Angels Among Us

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It was time again for the LA County Fireman’s Community and Family Christmas party. The event which was held every year had a two fold purpose to it; on the one hand it was a way for the fire department to express their appreciation to it’s members and to the community which they served and on the other hand it marked the conclusion of the toy drive which had been taking place since Columbus Day. The toys collected would be wrapped and sent to local charities who would distribute them to poorer families in the community so that every child could have some presents to under the tree to open on Christmas morning.

In the past Johnny had volunteered to do everything from Entertainment Committee to clean up crew. This year he had chosen the planning and gathering of needed decorations for the event figuring that once his part was over and done with he could just sit back and enjoy himself while everyone else did the hard work.. That was until Paul Rossco from station ninety nine got the flu. Paul was a very large fireman weighing two hundred and fifty pounds, a size that fit the Santa Suit perfectly. At the last minute someone had to be found to fill the role of the Jolly Elf, but everyone else already had jobs or were part of the entertainment committee. Johnny made the grave mistake of telling Linda the sad tale of Paul Rossco and how Santa would not be at the party this year for all the kids. Some how she convinced him it was his duty to step in and spread holiday cheer to all the little ones. And that was how he ended up in the cramped little bathroom at the fire hall wearing an ill fitting Santa suit. Linda had volunteered to play the part of Mrs. Clause, but there had been a mix up at the costume shop.

Johnny sat on a bench in the corner of the tiny all purpose bathroom and pulled on a pair of shiny black boots with large gold buckles. “How did I ever let you con me into this one?” he complained.

“Aw come on…where’s your Christmas spirit?” came Linda’s reply from behind the cheap plywood door which concealed the only toilet.

“Ha-ha.” Linda answered sardonically. “What are you complaining about anyway? At least no one will know who you are. Me on the other hand…”

Johnny laughed at her comment as he rested his hands on his hips and looked at the closed door. “Look…I don’t plan on going out there and making a fool of myself alone. Now get out here before I come in there after you.” he teased.

“No laughing. If I hear one snicker or see one little smirk that’s it!” she warned.

“Okay. I promise.” He stated as he raised his right hand in the air as if taking an oath. Slowly the toilet door opened and Linda hesitantly stepped out. Johnny studied her from head to toe before bursting out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Her costume consisted of green tights with large, floppy, curled toed boots with bells attached to the ends, over a red, long sleeved, skin tight shirt she wore a green and red stripped tunic with a fringed edge. From each of the fringes hung a bell and on top of her head she wore a long green and white stripped tousle cap with a giant bell attached at the point. Any time she moved or even breathed the bells would all start to jingle. She shot Johnny a murderous look.

“That does it!” she exclaimed as she opened the toilet door again and headed inside. Johnny grabbed the top of the door and held on to it so that she could not close it. “Johnny let go of that door!” she ordered.

“No way! Get out here.” He stated as he reached in and grabbed her by the arm pulling her forcibly from the stall. “Misery loves company.”

“Oh I’m sure you will.” Johnny laughed. “But in the meantime I’m gonna make the payback I’ll have to suffer through worthwhile.” Linda studied Johnny’s costume with a critical eye and shook her head helplessly. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s because I haven’t finished yet.” he informed her as he made a grand production of picking up three large pillows then stuffing them under his Santa shirt and down his pants. “There! How’s that?!”

Linda shook her head in disbelief as she studied Johnny from head to toe. The pillows were not that much of a help in filling out the suit on his body. “You look like a tall, skinny paramedic wearing a Santa suit with three pillows stuck inside.” She commented dryly as she tried to stifle a laugh.

“Drool. Very drool” Johnny quipped sarcastically as he shot her an annoyed look. “At least I don’t look like the Keebler Elf.”

Linda put her hands on her hips and gave him a look of warning. “Keep it up buddy and I’ll go back to hiding in my tree house and you can fly solo on this one.” she stated emphatically. Her expression quickly changed to one of confusion as a mirthful grin curled at Johnny’s lips. “Okay…what’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking how cute you look when you’re annoyed. Especially in that silly outfit.”

“I hope so. “ Johnny commented softly as he slipped his arms around her waist. Just as he was about to kiss her the door opened and Chet entered the room. Johnny squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head wearily onto Linda’s shoulder as he groaned loudly as Linda tried not to laugh. “Don’t you knock?” he asked in a defeated tone.

“Hey. . .isn’t there a Union Rule about Santa becoming personally involved with one of his elves.?” the mustached fireman wise cracked. “I’m gonna have to report you for this you know. You two are in violation Article six of the elf slash Santa Clause.” Linda and Johnny stared at Chet as if he had completely lost his mind as started to laugh at his own joke. “Get . . .Santa CLAUE. . .Santa Clause. . .” The smaller fireman slapped his knee and continued to laugh as his audience just looked at each other helplessly. “I slay me sometimes! Oh. . .I did it again! Get it?…slay…sleigh!”

“Uh. . .yeah. . .we get it. . .um Chet just how much eggnog HAVE you had?” Johnny asked cautiously as he looked at his coworker with concern.

“Oh. . .I don’t know. . .three. . .four. . .or maybe that was thirteen or fourteen…” was the slurred response. Johnny and Linda glanced at each other then back to Chet as they rolled their eyes helplessly.

“Okay Henny Youngman…why’d you come in here?…aside from the obvious answer.” Johnny asked as he glanced toward the toilet. Chet went into deep thought as he tried to think of the reason behind his visit to the bathroom.

“Um. . .I um. . .hmmmmmm. . .let me see. . .I er. . .” A stupid grin spread across his face as he gazed at the couple through glassy eyes. “I forget.” he laughed.

“Um. . .no. . .no that’s not it.” was the slurred response. Johnny kept a wary eye on Chet who was swaying back and fourth where he stood.

“Do you need US maybe?” Linda asked hopefully. She too had been watching Chet swaying and was now finding herself becoming sea sick from the motion and the overwhelming smell of alcohol which now filled the room.

“YEAH!!!!!” Chet shouted triumphantly as he raised his arm jubilantly in the air. The sudden movement knocked him off balance and Johnny had to catch him before he fell and hit his head on the sink. “The Capt. said that the natives were getting. . .restless and…whatever that means. . .and you need to get out there.”

“Okay…go tell him we’re on our way.” Johnny instructed as he led Chet to the door.

“Hey…hey Johnny can I ask you something?” the smaller man asked in a conspiratorial tone. Johnny pulled away from Chet and held up his right arm and hand up to keep a safe distance between them. A disgusted look shadowed his face as the smashed prankster kept breathing his alcoholic breath all over him in defense Johnny kept turning his head away from his coworker.

A lecherous drunken grin spread across Chet’s face as he glanced from Linda to Johnny. “Can I ring Linda’s bell?” he asked stupidly. Linda covered her mouth with her hands in order to conceal her amusement as Johnny glared angrily at Chet.

Johnny started to pace toward the shorter man in a menacing fashion. Even though he was drunk Chet still had enough sense left to recognize when his life was in danger and started to backpedal toward the door. “Listen here Chester B…” Johnny started as he pointed his finger at his friend. “If any bell ringing is going to go on around here I’m the one who’s gonna be doing it. Understood?!” Johnny stated emphatically as he cornered Chet against the door.

“Okay. . .okay. . .just calm down. . .I was just asking. . .geez!” Johnny jabbed his finger toward the door as he glared at plastered Phantom. “I’m leaving.” Chet stated as he hurriedly opened the door and quickly ducked out. Johnny turned around and looked at Linda.

“Do you believe that?” he asked incredulously as he jerked his thumb toward the door.. Linda doubled over with laughter as Johnny headed back over toward her.

“I saw it, but I still don’t believe it.” she choked out. “Oh. . .this is going to be an interesting night.”

Johnny shook his head in disbelief and started to laugh himself. “Come on we better get out there before he comes back.” The couple tried to stifle their laughter as they headed out the door to the mob of waiting children.

Johnny leaned against the bar and watched the gathered crowd at the party. “Jingle Bell Rock” was playing and various party guests along with some of the kids were dancing to the lively Christmas tune. Captain Stanley and his wife were two of the dancers that he could recognize on the floor. Roy and Joanne were sitting at a table trying to corral their kids into eating some food. A drunken Chet was standing in the buffet line hitting on a pretty young woman Johnny recognized as the new nurse from the hospital. Mike Stoker and his wife were talking with Fire Chief McConnike and his wife. Dixie McCall and Doctor Brackett had just entered the room and headed over to talk with Doctor’s Morton and Early who had also brought dates of their own. He thought about how nice it was to see everyone relaxed and out of their usual business element.

The bartender handed Johnny a glass of beer and he took a drink. The first mouthful of the ice cold beer tasted really good on his parched throat. No one had warned him about how hot it could inside that Santa suit.. If he had known he would have taken some breaks and drank some water, but instead he spent two solid hours in the suit sweating out every precious drop of liquid his body possessed. Along with the extreme heat exhaustion he had to suffer through there were the kids. If they were not terrified out of their wits they were throwing a fit, pulling on his beard, trying to pull the hat off his head, kicking him, bouncing too hard on his lap leaving Johnny to wonder if he now could ever have children himself and of course there were the babies who enjoyed wetting his suit down for him. A couple of older boys had almost started a riot when they loudly announced to the little ones that Santa was a fake. Luckily some quick thinking and a lot of bribery of candy with candy canes from Linda the Keebler Elf saved the day and quieted the mob down. He was just relieved to have the ordeal behind him so that now he could sit back and just enjoy the party.

As he scanned the festively decorated hall he saw Linda at the buffet table. She had changed into a black velvet mini dress, black tights and matching shoes. Her outfit contrasted nicely with his basic black suit, white shirt and paisley tie which she had picked out for him. He watched as she headed back toward the bar.

“Here…I got you something to eat.” she said as she placed a Styrofoam plate piled with food down in front of him along with some plastic utensils.

Noticing his dazed expression Linda waved her hand in front of his face. “Earth to Johnny! Food. Eat.” she laughed. He blinked his eyes a couple of times as he refocused his gaze on her.

“Oh. . .” he picked up a plastic fork and stabbed at a piece of ham on the plate. “I was just trying to decide if I liked your Keebler outfit better or what you’re wearing now.”

“I’ll tell you which one I like better.” she quipped as she picked at a chicken leg on his place. “I swear I’ll be hearing bells in my sleep until I’m ninety.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and laughed slightly as he shoved the ham into his mouth.

Linda rolled her eyes in exasperation Sometimes she believed his mind was like a spaghetti strainer. . .information went in and quickly drained out. “Remember, I have to go pick up Charlotte’s kids from their church groups tonight. That’s why we came here in my car.”

