Going to Extreme Measures

Chapter 1

He stood motionless in the too hot shower letting the water cascade down his slender back pulsating the sore muscles and pooling on the floor at his feet. Leaning his head against the shower wall he wondered how he had managed to avoid a trip to Rampart. Turning slightly to allow the water to massage a different spot he thought back to the last run. All he had done was reach down to grab the hose nozzle to connect it. The sharp pain in his side had taken his breath away. Cap had seen him flinch and come to make sure he was okay to finish. Sadly he knew that pain well. What was he thinking trying something like he had on his last days off? He was a grown man. He was supposed to be smarter than that. Shaking his head and smiling at himself he knew the girl was just too pretty to ignore. If she could do it so could he. It couldn't be that hard. Or could it? His sore back attested to the fact that if a body was not used to that kind of activity it would rebel against you. He was in good shape. He was a fireman after all. He had to be in good physical health. How could she be so good at it? He couldn't even get started before he fell. Well he would not let this beat him. He hated to lose.

"Stoker you gonna use all the hot water?" Chet yelled from the locker room. "The rest of us wanted more than just a steam bath ya know!"

Mike turned one last rotation in the hot water and shut it off. "Hold your horses Chet. I'm finished." Wrapping a towel gingerly around his mid section the engineer stepped out of the shower stall to be confronted by not only Roy and Johnny but his Captain as well. "What?"

"You know what Mike. You obviously pulled a muscle or something back at that fire. I want John and Roy to check you out." Captain Stanley folded his arms across his chest. "And that's an order." He spun on his heels and left the locker room.

"It's nothin' guys just turned wrong that's all." Mike tried talking his way out of an exam.

"You heard Cap Stoker now do you want to do it here or in the dorm?" Johnny smiled. He was having too much fun at this. Usually he was the one on the receiving end of Caps' orders to be checked out.

"Dorm." Mike said the one word as he grabbed his uniform and lead the way into the dorm. "But I'm telling ya it's just a sore muscle."

Roy and Johnny picked up their equipment and followed the sulking engineer into the dorm. Chet who had been stripping down for the shower while they talked to Mike reached in and turned on the water. When he thought it was warm enough he stepped in. In a few minutes the water ran cold "Awww Mike I'm gonna kill ya man this is freezing!"

Mike, Roy and Johnny all laughed at the screams coming from the shower. "Good one Mike," Johnny congratulated his friend on using all the hot water. "You got the Phantom without even trying." The three men laughed again.

"Now Mike tell me where it hurts." Roy started probing the engineers muscular back trying to pinpoint the area of tenderness.

"Ahhh," Mike made a noise and pulled away from Roy's hands. "There."

Roy bent down and looked at Mike's back to check for swelling. "It does look a little swollen. The hot shower probably helped. How did you hurt it?"

"I plead the fifth."

"Come on Mike we can't help you if you don't tell us how you injured your back," Johnny reasoned with his friend.

"I twisted it on my day off and that's all I'm saying about that. I bent down today to pick up the hose and attach it to the engine and pulled it again."

Johnny chuckled at his friend, "And whhhhaaatttt did you dooooo on your day off Mikey?" He teased the quiet man. "Did it have anything to do with a pretty girl?"

Mike blushed red from his neck to the top of his head.

"Well I can see it did. Tell me about her. What's she like? Does she like ya? Did ya go out?"

"Johnny we need to concentrate on our examination here. Mike could have seriously injured his back," Roy tried to get Johnny to concentrate.

"Aw Roy this could be good," Johnny whined.

Marco stuck his head in the door, "Cap said lunch will be ready in 5 minutes if you're finished. Is Mike okay?"

"I'm fine Marco. We'll be along in a minute." Mike answered for the group. "Now unless you have a magic pill or shot in that box of tricks there that can fix a strained muscle I suggest we all get back to work." Mike made to get up from his bunk to finish dressing.

"Hold on Mike. Did you hit your back or simply pull a muscle? I need to be sure there is no unseen injury to your internal organs." Roy was still trying to do a serious exam.

"Or did ya do too much disco dancing over the break," Johnny teased.

"I don't disco Johnny. I don't even like disco music."

"Oh well excu..u...use me! I like it, and I'm pretty good at it if I do say so myself." He spun around in a circle twirling his arms around each other in a typical disco dancing move.

"Johnny will you stop aggravating the patient and get serious?" Roy was still trying to finish a legitimate exam. "Mike when did you first injure your back?"

"Yesterday at the beach." He knew he had said too much as soon as the words left his lips. "Uh yesterday."

"At the beach huh? What were ya doin' at the beach Mikey?"

"Don't call me that."

"Okay Stokerwhat were ya doin' at the beach?"

"None of your business Gage."

"Mike I need to know how you injured your back so we'll know if you need to be seen at Rampart," Roy again reasoned with his friend.

Mike reached his hand up to his mouth to muffle his response and whispered, "Surfing."

"What I didn't hear you?" Roy asked.

"I was surfing Roy and I fell of the board!" Mike yelled at the two paramedics. "I didn't do very well at it and I hurt my back. Okay. You get it now. This chick was really good at it. I wanted to try it so maybe I could ask her out. I went to the beach to give it a try and busted my butt on some waves. Ya see?" Mike was clearly upset at having to tell about his failed attempt at surfing.

"Okay Mike. I'm sorry I teased ya man. You really pulled the muscle surfing? You were probably too tense. Why didn't ya say ya wanted to learn to surf? I could've taught ya; given ya some pointers or something. I've been surfing for years. All ya had to do was ask." Johnny felt bad about really upsetting his friend. "When your back is better I'll get ya started okay? Don't sweat it. It's not that hard once you know the basics. Then you just practice. What's the girl's name anyway? Maybe I know her."

"Her name? I uh I don't know. I just saw her surfing and thought I would like to meet her. What better way to meet a surfer chick than surfing?"

"You mean you tried something you've never done before to try to meet a girl?" Roy asked in amazement.

"Sure he tried it Roy. Man you've been out of circulation way too long. These days you have to work to get ahead of the competition. Sometimes you have to go to extreme measures just to get a date, right Mike?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever guys. Anyway I think you're right Mike it's just a pulled muscle. You can probably take care of it with some aspirin and rest. You might try a heating pad if it keeps troubling you. I'll let Cap know." Roy picked up the drug box and bio-phone and left the dorm.

"Johnny I would rather you not tell Chet and Marco about our conversation."

"Sure Mike mum's the word. So when do you want to learn to surf? And where can we get a look at this chick?"