Huh?” said Brackett.

“Never mind, Kel,” Dixie’s smile grew wider, then she turned back to the desk to answer the phone, which was ringing.

Dr. Brackett looked at her again, then shrugged his shoulders. “Women,” he mumbled under his breath and headed down the corridor to his office.

* * *

Keely stirred the aromatic shrimp gumbo, stopping occasionally to take a spoon and dip it in for a taste test. It was perfect. She turned to see Roy and Johnny finishing up with the table setting. The other members of the station had been called out for a trash fire about an hour ago.

“Do you think the engine will be back soon?” she asked the two men.

“Should be any minute now,” answered Roy as he placed the last spoon he had in his hand down by a bowl.

As if on cue, they heard the engine backing up into the bay.

“They’re here now,” announced Johnny.

The crew sauntered in, sniffing the air as they did so.

“Man, oh man! That sure smells good. I’m starving!” Chet exclaimed as he moved to a chair and sat down.

“Good, because there’s plenty for all,” stated Keely as she turned off the stove and went to grab the potholders to move it to the table.

“Here, let me do that,” Roy volunteered.

“Thanks.”

Roy took the potholders from her and picked up the pot, placing it on the table where now all the men were sitting. He took the lid off the pot and with a ladle began spooning out portions of the gumbo into each man’s bowl. After he had handed Keely her bowl, he fixed his own and sat down to eat.

“What is it?” asked Chet, peering into his bowl and sniffing the wonderful odor coming from it.

“It’s called Shrimp Gumbo,” Keely informed them all.

“Wow, this stuff is great!” Johnny exclaimed, his mouth full of homemade bread.

“You can say that again, Johnny, but next time, not with your mouth full,” agreed Stanley laughing with the others at his own dig at Johnny. Johnny ignored it and swallowed another spoonful of gumbo. He wasn’t going to waste his time talking, not when he had such good food in front of him.

Keely was very happy that the men were enjoying the meal. She watched them as they ate, each man going back for seconds, then thirds, till there was none of the gumbo left. Keely got up and went to the refrigerator, pulling out the two lemon pies and with a knife she cut them into portions. They dug into it with glee, savoring the cool lemony taste of the pie.

“Man, I am stuffed!” exclaimed Johnny, leaning back in his chair and patting is stomach.

“I can’t believe it, the bottomless pit is finally full,” said Roy jokingly.

“Yeah, I never thought I would see the day that Gage would be full,” agreed Chet.

Johnny just grinned, patting his stomach again. Then he noticed Keely getting up and collecting the dishes.

“Keely, don’t do that. It’s a standing policy here that the cook doesn’t do dishes. We’ll clean up. You just sit back and relax,” he ordered her in a nice way.

"Oh, but it's no trouble, really," Keely protested.

"If you're going to be a part of our crew, even for a short time, you still have to follow the rules. Now, go sit down and take it easy," insisted Johnny.

"Okay," relented Keely as she put the dishes down on the kitchen counter. She moved over to the sofa and sat down beside Henry, who immediately climbed into her lap. She watched as the men began an assembly line, Mike and Marco cleared the table, Chet took a clean wash cloth and began cleaning it, Johnny filled the sink with soapy water and began washing the dishes, Roy then rinsed off the dishes and dried them handing them off to Stanley who put them away in the cabinet. In no time, they had the kitchen looking spotless. Keely was amazed at how efficiently they worked together. Maybe she could get them to come clean her house, she thought with a grin. She hated housework. She bent down and gave Aspen a pat on the head when she heard her friend beginning to whine, again.

"Here, thought you would like some." Keely looked up to see Roy standing in front of her holding a glass of iced tea. She gratefully accepted it, smiling, "Thank you, Roy." He moved around Aspen to sit on the opposite end of the sofa, taking a sip from his cup of coffee.

She watched as Johnny and Chet moved over to the chairs facing the television. She continued to watch as Johnny turned it on flipping the channels until he found what he wanted. Then he moved and sat down in the chair next to Chet’s. She saw Stanley leaving the Day Room with a cup of coffee and assumed he was going to his office to work on his daily reports. Marco and Mike sat at the table talking quietly. She felt comfortable with these men and knew there was no need for forced conversation.

Suddenly Aspen bolted up from her position on the floor and began to howl. Seconds later, everything began to roll.

"EARTHQUAKE!"