“Oh, yeah. . .that’s right.” he commented as he shoveled some more food into his mouth. He had forgotten that Charlotte’s car had broken down and that Linda was temporarily providing taxi service to her and the Quarreling Quartet until her transportation problem could be solved. “You coming straight back here or are you going to take them home first?”

“They wanted to come to the party so I’ll be coming straight back with them. The only thing is that Larry and Andy will be so disappointed that they missed Santa.”

“You can forget me putting that outfit back on!” Johnny stated emphatically as he chewed on a piece of bread. Linda laughed slightly and shook her head as she patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t’ worry. They’ll live. I’m taking em to the mall tomorrow to see Santa. What time is it anyway?” she asked as she grabbed his left arm and looked at his wrist watch. Her eyes widen in surprise as she looked at the time. “Oh my! I’ve got to go if want to get there before their programs let out. I’ll see you in a bit.” She quickly kissed him on the cheek and headed for the door.

Linda stopped in the middle of the doorway and looked at him questionably. “What?”

“No. Stay here and have fun with your friends. I won’t be gone very long.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” She laughed. “I’m only going across town, NOT on a cross country trip.

“Okay. . .” he glanced up and noticed the plastic mistletoe hung at the top of the doorway. “Well before you go I think I deserve a better kiss than the one you gave me.” he stated with a wolfish grin. Linda looked from him to the mistletoe and back to him again.

“Oh really now? Well I guess we could fix that problem.” she answered as she slipped her arms around his waist. Johnny wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and gave her a long passionate kiss.

Johnny turned his head to see Roy leaning casually against the door frame with his arms folded, ankles crossed and a smirk on his face. “You two DO realize that there are kids in the room don’t you? Let’s try to keep it clean.” he joked.

“I think I better get going.” Linda stated as she untangled herself from his arms.

“I will.” She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and left. Johnny watched her leave then shoved his hands in his pockets and turned around to face his partner.

“You really know how to ruin a moment don’t you?” Johnny asked as he shot his friend a murderous look.

“Maybe I wanted my shot at the mistletoe.” the senior partner remarked with a wry grin.

“You?!” the dark haired paramedic scoffed. “You’re married. What do you know about being romantic?”

“Oh you’d be surprised what us old married folks know about romance.” Joanne DeSoto commented as she joined the two men. She slipped her arm into Roy’s and looked at him conspiratorially. “Shall we show the bachelor how it should be done.”

Roy glanced at his partner as he wrapped his arms around his wife. “You might want to take notes.” Joanne slipped her arms around Roy’s neck and the two started kissing passionately in the middle of the doorway. Johnny watched for a second then shook his head and walked away giving the DeSoto’s some privacy.

“Linda, listen to me. . .you have to get out of the car.” Linda could hear the strange voice next to her, but in the inky darkness she could not see who it belonged too. “Linda can you hear me?” She felt someone shaking her shoulders. “Linda! Hey!” Come on! We have to get you out of here! Can you open your eyes?”

“Hunh?” Linda asked groggily. Her head felt as if it were splitting in half and there was something wet on her eyes.

“Alright. Look your car’s leaking gas and there’s a fire. I’ve got to move you, but it might hurt.”

“Um hum.” Linda felt pressure under her arms as the stranger began to lift her out of the seat. She bit her lip instinctively as pain seared through her body. “AHHHHH!” she gasped involuntarily.

“Yeah. . .I know it hurts, but stick with me here.” the disembodied voice stated soothingly.

Linda could feel herself being lifted up and slung over someone’s shoulder. The stranger began to run. Through the pain and confusion Linda began to hear various sounds that she had not heard before. There was the persistent steady sound of a car horn, then the sound of a loud explosion. Suddenly she felt herself hit the ground and a heavy weight landed on top of her.

“Johnny.” Linda gasped weakly. The weight shifted easing some of the pain and discomfort.

“It’s not Johnny.” The voice responded calmly. “Try to open your eyes okay?”

Linda weakly wiped her right hand over her eyes removing the sticky liquid that seemed to cover them. When she finally forced her eyelids open she saw the outline of the face which belonged to the voice in the dim glow of the fire. He was a young man, no more than seventeen or eighteen, with dark hair neatly cut and styled. Linda could not place it, but the face looked familiar.

“What happened? Where’s Johnny?” she asked worriedly as she struggled to sit up.

“SHHHHHH…everything’s going to be okay.” The young man responded soothingly as he gently pushed the struggling girl back to the ground. Linda laid back down and stared up at the stranger. “Just calm down. You’re going to be alright.” Even though the night time temperature was hovering around seventy degrees Linda felt as if it was thirty below zero.

“I’m cold.” She whispered through chattering teeth. The young man took off his shirt and covered her with it..

“Don’t worry. . .I’m not going any where.” The young man watched as Linda’s eyes closed and she drifted off into unconsciousness.

Johnny was dancing with Dixie McCall to the tune of “Winter Wonderland” when Mike Stoker approached him. “I hate to cut in, but you’ve got a phone call Gage.” the usually quiet fireman informed the young paramedic.

“Okay. Thanks Mike.” Johnny noticed the suspicious look Dixie was giving him.

“No. . .no. . .Charlotte’s Linda’s friend.” He stated defensively. “Hmmmmm…I wonder why she’s calling me though.” he mumbled .to himself.

“Why don’t you answer the phone and find out.” Dixie suggested. Johnny looked at her and just nodded his head in acknowledgment.

“Excuse me.” he stated apologetically as he left her and headed for the front hall. Doctor Brackett weaved his way through the crowd on the dance floor and approached Dixie.

“Looks like you’ve been stood up.” he teased. Dixie smiled at the dark haired doctor.

“The offer’s tempting, but I’ll need to take a rain check on the dance. I just got a call…we need to get over to the hospital. There’s been a bad vehicle collision. They’re bringing in two victims in bad condition. Joe and Mike are already on their way back.”

“There’s no rest for the weary.” Dixie commented as she slipped her arm into his. “It was fun while it lasted.” The two headed for the door. On the way out they waved to Johnny who was on the pay phone in the hall way.

“No. . . Linda left here over thirty minutes ago to get the kids!” He paused and tried to listen to the other end of the phone. He stuck his right index finger into his ear to block out Bing Crosby’s dreaming about a white Christmas. “Yeah. . . yeah. . . .okay. . . .I’ll call you if I hear anything. Okay. . . .good-bye Charlotte.” He hung up the phone and stared at it thoughtfully for a few moments as he nervously tapped his fingers on the small ledge underneath.

“What’s going on?” Roy asked casually as he joined his partner. Johnny turned around to face his friend. The concern and worry on the young man’s face was very evident.

“So what’d she have to say that’s got you so upset?” Roy inquired curiously.

“She never got there. The church just called and told Charlotte that they’ ll bring the kids home because their ride never showed. She wanted to know if I knew anything. Roy. . .I’m really worried.” he stated with concern as he looked helplessly at his partner.

“Look, don’t panic. She may have gotten a flat tire or maybe the car broke down and she’s waiting for a tow.”

“Yeah, but if that were the case then she would have called here and given me a message. For that matter she would have called Charlotte and the church to let them know there was a problem.”

Johnny gave some serious thought to what his friend had suggested. “Yeah. . .you’re right. . . .maybe she got lost or had mechanical problems or something.” he concluded.

“Come back in and enjoy the party and before you know it Linda will be walking through the door and the two of you’ll be at each other’s throats with in thirty seconds just like always.” Roy stated confidently.

“Alright.” Johnny stated less then enthusiastically as he followed his partner back into the social hall.

He could not put his finger on it, but something was bothering him. Maybe it was just his imagination playing tricks on him, but a feeling of impending doom washed over him leaving behind a sickening lump in the pit of his stomach. He had hoped that Roy was right and that Linda just had some car problems and did not have a phone readily available to her. But still LA was a big town and just about anything could have happened to her. He decided that he would give her another hour to check in with him. If he had not heard from her within that time frame then he would borrow Roy’s car and start his own search for her.

There were some days when Doctor Brackett had seriously doubted his decision to pursue medicine as a career and this was one of those days. Just once he would like to have gotten a full night’s sleep without getting a phone call involving and emergency at the hospital or have completed eating dinner without interruption. If he had not become a doctor he would have been able to enjoy the rest of the Christmas party and would not have been standing in the hall of Rampart General staring down at a patient who had a familiar face while assessing their injuries.

“Kell. . .” Dixie started worriedly as they exchanged knowing glances with each other.

“Yeah. . . I know. Get her to exam room two and order a cat scan and a full x-ray.” he snapped as he quickly jumped to the in coming gurney to examine the second patient being delivered.

Dixie sprang into action and directed the orderlies on where to take the patient, then she made the necessary phone calls and ordered the tests that were needed. “Poor Johnny.” she thought sadly to herself as she headed for the exam room.

Vince Howard stood in the door way of the social hall listening to an instrumental version of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” while he waited for Roy DeSoto to return. Across the room he could see Johnny squatting in front of a large Christmas tree decorated with lights, bows and Victorian decorations with fake presents underneath. The young man was surrounded by a group of kids who watched in fascination as he performed a yo-yo trick. Under the best of conditions what he had come to the party to do was an extremely difficult task, but he found it to be absolutely unbearable during the holidays. “Just once I’d like to have a quiet Christmas and not have to ruin someone’s holiday.” he thought to himself.

“Yeah. . . “ Johnny answered as he pointed toward the entrance hall. “Out there. What’s going on?” Roy watched from across the room as the two men exited the social hall. Vince had not told him why he had come, but Roy could sense that the visit was strictly professional and that something was gravely wrong. After getting Johnny he informed Joanne that something was going on and he believed his partner might need him. She understood and arranged for Captain Stanley to ride her and the kids home in case he had to leave on short notice.

“Johnny I think you better sit down.” Vince stated ominously as he pointed to a chair in the corner of the hall. Johnny glanced at the chair and then to his friend. The young paramedic knew from past experience that anytime sitting down was suggested the news the messenger had was bad. A look of absolute fear clouded his handsome face as he stared at the policeman in front of him.

The officer thought about how to tell Johnny the news. There was the tactful method, the indirect method and the full scale blatant honesty method. Knowing Johnny the way he did Vince decided that the best way was to be totally honest. He took a deep breath and began to solemnly inform the dark haired paramedic about the tragic events of the evening.

“Johnny there was an major car wreck on Piedmont about an hour ago. Two sixteen year old boys in a sports car were speeding down the road. Witnesses estimated that they were cruising at around one hundred and sixty-five miles per hour. From what we could tell so far from the track marks they apparently tried to stop suddenly. . .lost control of the car. . .hit a utility pole. . . .slammed into another car. . . flipped over and skidded to a stop a few feet away. . .caught fire and caused a chain reaction explosion.”

“Oh my!” Johnny gasped in shocked still not comprehending how all this affected him. “How are the kids?” he automatically asked.

“The driver was killed instantly. The passenger was thrown from the car and gored on a guard rail. He’s at Rampart now. . . I don’t know what his chances are.”

Johnny automatically winced as he thought of the gory sight the paramedics had to deal with on this accident. He had seen his share of blood and messes, but he was not quite sure even his cast iron stomach could handle seeing someone gored on a railing. “And the other car?” How are the people in the car they hit?” he asked hesitantly as he desperately searched his friend’s face for an answer. Vince averted his gaze just long enough for Johnny to finally start adding things together. “Vince WHO was in the other car?!” he demanded to know hoping the answer in his head was the wrong one.

“Linda.” Vince answered solemnly. Johnny dropped into the chair and stared blankly into space with his mouth hanging open.

“How. . .I mean is she. . .is she. . .?”he stammered as he tried to ask the inevitable question.

“Right now she’s at Rampart. . .I don’t know the extent of her injuries. . . a witness at the scene said that right before her car exploded they saw a young man dragging her out. . .when we got to the scene she was unconscious and there was no one around. . .the paramedics from ninety-nines took her in. . . "“Vince stopped talking when he realized that Johnny was not listening to a word he said. He reached down and gently squeezed the young man’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” he stated apologetically. “If you want I can give you a ride to the hospital.”

“Thanks, Vince, but I think I better do that.” Roy stated as he stepped out of the shadow of the door way.

He had not meant to eavesdrop, but when he saw Johnny’s color turn from a healthy shade of pink to pure white he knew something was dreadfully wrong. Making sure to give the two men privacy he positioned himself on the opposite side of the door frame. While the children joyously sang Christmas Carols on the opposite side of the room he heard the dramatic news that would break his partner’s heart. Vince glanced over at Roy and nodded his head as he quietly exited the hall. Roy studied his partner for a moment. Johnny sat slumped over in his chair., his eyes glazed over as they stared off aimlessly into space and his mouth hung open. Johnny slid his eyes toward Roy giving him a blank stare.

“Yeah.” the Senior partner answered solemnly. “Come on. . .let’s get over to Rampart.” Johnny nodded his head dumbly as he stood and followed his friend out the front door to his waiting car.

Jean Halloran wrung her hands nervously as she sat in the waiting room with Johnny and Roy. She had been at work when Roy finally tracked her down. She left immediately and rushed to the hospital. Finding out that her only child had been involved in a major car wreck terrified her beyond words. This was one of the many times she wished her husband was still alive, but thinking about Don just depressed her all the more. For her own mental health and for Johnny Jean tried to remain calm and reassure herself that Linda would be alright. As she waited for word from the doctors she also did a lot of praying for her daughter and herself.

“I’m gonna get some coffee. Anybody want some?” Roy asked as a way of breaking the overbearing silence and offering himself a way out of a tension filled room.

“No thanks.” Jean answered as Johnny just absently waved off the question and shook his head. Roy quietly slipped out of the room. Johnny continued to stare at the small plastic Christmas tree perched on an end table next to the chair where he sat.

“Johnny you had no way of knowing this was going to happen. It was an accident.” Jean said reassuringly as she squeezed the young man’s hand. Johnny looked over at the older woman. She saw the deep sadness in his eyes.

“Jean there’s something that no one knows. . .” he paused not knowing if he should continue and risk looking like a complete idiot.

“What?” Jean prompted as she looked at Johnny curiously. He undid his tie and pulled it off his neck then began to nervously twist it around his hands.

“It’s just that. . .right before she left the party. . .this is going to sound really far out. . .”

“Well. . .just as she was leaving I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.”

“Well, whatever it is I should have stopped her from leaving. Charlotte could have made other arrangements or maybe I should have gone with her. . .maybe I could have done something.”

“Look if you had stopped her then those little boys might be the ones in this hospital and if you had gone with her you might have been hurt or killed yourself and what good would that do her?”

“I still feel like I should have gone with my gut feeling. Maybe delaying her longer might’ve prevented this from happening.” he mumbled softly as he refocused his attention on the Christmas tree.

Jean looked at the dark haired young man. The pain and guilt he was feeling was evident on his face. She had known that Johnny and Linda were becoming more than just friends, but it was not until that very moment that she realized how close they had grown. She squeezed his hand tighter as she fought back the tears that were welling up behind her eyes. Johnny felt the increased pressure in his hand and turned to look at Jean. A feeling of déjà vu struck him as he realized that he had seen that hurt look on her face once before not all that long ago. True to form Jean was displaying a silent strength in the face of adversity in order to make him feel better. He reached over with his free hand and covered her hand. For Jean and Johnny words were not needed to express what they were feeling. They had been down this road before and knew that no matter what they could lean on each other for support.

“Johnny, Mrs. Halloran.” The two were startled by the sound of Doctor Brackett’s voice. They looked up at him with questioning expressions on their faces.

“She just came out of surgery. I had to repair a punctured lung along with applying sixteen stitches to a severe gash on her forehead. She has five broken ribs and suffered a blunt force trauma to the head. All in all I’d say she’s one lucky young lady considering what she went through.”

“So she’s going to be okay?” Johnny asked hopefully. Doctor Brackett hesitated and looked at the floor as he tried to think about how he could phrase his answer. Johnny knew when the good doctor was being evasive on an issue.

“Doc. What’s wrong? You just said she was pretty lucky. . .that means she ’s alright. . .right?” he asked hopefully.

“Physically she should be fine. What concerns me is the head injury. When she was brought in she was unconscious and at no time has she come back around. Her pupils have been fixed and dilated and there’s no response to stimuli. I’m afraid that right now she’s in a coma.”

“We don’t know. The tests showed that there is some swelling of the brain tissue from where she hit the windshield. All we can do right no is wait and see if the swelling goes down on it’s own.”

“But there’s no guarantee that even if the swelling goes away she’ll wake up.” Johnny offered more as a statement of fact than as a question.

“Doc what about the other victim? The one brought in with Linda.” Johnny asked.

“He wasn’t so lucky.” the doctor answered matter of factly. Johnny just nodded his head as Jean stared at the doorway in stunned silence.

“Thank you Doctor Brackett.” she replied simply as Brackett left the room Roy entered the room . Jean looked over at Johnny questionably. “Do you want to go with me?”

“I’ll be right there.” He answered quietly. Jean looked from Johnny to Roy and back again and nodded her head as she left the room. “Linda’s in a comma.” the young man informed his friend.

“Dixie told me. She’s got a good chance though. She’s young and strong. . .”

“Yeah. . .I know. . .but we both know that when it comes right down to it that doesn’t always mean anything.” Johnny responded with sadness in his voice as he glanced down at his jacket while he shoved the tie inside one of the pockets. Roy knew his partner was right. They had seen many patients identical to Linda who’s conditions never changed. Then there were those who had all the odds stacked against them who pulled through just fine. “You know I didn’t even get the chance to go Christmas shopping for her yet.” Johnny stated absently. “I guess it doesn’t matter now.” he concluded dejectedly as he sighed heavily and headed for the door.

“Johnny. . .”Roy started as he grabbed his friend’s arm to stop him. Without looking Johnny wrenched his arm free and continued on his way leaving behind a very worried Roy.

The community room looked like a toy story had exploded inside it. On the one side of the room there were mounds of toys organized into a boy’s pile and a girl’s pile and a boy’s and girl’s pile. Each of the three sections was further organized into age appropriate categories. At the table an assembly line of workers were gathered with Chet gathering toys and handing them to Marco who then wrapped them and then handed them to Mike who place them in the growing mountain of presents by the couch.. Captain Stanley walked around the room with a clipboard and took inventory of all the wrapped presents. He would separate out various packages and then mark on the clipboard which organization they were to be delivered too. Roy was the supply man and would refill the wrapping paper, tape, ribbons, bows and markers when needed. As they worked the men watched “It’s A Wonderful Life” on the television.

“Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down.” Chet sang as he played with an egg shaped toy meant to look like a person. He stood the toy upright and then flicked it with his finger. The thing would topple over and then upright itself again.

“Chet will you stop playing with every toy you touch. You’re holding up the line.” Marco complained as he marked a tag with the word “BOY” and taped it to the top of a decoratively wrapped box.

“I can’t help it. Some of these things are cool! I mean, now how do you suppose they made this thing so that a kid can’t knock it over?” he inquired as he continued to play.

“Who cares. Just hand it over so I can wrap it.” growled Marco as he reached for the Weebles Play Set box next to his friend. Chet quickly tossed the figure back into the box and went to grab another toy.

“Hey look! This is my favorite part of the movie.” Mike commented as he stopped in the middle of the room and pointed to the television. George Bailey was sitting in a bar drowning his sorrows and contemplating what he should do next about his life. “I read somewhere once that the close up in this scene wasn’t done with a camera.”

“Sure it was.” Chet stated with authority as he stared at the television screen.

“If it wasn’t done with a camera then how WAS it done?” Roay asked curiously as he rested his elbows on the back of his chair and watched the television with interest.

“The article I read said that when Capra reviewed this scene in the editing room he was so impressed by Jimmy Stewart’s expression of emotion that he decided the shot should be a close up. The problem was that he didn’t want to re-shoot the whole thing over again feeling that Stewart might no be able to recapture the same feeling. So what he did was, he froze the frame and kept enlarging it until it became a full faced close up.”

“Wow!” Chet stated in amazement as he became mesmerized by the images on the television.

“That’s really cool! You can’t even tell that it wasn’t really done with a camera.” observed Marco in fascination.

“Mike you amaze me sometimes with the things you know about.” stated Captain Stanley matter of factly as he too became enthralled with watching the television screen.

“Still waters run deep.” commented Roy as he glanced up at the usually quiet engineer.

Johnny entered the room and headed for the stove. He grabbed a cup from the dish drainer and poured himself some coffee. He quickly glanced at the television set and made a disgusted face.

“Not THIS movie again!” he complained. The other firemen all looked at him a if he had two heads and antennas.

“What’s wrong with “It’s A Wonderful Life?” Marco asked innocently. “It’s a classic.”

“It’s sentimental garbage. And it has been airing on every station every day back to back for the past week. I’m sick of seeing it and hearing it.” grumbled Johnny as he drank some of his coffee.

“It hasn’t been on EVERY station EVERY day this week. . .as a matter of fact channel two is showing “Bells of Saint Mary’s”, channel six is showing “Holiday Inn”, channel twelve is showing “White Christmas”, channel eighteen is showing “Miracle on 34th Street”. . .” stated Mike as he began to tick off the various holiday shows on his fingers.

“And tomorrow channel nine is airing “The Bishop’s Wife”, and channel ten is showing “A Christmas Carol” and channel thirty is showing “Christmas in Connecticut” and channel seven is showing “Shop Around the Corner.” concluded Captain Stanley.

“Well it’s all the same to me and all of it is sentimental dribble!” Johnny stated tersely as he drank the remainder of his coffee and refilled his cup.

Roy handed Marco a new roll of wrapping paper and some tape. He picked up another roll and held it out to Johnny. “Look, why don’t you help us wrap these toys from the toy drive. It might take your mind off things for awhile.”

“Or you could help deliver some of these finished gifts to the various charitable organizations who requested them.” offered Captain Stanley.

“No thanks.” Johnny answered sarcastically. “You all can play Santa if you want, but count me out. I don’t want anything to do with Christmas this year.” He finished off his second cup of coffee and placed the cup in the sink.

“You know what would be the perfect holiday show for you Gage?” Chet baited.

“The Grinch That Stole Christmas.” answered the mustached fireman matter of factly. The other men could not help themselves and burst out laughing at Chet’s insult as Johnny just shot them all murderous looks.

“What’d you say?!” Chet asked incredulously as he stared at Johnny in surprise.

“You heard me.” Johnny answered in annoyance. “Now if you’ll pardon me I’m going to Rampart to visit Linda. Call me if you really need me.” He stated as he headed out the room leaving behind a group of stunned and concerned co-workers.

“I think this whole thing with Linda knocked the Christmas spirit right out of him.” Roy offered as explanation for his partner’s strange behavior. “I guess I can’t blame him. If it were Joanne in the hospital I don’t think I’ d want to celebrate either.”

“I don’t know. . .” stated Captain Stanley thoughtfully. “I think if I were in his place I’d be hoping for one of those Christmas miracles. I don’t think I’d give up so easily.”

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Roy hesitantly agreed. “This IS a magical time of year filled with love and hope and peace. No one ever knows what might happen.”

“OOOOOOOOOH!!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!!!” yelled Chet as he waved his right arm wildly in the air. “I know. . .let’s drug him and pull a Charles Dickens on him. I volunteer to play the part of the ghost of Christmas Future.”

“You know. . .he may have something there.” Marco stated matter of factly. Roy looked at Marco and rolled his eyes in annoyance as he threw a roll of tape at him. Marco ducked the projectile and shrugged his shoulders as he shot Roy a helpless look.

“I have no idea. But I’m sure if we put our heads together we can come up with something.” Roy answered.

“Well while we’re thinking let’s keep working.” prodded the Captain. The men all mumbled under their breath as they went back to work.

“You know we really could use a Clarence to help us.” Chet commented dreamily as he stared at the television screen. The other men turned their attention to the movie airing on the small screen and watched as Clarence the guardian angel pointed out to George Bailey all the good things in his life.

The hospital room was lit only by the glow of the florescent light behind the bed and the glow from the silent television set mounted from the ceiling at the foot of the bed. Christmas Carols played from the small portable radio on the night stand the right of the bed. The portable bed table sat off to the side on the opposite side of the bed and held a water pitcher filled with a dozen fresh red roses. Some Get Well Cards were taped to the wall at the foot of the bed along with photos of Johnny, Jean and Charlotte’ s four boys and some coloring book pages which had been filled in by the kids.

Johnny sat next to the bed and fiddled with the radio. Surely there had to be something else on besides Christmas music. Dixie had suggested the radio as a way of stimulating Linda’s brain. She informed him that people who had awakened from coma’s stated that they had been able to hear everything that was said to them while the were unconscious. She also encouraged Johnny and Jean to talk to Linda just as if they were having an actual conversation with her. After a few moments he gave up and switched the dial back to it’s original location. He glanced up at the television set. George Bailey was now running through the snow covered streets waiving his arms wildly. Johnny got an annoyed look on his face. He turned his attention back to Linda who laid helplessly in the bed. Her head was bandaged and there were IV’s stuck in her left arm. She had been removed from the ventilator earlier in the week and was breathing on her own. This was a good sign; however, the longer she remained unconscious the more the doctors worried about brain damage and the possibility that she might never wake up. He reached through the railing and took Linda’s hand into his and held it firmly.

“Your girl’s one heck of a fighter.” Johnny turned his head and saw Dixie standing next to him. He had been so focused on Linda that he had not heard her come into the room. “And you’re a very devoted suitor.” She nodded her head toward the flowers on the table. “I wish I had a good looking fellow bringing me roses three or four times a day.”

Johnny glanced over at the flowers. “I guess I have gone overboard on that hunh?” he laughed in embarrassment.

“IF she wakes up.” Johnny corrected her. “I’m beginning to think she’ll never come back.” he stated heavily as he glanced over at Linda.

Dixie gave Johnny a stern look as she placed her hands on her hips. “John Gage I don’t want to hear any more of that negative thinking from you.” she scolded the young paramedic in a quiet even tone. “You’re not doing yourself or her any good that way.”

Johnny was one of Dixie’s favorite paramedics and she hated to see him hurting so much. She had seen him deal with various other relationships some good and some bad in the past but, none of the other girls had meant as much to him as this one. And Dixie was beginning to believe that Johnny had finally found the right girl for him and was actually falling in love. The happiness and joy she had seen reflected in his soft brown eyes at the Christmas party had been replaced with hopelessness and despair. This was one of those times when Dixie cursed her nurse’s training for not providing her with a magic wand she could wave to make things alright again for one of her patients.

“You’ve got to have hope.” she stated quietly as she placed her hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it.

“Yeah. . .hope.” Johnny responded sarcastically as he continued to watch Linda. “Now you sound like Jean and her “pray for a miracle” speech she gave me earlier.”

Dixie was about to scold him for his attitude again, but stopped herself as she suddenly remembered why she had come into the room to begin with. “Speaking of miracles there’s a young man here who wanted to know if it was alright to visit Linda.” she informed him.

“If it’s one of her friend’s kids send him home. Tell him to visit tomorrow.” Johnny stated with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

“I think you need to talk with this young fellow.” Dixie stated as she headed for the door.

“Dix really. . .I. . .” Johnny started to protest, but it was too late. When he turned around Dixie had left the room already and a tall thin, gangly boy with dark hair and boyishly handsome features had entered.

“I’m sorry to intrude Mr. Gage.” the boy apologized politely. “But Nurse McCall said that it would be okay for me to visit.”

“Um. . .er. . .yeah. . .sure. . .” Johnny stammered hesitantly as he continued to stare at the boy dumbly.

“How’s she doing?” the young man asked as he stood on the opposite side of the bed and gazed down at Linda’s still form.

Johnny found himself automatically answering the question as if he were giving a status report on a victim’s condition to Rampart. “She’s still unconscious. . .but her other injuries are beginning to heal.” He shook his head and stared at the boy questionably. Something about the young man struck Johnny as being familiar to him and he wracked his brain trying to place the face.

“So what’s your connection to Linda?” Johnny inquired somewhat curiously. “Are you someone she use to baby sit or something?”

“Didn’t Nurse McCall tell you?” the youth asked in response to Johnny’s question. Johnny just shook his head dumbly as he stared blankly at the boy. “Oh. . .um. . .well. . . I was there the night of the accident and I pulled her. . . Linda. . . from the car before it exploded.” he answered softly.

Johnny was speechless as he stared blankly at the youth. His mind raced as he tried to figure out a way to express his gratitude to the teenager for his act of heroism. “Thank you.” was all he was able to choke out gratefully.

“Your welcome.” the boy answered sincerely as he glanced at Linda. “Well. . .I should go. Is it okay if I come back and visit with Linda again?” he asked as he looked at Johnny with a questioning expression. “Hunh? Oh. . .yeah. . .sure. Um. . .I don’t believe I caught your name. I ’m John Gage, but I guess Dixie already told you that.” Johnny stated as he stuck out his right hand.

“I’m Matt.” the boy answered as he shook Johnny’s hand. “Pleasure meeting you sir.”

Johnny was awestruck at the youth’s maturity and manners. He suddenly felt the desire to do something for him that would be a tangible expression of his gratitude for saving Linda.

“Look. . .I’m going to put your name in for a Civilian Citation of Bravery.” he stated as he met the boys eyes. “You deserve it for risking your life to save someone you didn’t know.”

“Really. . .that’s okay. I only did what anybody else in the same situation would’ve done. Please don’t make a big deal out of it.” the youth pleaded modestly.

“Well Matt I don’t know too many seventeen year old boys who would dive into a burning car to save a woman they don’t know. You really are a hero.”

The young man blushed with embarrassment as he ducked his head. “I appreciate it sir I really do, but I really. . .the only award I want is for Linda to get better. . .that’s what would make the effort seem worthwhile, not some piece of paper. But thank you anyway. “ Matt headed for the door as Johnny stared after him in shock. Never in his life had he met someone so modest, especially someone so young. There had to be something he could do to express his appreciation to the boy. Elvis was now on the radio soulfully singing about a “Blue Christmas.”

Johnny looked at Linda and fought back the tears he felt welling in his eyes. All he could see was that his past, present and what he had hoped was his future laying helplessly in a sterile hospital bed. He had known since the first time he kissed her on their first date that his feelings toward her had changed. Johnny had started to see her as more than just a best friend, buddy and pal. He did not want to admit it to himself, but he was finding himself falling in love with her. The feeling scared him, but when it came right down to it he could not see his life without Linda being in it. She had always been the one constant he could always depend on even when the world seemed to go haywire. No matter what, he could always confide in her and she would listen or sometimes offer an opinion, whether he wanted it or not. At that very moment he and Elvis had a lot in common as Johnny tried to visualize spending Christmas or the rest of his life without Linda. Matt had saved her from certain death, but Johnny was beginning to wonder if the alternative was really worth the effort.

As the song continued to play Johnny held Linda’s hand tighter as the tears began to break free and roll down his face. For Johnny life held no meaning unless Linda was there to share with him. Flickering across the television screen was the image of George Bailey standing at a Christmas tree while holding his daughter and watching as a set of bells on the tree ring with family and friends gathered in the back ground singing.

“Here he comes!” Chet stated in a stage whisper as he quickly jumped away from the garage door window. The men of station 51 sprung into action like a well rehearsed dance team. Captain Stanley grabbed some glass bulbs from a box on the floor and began to decorate a large fake tree located in the rear of the engine bay. Marco started a tape recorder and joyous Christmas music began to play as he strung garland around the exterior of the engine. Mike and Roy hurriedly climbed two ladders and began to string lights and greenery from the garage roof while Chet hung a wreath on the door to the bathroom.

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la, la la la, la la la. Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la, la la la la. See the blazing Yule before us, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Strike the harp and join the chorus. Fa la la la la, la la la la.” the men all sang as Johnny entered the engine bay. The gloomy paramedic watched with disinterest as his friends danced merrily around the garage.

“Here Gage. . .go hang this on the Captain’s door for me.” Chet stated as he handed Johnny a wreath with a bow attached to the top of it.

“When you’re done helping Chet you can help me trim this tree over here.” stated the Captain as he hung another bulb on the tree.

“Hey. . .there’s some more garland and lights that you could string around the outside of the building.” suggested Roy as he tacked a string of lights into place.

“But I. . .” Johnny stammered helplessly just as Chet waltzed past and stuck a Santa hat on his head then slapped him soundly between the shoulder blades.

“Just in case you’re wondering I saved the rest of your costume for you to wear at the cabin.” Chet informed him as he headed off to hang a wreath on the front grill of the engine. “The kids are going to get a real kick out of it when they see you coming down the chimney.”

“What?. . .cabin?. . .kids?. . .” Johnny stammered in complete incomprehension of what was going on around him. “What are you all talking about?!”

“Jean called yesterday looking for you while you and Roy were out on a run. We started talking. . .she’s a very nice lady by the way. . .and she told me how Linda wanted to give those rug rats she watches an old fashioned Christmas.” began Captain Stanley as he continued to decorate the tree.

“Yeah. . .I knew all about that.” Johnny stated matter of factly. “I thought I pretty much informed Charlotte that the whole idea was off because of what happened.”

“Well you did, but you forgot one little detail. . .kids don’t understand having Christmas canceled for any reason. They’ve been looking forward to this for weeks and are barraging Charlotte and everyone else within ear shot with questions about if they’re still going to have Christmas at her place as promised.” answered the commander as he took a break from decorating and propped his foot up on the rear bumper of the squad resting as he rested his left arm on his raised knee.

“So we got together with Jean and Charlotte and decided to have an old fashioned Christmas in the mountains. The Capt. gave us use of the cabin for the weekend and we’re all going to go up tomorrow and start decorating.” Chet added as he proceeded to put a wreath on top Marco’s head.

“I’m going to cut down a fresh pine tree and we’re all going to decorate it just like they did in the old days.” stated Mike as he climbed down his ladder. “The kids are even going to help.”

“Joanne, Capt.’s wife and Mike’s wife are all going to do the baking and all the cooking.” Roy informed his young partner.

“I’m the entertainment coordinator.” chimed in Chet. “I’ve planned on some caroling, maybe a small play all done by the kids and of course there’s snow falling up there as we speak so we’ll also be sled riding.”

“My one neighbor down the road owns horses and has agreed to give us all sleigh rides.” Captain Stanley added. “Jean’s going to get all the presents from Linda’s house and on Christmas Eve after Midnight Mass you can come home and deliver them to the kids.”

“WHOA!!!!!!! Hold on just a minute!” Johnny exclaimed as he held up his hand to silence everyone. "Who said I wanted any part of this?! In case you haven’t noticed my girlfriend is laying in the hospital in a comma. At the moment I don’t feel like celebrating waking up in the morning, let alone celebrating a major holiday without her!” he exclaimed venomously. Johnny looked around at the faces of his stunned co-workers who were frozen where they stood. “You can do what you want, but count me out! I’m NOT going to any cabin, I’m NOT celebrating Christmas, I’m NOT playing Santa and I’m NOT going to church! So you can stop playing this little game of “Let’s cheer Johnny up.” because it’s not going to work.” he concluded sarcastically as he threw the wreath he was hold onto the hood of the squad and ripped the Santa hat off his head. He tossed the hat directly into Chet’s face as he walked toward the bunk room. The crew stared after him in silence for a moment.

“Well “Plan A” didn’t work. What next?” Marco asked as he gave Roy an annoyed look.

“I say we go through with the Christmas in the mountains idea.” suggested Captain Stanley. “If anything we’ll make the holiday a little brighter for those four kids. Jean said they’ve been taking Linda’s accident really hard.”

“Okay fine. . .but what about Grinchy Gage back there.” Chet asked as he jerked his thumb toward the bunk room door. “What are we going to do about him?”

“Pray for a miracle.” Roy sighed hopelessly as he climbed down off his ladder and sat on the bumper of the engine.

“I still say we should drug him and then convince him he’s seen three ghosts. . .” Chet started.

“Shut up Chet!!!!!!” the other men interjected as they threw garland, non breakable tree ornaments and other decorations at him. Chet ducked in time to miss being hit by a wreath. He just looked at his friends sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders.

Jean was just leaving the hospital room when Johnny ran into her in the hall way. Johnny noticed how tired she looked around her eyes. The last couple of weeks were taking their toll on the older woman. What he had not realized was that to others his face showed the same signs of exhaustion won by many hours of sitting patiently by Linda’s bedside with very little sleep.

“Johnny I’m glad I ran into you today.” Jean stated as she led him off to a quiet corner of the hall. “I heard what happened down at the station yesterday.”

“What’d Chet do take out a full page ad in the paper stating, “GAGE THE GRINCH STEALS CHRISTMAS!!!! FILM AT ELEVEN!!!?” Johnny asked a little too sarcastically.

“No. . .but your friends and your boss are very worried about you and so am I. Johnny I’m just as concerned about Linda as you are, and BELIEVE me I’m really not into celebrating either. . .” she started.

“BUT. . .I’ve already had one Christmas ruined due to tragic events. . .last year Linda and I decided that it was time to get over some of the hurt and the pain that was associated with Christmas for us and we held a party. . .”

“Well, since then we’ve put a concentrated effort into making Christmas a special and happy time. It still hurts, but at least our favorite holiday is no longer ruined by bad memories.”

“Jean that’s fine, but I really don’t see a point to celebrating at all. Besides I just wouldn’t feel right having a good time without her there.”

“Johnny I can understand what you’re saying” Jean stated sympathetically as she rested her hand on his arm. “But think of this okay. . .Linda loves those kids and she knows their mother can’t afford to give them a lot this year. Her wish was to have an old fashioned family style Christmas with as many presents she could find for those boys. Lord knows I am not in the mood to deal with any of this, and least of all those kids. . .” Johnny laughed slightly at her comment about the boys. “But, because it would make Linda happy I’m going to do it. Right now this is the only gift I can give to her. And I really wish you would reconsider and join the rest of us at the cabin. If you can’t I understand that too, but would you do me one favor?” she asked sincerely.

“Will you at least go to Midnight Mass with me Christmas Eve? It would really mean a lot to me. . .and to Linda.”

“Jean I. . .” Johnny stammered as he tried to avoid Jean’s gaze. He knew how important it was for Linda to go to church on Christmas Eve. She made a concentrated effort throughout the rest of the year to make it church every week, but usually fell short of her goal. But there were definitely two Masses that Linda never missed in her life, one was Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and the other was the Easter Vigil Mass on Easter Eve. Linda had asked him if he would go to church with her at the beginning of the month and he agreed to go as long as he did not have to work a double shift. He loved Jean with all his heart, but even the thought of going to such a special Mass without Linda with them just tore at his heart and the thought of volunteering to work over time crossed his mind as an excuse not to go at all. One look into the older woman’s eyes changed his mind instantly. This meant something to her and no matter how he felt he knew that he could not let Jean go through this alone. At this moment he was all she had left. “Yeah. . .sure. I’ll go with you.”

“Thank you.” she responded sincerely as she squeezed his hand gratefully. “I hate to ask you, but. . .” she trailed off in thought as her emotions over took her and tears began to stream down her face. Johnny reached out and hugged her close to him as she cried into his chest.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” she sobbed. “First Don and now Linda. . . why is my family falling apart?!”

Johnny had no idea how to respond to her lament. He decided the best alternative was to regard it as a rhetorical question and not offer any answer at all. He just hugged Jean tighter and tried not to let his own emotions get the best of him. After a few moments he felt her finally calm down and pull away from him slightly. She pulled a handkerchief from her purse and wiped her eyes and nose with it, then placed it back inside.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to unload on you like that.” Jean apologized as she tried to compose herself.

“That’s okay.” he stated with understanding. “I think you’ve earned the right to have a breakdown.” he concluded as he gave her a friendly smile.

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” she laughed slightly. “Actually we both have.”

Johnny nodded his head in agreement as he gently patted his friend on the shoulder. “Go home and get some sleep. I’ll call you later and we can talk some more.”

“Alright. You try to get some sleep also. You’re beginning to look a little rough around the edges.” she suggested as she kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks Johnny.”

Johnny watched with a certain amount of sadness as Jean headed up the hallway. Once she disappeared around the corner he took a deep breath composing himself and headed into Linda’s room. He was not too surprised to see Matt sitting in the chair next to the bed talking to Linda. Since their first meeting a week prior Matt had become a constant in Linda’s room. Johnny was beginning to become a little suspicious of the youth. For starters he never offered a last name and when questioned about it always changed the subject. Then he still balked at receiving an award for acting heroically in the face of danger. Dixie had informed Johnny that Matt was becoming just as much of a fixture in Linda’s room as was Jean and himself. Johnny thought the boy might have been a run away, so he asked Vince to check around to see if any teenagers named “Matt” had turned up missing in the past three weeks. The inquiry netted nothing which fueled Johnny’s curiosity and concern even more.

Upon hearing Johnny’s approaching footsteps the youth stopped talking and turned to face the visiting paramedic. Johnny stood on the opposite side of the bed and as had become his custom on his visits, he leaned over and kissed Linda’s cheek, but this time he kept a wary eye on the young man sitting across from him. Matt politely glanced away and slowly began to rise from his seat. The teen sensed that something was different about Johnny’s demeanor toward him and he was not quite sure what to do about it at the moment.

“Um. . .well. . .I guess I better get going. . .” Matt sputtered as he inched toward the door.

“Wait!” Johnny stated firmly as he motioned for the boy to stop. “I want to ask you something.” he said as he headed over to the young visitor.

“I told you Mr. Gage. . .my name is Matt.” the boy answered a little defensively.

“Yeah, but Matt what? You never told me your last name or where you live or even if you have family. For all I know you could be a run away or some kid who escaped from the Juvenile Detention Center!” Johnny stated firmly as he searched the teens face for any reaction that might hint that he actually hit a nerve.

“Man you already know I’m not any run away!” Matt answered with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. “For that matter you also know I’m NOT a JD offender either!” Johnny stared at the youth in shock. Other than for Vince he had told no one about checking Matt out. He opened his mouth to say something, but the boy stopped him. “Before you ask let’s just say I have my sources.”

“Look kid! I want to know WHO you are and WHY you’re so fascinated with my girlfriend and I want to know right NOW!” Johnny stated hotly as he jabbed his right index finger towards the boy’s face and slowly backed him into a corner across the room.

“What do you mean you can’t tell me?! What are you. . .in the witness protection program?!” Johnny asked sarcastically.

“Kid I don’t have time to play games with you. I appreciate what you did for Linda and I don’t mind you coming in once in awhile to visit, but you’re taking things to the extreme. Why are you constantly here?” Johnny stated firmly as he folded his arms and assumed a defensive stance while glaring at the teen. “And I want the truth.”

“The truth hunh?” Matt asked evasively. Johnny nodded his head and continued to scrutinize the boy. “Um. . .well. . .you see. . .look. . .it’s really hard to explain. . .I. . .um. . .well. . .” Matt’s mind raced as he tried to think of a logical reason that the hot headed paramedic would buy. The truth, it was rumored in many circles, would set a man free, but in this case the boy deduced that the truth could get him into a lot of trouble. After a few moments of stammering and some deep thought the answer finally came into the boy’s head. Meanwhile Johnny was becoming more and more agitated as his patient’s grew thin and he was now giving the young visitor a murderous look.

“Are you going to answer my question or do I have to call the cops on you?” Johnny demanded to know.

“No! No cops!” Matt stated almost worriedly as he waved his hands in front of him. He noticed the almost smug look on Johnny’s face as he automatically reacted to the question. “I’ll answer your question the best that I can.”

“I told you my name is Matt and I can’t tell you anymore than that.” Johnny rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“So we’re back to that again.” he sighed heavily as Matt just shrugged his shoulders and gave him an impish grin. “Alright. . .next question. . .why do you keep hanging around?”

“I’m here to help.” was the simple answer the boy supplied. Johnny looked at the youth with confused look.

“You already helped by saving Linda’s life! What else can you possibly do for her?!”

“Maybe it’s not just her I’m here to help.” Matt answered matter of factly. “From where I stand it looks someone else could use a little help.”

Johnny rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands as he tried to figure all this out. The kid was making no sense and he was beginning to get a headache from all the cat and mouse games.

“Why me?! Why do I always find all the nut cases?” Johnny mumbled to himself in exasperation. Matt really wanted to respond to that question, but thought better of it. Johnny finally lowered his hands and shoved them into his pants pockets. “Okay. . .you’re no longer here to help Linda. That leaves Jean and me.” he stated in a patronizing tone as he kept a wary eye on the obviously unstable youth.

“Well I can tell you this much. . .Jean doesn’t need any help from me. Despite everything that has happened she never lost the spirit and hope that the Christmas season brings. You on the other hand. . .” A thought hit Johnny like a thunder bolt as he began to piece things together in his mind and he began to laugh hysterically. Matt stared at the laughing man with concern and wondered if he should call for some help. “Mr. Gage should I get you glass of water or something?”

Johnny shook his head in response to the question as he continued to laugh. “No. . .really. . .I’m fine!. . .You know you really had me going for a minute. . .but when you said about. . .about. . .” He lost control of himself and began to laugh even harder. Matt gently guided the hysterical man to nearby chair and sat him down in it. Johnny took some deep breaths and tried to calm himself. “When you said about the spirit and hope of the Christmas season THAT’S when I knew!!” he choked out.

“Aw come on. . .you can stop the act now.” the young dark haired paramedic choked out as he took a sip of water from a glass Matt handed to him.

“Look. . .Matt. . .or whatever your name really is. . .go back and tell Chet that the gag didn’t work. My name is John Gage, NOT Jimmy Stewart. . .although you did have me going for a moment. . .I can’t believe that clown actually thought I would be so gullible.” Matt thought about the current situation. Things were not suppose to work out as they had, but maybe this way was for the better.

“Yeah. . .you’re right.” Matt admitted casually as he too began to laugh. “It was all a gag to try to lift your mood.”

“Look. . .I’m going to head back to tell them that you were just too clever and figured it out, but there is one last thing I’d like to say if you don’t mind.”

“Just keep in mind what the true meaning of Christmas is all about. Jean knows the answer, your friends know the answer and so does Linda. Heck you even know the answer. You just have to open your eyes to see it. But once you figure it out then everything will fall into place. Okay?”

“Yeah. . .okay.” Johnny stated in a tone which indicated that he really was not listening. Matt glanced at the paramedic and shook his head in disbelief before he left the room. Johnny rose from his seat and headed over toward Linda’s bed. He looked at her with a goofy grin on his face. “Honey you’re not going to believe this one. . .” he started as he tried to control his laughter.

Saint Michael’s Catholic Church was already filling to capacity by the time Johnny and Jean had arrived at eleven o’clock P.M. It had been many years since Johnny had willfully set foot inside a church and as they approached the main doors he hoped he remembered what he was suppose to do and when. Up until he was six his mother made sure that he went to church every Sunday, but after his parents were killed things changed. His Aunt was not as strict about his religious upbringing as his parents had been although she made sure he and his cousin Tommy attended Sunday School and made their First Holy Communions and Confirmations. After that it was their choice if they wanted to go to church or not. There were occasions when Johnny would go with the Halloran’s to Mass, but for the most part he kept away. To him the rituals that shrouded the Catholic Religion were too constricting to the restless young man and he chose nature as his venue for communicating with God. His cousin Tommy was the opposite and found the church a source of security. He even contemplated becoming a Priest until he enrolled in college and found aviation as his true calling.

Surprisingly Johnny found that everything came back to him. Just like riding a bicycle he automatically knew to cross himself with Holy Water and to genuflect before entering the pew. He knelt silently and studied the decorations inside the church as Jean knelt next tom him deep in thought and prayer. Saint Michael’s was an old church with a lot of character. It was festively decorated for the holiday’s with live pine boughs and wreaths and lit candles adorned every window. Johnny’s eyes came to rest on the large Nativity scene off to the left of the alter. It was a simple Nativity hand carved and hand painted by one of the members of the church many years ago. It no longer looked new, but one could tell that it had been well taken care of over time. For some unexplained reason Johnny became mesmerized by the Nativity. As if on automatic pilot he followed along with the Mass saying the words of the prayers, singing the songs, standing, sitting and kneeling when needed, but his eyes were glued on the manger in front of him. There was something different about this Nativity compared to the ones he had seen displayed at Linda’s and else where, but Johnny could not put his finger on exactly what it was that was out of place.

As they knelt again in prayer after receiving Communion Jean continued the silent litany of prayer that she had begun after Linda’s accident. There were many things and many people on her mind and heart as she prayed. Her silent communication was a long rambling list which boiled down to one simple fact. She was praying for a miracle for her daughter, for herself and for Johnny. No matter what, Jean was not about to give up hope that someday her child would be returned to her. She glanced over at Johnny who was still staring blankly at the Nativity display. She found herself wondering just what it was he was thinking about and why he was so interested in the display. She had noticed that he had not taken his eyes off it the whole time they were there. He almost tripped her coming back to the pew because he was more interested in watching the wooden figures instead of where he was going. And there he knelt still staring at the those statues like an autistic child staring at a spinning object. Jean added one last silent prayer that Johnny snap back to reality before she had to slap him.

A group of grade school children lined up in front of the alter. They were dressed in white sheets with paper wings pinned to the back and plastic halos attached to their heads. They faced the congregation and the organist began to play the introductory notes to “Oh Holy Night”. Everyone sat back in their seats and reverently listened as the children began to sing.

Slowly Johnny shifted his gaze away from the Nativity scene toward the young choir. As he listened to the song something clicked in his mind. He now knew the answer to what had been haunting him all through Mass. He glanced at the manger again, but this time his eyes focused on the crib. He mentally kicked himself for being so unobservant. How could he have missed something so obvious, something that was staring him right in the face. The only thing different about this Nativity display and the all the other ones he had seen was that this one did not have the child Jesus laying in the crib yet. It was Christmas Eve after all and everyone was still waiting for the birth of the baby. As he was silently congratulating himself for having solved that mystery the lights in the church dimmed and a procession of more grade school along with some high school children dressed in the same angel costumes as the choir started down the aisle. One little girl of about six led the group. She cradled a wooden baby in her arms while the other children followed carrying candles. Soon the entire church was filled with the sound of the children singing. Johnny became mesmerized again as he watched the procession head for the Nativity scene where the little girl gently laid the baby in the crib. Then all the children turned to face the manger and continued with singing.

Matt’s parting words to him earlier that week ran through his mind, “Just keep in mind what the true meaning of Christmas is all about. Jean knows the answer, your friends know the answer and so does Linda. Heck you even know the answer. You just have to open your eyes to see it. But once you figure it out then everything will fall into place. Okay?” Johnny glanced over at Jean. She seemed to be more relaxed and rested as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her somehow, even if just for a moment. He began to wonder if everyone else knew something he did not. From the moment he had gotten the news about Linda he felt as if a part of him had died. He began to wallow in self pity and tuned out everything else around him. Now he wondered if he was so far gone that it took two and a half hours in church, a courageous widow woman, a group of crazy firemen and one insane teenager to knock him back to reality.

There was more to Christmas than the commercialized side that everyone saw. It was a time to celebrate when one of the greatest gifts known to man had been given to the world. When a child was born who would live only to die to save others. It was a time of miracles. A time when faith was more important than anything money could buy. Matt was right, Linda certainly knew that. If she did not then she would not have volunteered him in the first place to play Santa Clause at the party. She had enough faith and trust in Johnny to know that he would not turn her down, no matter what she asked of him. Jean knew it too or else she would not have been able to make it this far after learning of the accident which almost claimed the life of her only child. Captain Stanley, Chet, Roy , Marco and Mike also knew it or else they would not have gone to such great lengths to get his attention. The pain of not having Linda with him was still in his heart, but he now understood that the best gift he could give to her right now was to continue to live and to share the feelings of this special day with others. He smiled slightly as he thought about how she would probably kill him when she woke up and found out he spent his entire Christmas crying in his Blue Plate Special in the hospital cafeteria over her. It would not be a pretty picture he was sure. Another thought occurred to him, he just thought about “when” Linda woke up and not “if” she woke up. Hope, that’s what Jesus’ birth was all about along with many other things “hope” was what he brought to the world.

“Hunh?” Johnny blinked as he tried to refocus his eyes. The lights had been turned back on and the congregation was beginning to exit the church. He looked at Jean blankly for a moment. “Uh. . .yeah. . .I feel fine. I was just lost in thought.”

“If you’re going to get lost in thought this is the place to do it.” she commented. “Well we better get going. I have to pick up Charlotte and the kids. We have a long drive ahead of us to your Captain’s cabin.”

“I’ll go with you.” he stated matter of factly. Jean was taken aback by his suggestion and stared at him in shock.

“Are you sure. I mean if you really don’t feel up to celebrating we’ll all understand.”

“No. . .really. . .I want to go. After all someone has to protect those kids from Chet.” he quipped.

Johnny thought for a moment then started to laugh. “Well if that’s the case then I certainly want to be there to see what they do to him.” Jean laughed at his comment. She glanced at Johnny as they exited the pew.

“Thanks.” he answered sheepishly. Jean headed up the aisle as Johnny stopped to genuflect. As he finished crossing himself he saw the high school members of the chorus heading for the side exit. One of the boys smiled and waved at Johnny as he made his way toward the door with the group. It only took a second for the young paramedic to realize that it was Matt.

Before Johnny could respond the children were gone. He stood up and looked toward the door momentarily. Johnny’s opinion of Matt was changing. He really was a nice kid, maybe a little eccentric, but nice all the same. “Merry Christmas Matt.” he mumbled softly to himself before he headed up the aisle to catch Jean.

Captain Hank Stanley mumbled incoherently to himself as he picked up yet another ton of discarded wrapping paper from the floor and stuffed it into the overflowing trash can. He loved Christmas as much as the next man, but he really hated having to clean up the mess after the presents had been opened. He once offered a solution to this problem to his wife by suggesting that everyone in the family just receive their presents in whatever bag they came in. This would eliminate the time used in actually wrapping the gift and would certainly cut down on the trash. Each bag could either be recycled as a garbage bag later or used to haul any unwanted gifts back to the store. She was not in support of this idea and made her feelings quite clear. After a week of sleeping on the couch Hank resigned himself to the idea that until his kids went off to college, for him Christmas time meant picking up crumpled pieces of brightly colored paper, ribbons and bows from the floor.

He stopped mumbling and cursing when he stepped back to survey the area making sure that he had not missed anything as he cleaned. The floor which a few moments ago was littered with debris was now spotless. As he studied the room he found himself becoming amazed that so much had been accomplished in so little time. He and his four elves worked around the clock to prepare the cabin for the Christmas festivities. All the hard work and attention to detail paid off because the cabin looked like something out of those old time movies that had been airing on television complete with a roaring fire in the fire place and fresh snow falling outside. It was the perfect setting for and old fashioned Christmas gathering. He could smell the turkey roasting as the women worked feverously in the kitchen to prepare dinner for the large hungry mass which had descended upon the cozy cabin. He glanced across the room and saw Johnny leaning casually against the mantle of the fireplace as he drank a cup of coffee. Everyone was happy to see that Johnny had finally changed his mind and decided to join in on the fun. There was still a touch of sadness in the young paramedic’s eyes, but gone was the anger and cynicism that he had expressed at an earlier time.

“This is the best Christmas ever!!” Nine year old Chuckie shouted happily as he wrapped his arms around the Captain’s waist and hugged him. “Thank you Hank!”

“That’s Mr. Stanley or Captain Stanley to you young man.” Charlotte scolded as she tapped Chuckie on the head with her index finger.

“Er. . .okay. . .thank you Captain Stanley!” Chuckie hugged Hank one more time then bounded off to join the other children who had gone outside to play in the snow.

“You guys made quite an impression on my kids. Chuckie doesn’t usually spontaneously hug people and he NEVER say’s “thank you” without having a gun held to his head.”

“I guess this proves that miracles really do come true hunh?” he joked as he smiled at Charlotte.

“Too bad it’s only a temporary thing when it comes to my kids. Tomorrow they’ll have broken the magic spell and’ll be right back to being the brats they always were.” she laughed. “I’d like to thank you too. I know with everything that’s been going on how hard this must’ve been for you guys. I really appreciate all your efforts. My kids have never had a merrier Christmas than this one.”

“You’re welcome, but it’s Linda you should thank. She had the idea to begin with, all we did was to pick up where she left off.”

“Well you did a terrific job. I’m sure she’d be proud of all of you.” Charlotte concluded as she gave Hank a light kiss on the cheek. “Thank you again.”

Chet came bursting through the front door of the cabin. Snow swirled in behind him from outside as did the sound of ten screaming and laughing children. In his bare hands he held some greenery.

“Look everybody I found some Holly and Mistletoe!” he exclaimed loudly as he shut the door and jogged over toward the fireplace. Chet had not been happy with the plastic holly and mistletoe ornament that hung above the front door. Everything else from the wreaths to the pine boughs had been freshly cut and handmade by the firemen and he felt that the mistletoe should be fresh and real also. After all the idea behind an old fashioned Christmas was to cut down on commercialism and you could not get any more commercial than plastic. Captain Stanley shook his head in disbelief. Chet was like a man possessed. No matter how much he had tried to convince the mustached fireman that there was no holly and mistletoe anywhere in that part of the mountains the more determined Chet became to find some.

“What are you babbling about you twit?” the captain asked in exasperation as he headed over to the fireplace followed by Charlotte.

“Holly and mistletoe! I found holly and mistletoe!” Chet repeated breathlessly as he waved the greenery in the air for everyone to see.

“Holly and mistletoe?!” Roy asked in mock excitement as he studied the greenery. A crowd was now forming around the shorter fireman as all the firemen, wives, Jean and Charlotte joined in on the excitement. Roy motioned for Johnny to take a look at the leaves Chet clenched in his fist. “Wait a minute. . .that’s not holly!” Roy added with enthusiasm as Johnny tried to stifle a laugh.

Chet’s enthusiasm could not be squelched as he glanced at the greenery and repeated Roy’s comment with the same amount of excitement in his voice as before. “It’s not holly!”

“Nah! And that’s not mistletoe either!” Roy laughed as he pointed to the other leaves as Johnny began to closely examine a now confused Chet.

“That’s not mistletoe?” he asked with a tinge of disappointment in his voice as his excitement began to wane.

Chet glanced at Johnny in confusion and tried to pull away from the overly helpful paramedic. When Johnny would not back off he looked at Roy helplessly. “Well what is it then?” he asked in confusion.

Roy tried to control his laughter as he answered the question. “That’s what ’s commonly known as. . .”

“Poison Ivy.” Johnny interjected. Everyone started to laugh as Chet’s face turned a deep shade of red. “Well it do look like the Phantom finally got caught.” Johnny quipped as he slapped Chet on the back. “That’s what you get for trying to trick me into having the holiday spirit.” he laughed.

Chet looked at Johnny as if he had lost his mind. Granted he had played many tricks on the skinny paramedic in the past, but he had no clue what trick he had supposedly pulled recently that Johnny was talking about. “Gage you’re making no sense. What gag?”

“Oh. . .okay. . .you don’t remember.” Johnny laughed good naturedly. “Well in the spirit of Christmas I will forget the whole thing. As an extra bonus of kindness and generosity I will get you a bottle of Calamine Lotion.”

Chet gave Johnny a cockeyed look as the dark haired paramedic headed for the bathroom. He then turned his attention to the assembled mass and eyed each person suspiciously as he searched their faces for an answer.

“Alright. . .who is trying to copy cat the Phantom?” he asked suspiciously. The woman had no idea what he was talking about so they went back to the kitchen to finish their work while the men all shook their heads and mumbled their denial of playing any pranks on Johnny. Chet was about to start an inquisition when the door burst open and ten screaming children came running into the cabin.

“Yeah. . .what do you think. . .wood grows on trees?!” Chet asked as he warmed himself against the fire. Everyone including the children looked at him as if he were insane.

“What a twit!” Captain Stanley stated as he shook his head helplessly. Marcus Stanley slammed the door shut and began to take off his boots and coat. Half of the kids followed his example while the other half ran into the kitchen and began to hungrily look into pots and pans sitting on the stove and the counter tops. The five assembled women began the seemingly endless task of chasing the youngsters out of the room. They would no sooner get rid of one child when another child would appear.

“Dad is anybody else coming to dinner?” Marcus inquired as he tugged on his boot.

Using his other foot as leverage Marcus was able to pry the stubborn boot off his foot. He kicked the offending footwear into a corner and carelessly tossed his coat on top of them. “Oh. . .well we just saw the sleigh coming up the road and it looked like there were people in it.”

“Coats belong on the hook, not on the floor young man.” Captain Stanley admonished as he passed his son on the way to the front window.

Marcus sighed heavily and picked the coat up off the ground with great flourish and tossed it toward an empty hook. By chance the coat caught the hook which caused Marcus to start doing a victory dance around the room. “YES!!!!! HE SHOOTS AND SCORES!!!!! THE CROWD GOES WILD!!!!!” He danced his way to the kitchen where there was an all out war going on between the woman and the children. And it looked like neither side was about to compromise.

Hank saw his neighbor Mack McGuire’s horse drawn sleigh heading toward the Stanley cabin. The falling snow cut down a lot on visibility and he could only make out the shapes of approximately four people sitting in the sleigh. “Hey guys, let’s go see what’s going on. Maybe there’s a problem or something.” the Captain stated worriedly as he grabbed his coat from a hook by the door. He was followed out the door by the rest of his crew. A group of boisterous children came screaming into the living room and ran around the Christmas tree as Joanne DeSoto chased after them with a raised rolling pin.

“I swear if you don’t stay out of that kitchen we’re going to cook all you guys for dinner!” she teased as she continued to chase the children around the tree. Meanwhile Johnny was still upstairs digging through the contents of the Stanley’s bathroom closet in his quest to find the calamine lotion. Just as he was about to abandon the search and let Chet suffer the consequences of his insane actions he stumbled upon the medicine. He had been in the process of shoving the rest of the closet’s contents back inside when he heard Roy calling from down stairs.

“JOHNNY GET DOWN HERE QUICK!!!! I NEED HELP!!!!” The distressed sound in his partners tone of voice alerted the ever vigilant younger paramedic that there must a real emergency happening on the first level of the house. He haphazardly threw the rest of the junk in the closet and forced the door shut before taking off in a dead run down the staircase.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!” a chorus of voices interjected as Johnny stood frozen on the third step from the bottom of the staircase. He stared incomprehensibly toward the front door.

“I see it, but I don’t believe it.” he muttered to himself as his jaw dropped open and his eyes popped out of his head in shock. Standing in the doorway with some support from Doctor Brackett and Dixie and surrounded by Jean, all the children and his friends was Linda. Her head was still bandaged and she looked a little banged up, but she was the most beautiful sight to Johnny’s eyes.

“Well are you just going to stand there like a bump on a log or are you gonna come over and give me a hug?” Linda inquired jokingly. Johnny slowly descended the remaining steps and headed over toward her. As he approached the gathered group he could see that Jean was crying tears of joy as she looked at her daughter.

“If I’m not me then I don’t know who I am.” Linda quipped as she smiled at Johnny. “So do I get a hug?”

“Hunh?. . .a hug?. . .Ofcourse you get a hug..” he answered as he carefully put his arms around her waist. It felt good to be holding her in his arms again and Johnny really wanted to give her a strong, secure hug, but he was mindful of the injuries to her ribs. He gently hugged her and gave her light kiss on the lips.

“Come on. . .let’s find her a comfortable place to sit.” Dixie suggested as she started to lead Linda across the room. Jean helped Dixie while Johnny stopped to talk with Doctor Brackett.

“Doc I don’t understand. . .what?. . .when?. . .” Johnny stammered in confusion.

“I can’t explain it. Dixie called me at three o’clock this morning and told me that Linda just woke up. We tried to call you, but you had already left.” stated the doctor.

“How is she?” Johnny asked with concern. “Is it alright for her to traveling around and walking?”

“She’s fine.” laughed Brackett as he patted Johnny on the shoulder. “I ran some tests and everything is A-Okay. As a matter of fact it was her idea to come up here. Dixie figured you’d kill us if we let her come alone so we decided to accompany her.”

“Any time. Now get over there and be with your girl you hose jockey.” Johnny laughed as the doctor gave him a gentle shove toward the direction of the couch. Along the way the young paramedic passed Chet.

“Here.” Johnny stated as he shoved the bottle of calamine lotion into the itchy firemen’s hands. “Don’t ever say I never did anything nice for you.” he quipped.

“Haaaaa.” Chet responded sarcastically as he continued to scratch. Johnny smirked and shook his head. Mike and Marco gathered all the kids together and took them off to another part of the cabin while Captain Stanley went into the kitchen.

“You know you’re just in time to help the rest of poor women folk with dinner.” Joanne DeSoto teased as she placed a pillow behind Linda’s back.

“I’m sure there’s something I could. . .” Linda started before she was interrupted by Dixie.

“Forget it. Doctor’s orders. This young lady is to rest and relax. But I’ m willing to take her place.”

“Okay. You’re drafted. Come on.” Joanne motioned for Dixie to follow her into the kitchen where Charlotte, Mike’s wife and Captain Stanley’s wife were already working.

“I feel so useless.” Linda complained. “I can’t help do anything and I don’ t have any presents for anyone.”

“But you did bring a present. You’re here.” Jean stated as she squeezed her daughter’s hand.

“That’s okay. I don’t have anything for you either.” Johnny informed Linda as he sat down next to her. “Unless you count the elf costume I had gift wrapped.” He teased. Linda rolled her eyes and groaned loudly. Jean looked from Linda to Johnny in confusion.

“Mom don’t ask. I don’t remember anything about the accident, but I DO remember that horrid costume.” She turned to Johnny and shot him a murderous look. “You better have burned that thing along with those pants of yours. Or I’m gonna kill you.” she warned.

“Pants? What pant. . .aw never mind! I really don’t want to know.” Jean stated as she held up her hands and pulled back somewhat. Johnny and Linda looked over at Jean and started to crack up.

“I’ll explain it all to you later. . .when it doesn’t hurt so much to laugh.” Linda gasped as she tried to stifle her laughing.

“Oh. . .that reminds me I have something for you.” Jean said as she stood up from the couch. “I’ll be right back.” Linda turned her head and watched as her mother headed for one of the back bedrooms.

“What’s that all about?” Linda asked Johnny questionably. Johnny just shrugged his shoulders and looked at her blankly. He draped his right arm across the back of the couch and Linda rested her head on his forearm. “So have the boys been enjoying themselves?”

“Yeah. They’re having a blast.” he informed her. “They’re even behaving themselves.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I think they’ll remember this Christmas for the rest of their lives.”

“We all will.” Johnny assured her as he moved closer to Linda. “You know I missed you.”

“Oh yeah. . .I could really tell that you missed me by the way you kissed me earlier.” she teased him. “I wake up from a long nap and you kiss me like we were strangers.”

“No. No she’s not.” Johnny said in a seductive tone as a wolfish grin spread across his face. He slipped his free arm lightly around her waist and pulled her closer to him as she slipped her arms around his neck. The two ended up in a passionate lip lock.

Jean returned to the living room with a package. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Johnny and Linda necking on the couch. She cleared her throat in order to get their attention, but they did not hear her. She sighed and rolled her eyes hopelessly. “Alright you two break it up.” she stated in her best mother tone of voice. Linda and Johnny parted slightly and tried to hide their embarrassment.

“Johnny was just um. . .” Linda stammered as she motioned her hand weakly toward Johnny.

“I was just showing her. . .uh. . .the proper way to do artificial respiration on an unconscious victim.” Johnny added weakly.

“Um hum.” Jean stated knowingly as she gave them both the mother’s gaze. Roy sat on the hearth of the fireplace and watched the whole scene with amusement.

“Maybe you should give them some of Chet’s mistletoe.” Roy offered. A playful smile crossed Jean’s face as she thought about his suggestion. Linda looked from Roy to Jean and then to Johnny in confusion. Johnny shot Roy a murderous look.

Jean glanced at the package. “Yeah. Actually I was going to bring this to you in the hospital, but since you’re here I might as well give it to you now. It’s just something I found in the attic and thought you might like to have.” she stated as she handed Linda the package.

Linda opened the package and pulled out a framed eight by ten photograph. The photo was old and showed four boys of various ages standing around a simply decorated Christmas tree. Johnny’s eyes almost fell out of his head as he realized he knew two of the boys in the picture. He sat straight up in his seat and stared at the photo.

“That’s Don right?!” Johnny asked in surprise as he pointed to one of the older boys in the picture.

“Yeah. It is. This picture was taken a year before we got married.” Jean informed him. “It was the last Christmas when Don and all his brother’s were together.”

“That’s my Uncle Jeff and that’s my Uncle Ted.” Linda stated as she pointed to one of the other older boys and one of the younger boys.

Linda and Jean both noticed the shocked expression on his face as he stared at the boy he was pointing to. “That’s my Uncle Matt. Why?” Linda asked with hesitation in her voice.

“I. . .I don’t remember you ever mentioning an Uncle Matt.” Johnny stated in an almost accusatory tone as he glared at Linda.

“He was shot and killed in a hunting accident before I was born. I never really knew him. . .except from what my dad and other Uncles told me about him.”

“Look. . .why are you so interested in my Uncle Matt?” Linda asked cautiously.

“I uh. . .I. . .” he started to cough. “Um. . .no reason. . .it’s just that. . .” he coughed again.

“I’ll get you some.” Linda offered. Johnny put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her from raising from the couch.

“I’ll show you where the glasses are.” Johnny offered as he followed Jean. Linda watched the two of them head for the kitchen with a confused look on her face.

“Now what is THAT all about?” she asked rhetorically as she glanced over at Roy. Roy just shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

“Okay everyone gather round! We’re all going to sing Christmas Carol’s!” Mike announced as Marco sat down at the piano. The children gathered around the piano and were soon joined by Doctor Brackett, Dixie, Chet, Charlotte, Mike’s wife and the Captain’s wife. Roy helped Linda over to the piano as Captain Stanley entered the room carrying a tray loaded with glasses.

“Oh I think he can have this kind. . .it’s nonalcoholic.” the commander laughed. Marco began playing “Jingle Bells” and everyone joined in singing as they passed the tray of eggnog around to each other.

Johnny grabbed Jeans arm and pulled her into the bedroom. He closed the door behind them shutting out the noise of the festivities. “I thought you needed a drink?” Jean asked in confusion as she gave Johnny a cockeyed look.

“I just said that so I could talk to you privately. Look I need to tell you something, but I didn’t want Linda to hear. I mean this is really strange and I didn’t want to upset her or have her think I had flipped or something.”

“Just tell me what it is you wanted to say.” Jean stated calmly. “I’ll let you know if Linda would find it weird.”

“That kid in the picture. . .Matt. . .well. . .oh man this IS nuts!” he stammered nervously as he paced around the room. Jean sat down on the edge of the bed and watched him with concern. “Okay. . .here it is. . .I saw Matt. He was at the hospital every time I visited and. . .he was at the church. I thought he was just some kid Chet hired to play a joke on me. He told me that he was the one who. . .”

“Pulled Linda from the car.” Jean concluded for him calmly. Johnny stopped pacing and stared at Jean in shock.

“Yeah! How did. . .” Jean held her hand up to silence him as she smiled slightly.

“Linda told me that her Uncle Matt was the one who saved her and that he visited her in the hospital.”.

“Well she under medication and unconscious. I could see where she might think that, but I was fully alert. I mean don’t you find this strange?”

“No.” Jean stated matter of factly. “Linda has always felt a deep connection with her Uncle Matt and she’s always believed he was her Guardian Angel.” she explained patiently. “Apparently in looking out for his niece Matt felt the need to help you too.”

“But. . .but. . .but. . .” Johnny stammered incomprehensibly. The idea of Angels was far outside of his line of thinking. He was confused about what he should believe.

“Johnny calm down. Considering everything that happened and the outcome isn ’t it nice to know that there’s an “Uncle Matt” around protecting those you love?” she asked pointedly. Johnny thought for a moment about what she had just said. Jean was right about one thing, considering that Linda could have died, but did not transcended every line of rational thought. He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head slightly. “Maybe there are angels” he thought to himself. Linda was certainly living proof that something greater than man or modern medicine existed.

“I saw an angel.” he stated flatly. “I really saw an angel.” He looked at Jean and flashed his classic crooked grin. “I’m not crazy after all.”

“Now I know who REALLY gave Linda her sharp wit.” he stated sarcastically. Jean laughed at his comment.

“Actually it was a joint effort. Her dad and I wanted to make sure she could handle a rebellious, hard headed, slightly off kilter paramedic when she grew up.”

Johnny laughed and shook his head. “I surrender! Let’s go out and join the sing along.”

“Yeah. Later though.” Jean nodded her head in agreement as they headed back to the living room. Marco was just starting to play “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” Johnny and Jean joined the gathered crowd. They stood on either side of Linda and began to sing along with the song. Jean watched as Johnny and Linda stood with their arms around each other’s waists. She noticed the caring looks that they exchanged and whispered a silent prayer of thanks that Linda had been returned to the two people who loved her. The picture of Don and his brothers stood proudly in the middle of the piano. As they sang Johnny glanced at the photo and he could have sworn that he saw Matt wink at him conspiratorially as the grin on his face grew wider. Johnny held Linda closer to him and began to really put his heart and soul into singing. This was shaping up to be the best Christmas he ever had.