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Silent Night
by Mrs. Fish
It was something of a tradition at Station 51. A few days before Christmas, they offered an Open House of sorts to any and all; cookies and Wassail were provided to their visitors, as well as tours. More often than not, their visitors brought them treats as a way of thanking them for their service.
This year they were trying something different. The men of Station 51 were going to sing a few Christmas carols. They just had to decide on which ones.
“I vote for “Silent Night”.” Chet offered. “That’s an easy one.”
Johnny Gage’s heart sank. Christmas wasn’t something he was used to celebrating. His parents died when he was 10 – his father from a construction accident, and his mom from cancer – and he’d been thrown into the foster care system, where holidays were just another day.
He’d discovered that he had an aunt living in Sacramento when he was 15. She took him in, got him caught up in his schooling and he eventually graduated with honors. She didn’t have a lot of money, but she always managed to get him something for Christmas – be it school supplies or clothes – it was always something he needed.
It wasn’t until he’d graduated from the Fire Academy and been assigned to Station 10 in Los Angeles, that Christmas became something more. The camaraderie he’d felt reminded him of the family he’d lost, and he’d happily participated in the station gift exchange.
The holiday became something else after he became a paramedic and was assigned to Station 51. Roy DeSoto was more than a partner to him; he was the other half of his soul, and he loved him more than life itself. The first Christmas they spent together was the happiest Johnny had been in years.
But Christmas carols? Not something he did. Oh, he enjoyed listening to holiday music on the radio, but that was as far as it got. He didn’t sing, except when his Captain insisted he join them in the barbershop quartet competition. That was the last time.
So how was he going to get out of this? All he could do is hope for a fire and a good case of smoke inhalation.
*****
“What do you mean you don’t know the words?” Chet asked, incredulous. “Everybody knows the words to “Silent Night”.”
“Well I don’t, okay?” Johnny replied.
Chet just stared at him. They were sitting around the table in the kitchen discussing song possibilities with Mike, Marco and Roy when Johnny made his announcement.
“What Christmas carols do you know then?”
Johnny took a sip of coffee, then just stared into his coffee cup. He answered quietly, “None.”
Chet got up to pour himself more coffee. “None… oh, I get it. I forgot you grew up on a reservation. Bunch of heathens. You didn’t celebrate Christmas, right?”
Marco was shocked. “Chet, knock it off.”
“Yea, Chet, I thought you weren’t going to tease John about his heritage any more.” Mike added.
Johnny was in Chet’s face before the other man could blink. “I’ll have you know that my mother was Seminole, but she was also a Catholic.” John emphasized his words by jabbing his index finger into Chet’s chest.
“My father was Southern Baptist. We attended services every Sunday. We were hardly heathens, Chet. My mother walked in two worlds, just like I do. And just like her I have to put up with ignorant bigots like you. I…”
He felt Roy’s hands on his shoulders. “Easy, Junior. C’mon… let’s get some fresh air.” Roy led them both out the side door into the parking lot.
*****
Cap came into the kitchen after he’d heard raised voices. “What’s going on?”
Marco and Mike explained what had transpired between Chet and Johnny. Cap sighed heavily. “I thought we were done with this, Kelly. I told you what would happen if the harassment against Gage continued. Are you really going to force my hand and transfer you?”
Kelly was dumbstruck. He shook his head no, but didn’t answer.
“Where are Johnny and Roy?” Cap asked.
Mike answered. “Roy took Johnny out back to calm him down.”
“I’m leaving your fate in Johnny’s hands, Chet. If he decides to press charges, you’re out. I highly suggest you apologize to him, and mean it. I’ll be in my office. Have John come see me when he gets back inside.”
Cap shook his head and walked back to his office, disappointment clearly visible on his face.
*****
Roy took Johnny behind the station, in front of the Apparatus Bay doors, then drew him into a hug. “Are you okay?”
Johnny held him tightly. “Not really. Why does he do this, Roy? Does he really hate me that much?”
“Oh, Junior. Of course Chet doesn’t hate you. I think he’s just been teasing people for so long that he doesn’t think before he speaks, or realize just how hurtful his barbs can be. It doesn’t help that none of the others really know much about your childhood or how hard it was.”
“That’s none of their business, or shouldn’t really make any difference in how they treat me.”
“You’re right... it isn’t, and shouldn’t be, but it does, especially where Chet is concerned. He’s always been a practical joker. I don’t think that’s going to change, but we can certainly try to steer him away from the verbal insults and have the Phantom do more practical jokes.”
Johnny chuckled against his shoulder. “Great… just what I need, more wet uniforms.”
“More skin for me to see.”
“Pervert…” Johnny laughed then pulled away from Roy. “I love you.”
Roy smiled, then leaned forward to kiss Johnny lightly on the lips. “Love you too. You okay to go back inside?”
“Yea… yea, I think so. But if Chet says anything…”
“If he does, I’ll take care of it. I promise.” Roy put his arm around Johnny’s shoulders and led him back inside the station.
*****
Marco was sitting on the sofa in the day room petting Henry when Johnny and Roy came back inside. “Hey John, you okay?”
“Yea, Marco, thanks. And thanks for speaking up for me.”
“No problem, man. I think everyone has had it with Chet picking on you. Oh, and Cap wanted to see you when you came back in.”
“Great… thanks.”
*****
The door to the Captain’s office was open, but Johnny knocked anyway. Captain Stanley looked up from the document he was reading and smiled at the younger man. “C’mon in, John. Close the door and have a seat.”
“What’s up, Cap?”
“First of all, are you alright?”
Johnny sighed deeply. “I’m not as angry as I was, but I’m still upset by what Chet said. And I’ve had enough of it, Cap.”
“I understand, which is why I’m leaving the decision regarding Chet’s transfer up to you. If you want him gone, just say the word and it’s done. Frankly, this has gotten way out of hand, and I’m pretty sure I speak for everyone else at Station 51 when I say we’re sick of it.”
“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me, Cap. What all your support has meant to me. You see… I really respect and admire you. You remind me a lot of my dad. He…” Johnny’s voice broke and he reached up and wiped his eyes.
“Johnny?”
“Sorry… I’ve never told this to anyone besides Roy.” Johnny then went on to explain what his life was like after his parents died, and what it meant for him to become a firefighter and then a paramedic.
Hank Stanley had seen a lot as a firefighter, from miraculous rescues to horrific deaths. But the thing that always got to him was the mistreatment of children in any way. Johnny’s story broke his heart; it also explained a great deal about the young man under his command.
Cap stood up, came around to the front of his beside Johnny, then held out his arms. “C’mere, pal.” He hugged the other man tightly. “I’m here for you, John, no matter what. If you ever need to talk, just let me know, doesn’t matter what time, even if we’re off duty. Got it?”
Johnny nodded, then stepped away and wiped the tears from his face. “Thanks, Cap. I…” He didn’t get to finish as the station was toned out to a fire, but Hank understood nonetheless.
*****
Johnny and Roy had the next four days off, so they finally got around to putting up their tree. They had the radio on in the background to a station playing non-stop Christmas music. Roy had gone into the kitchen to get them something to drink when “Silent Night” came on. He groaned softly, remembering all the trouble that song had caused at the station. He was about to go in and turn the radio off, when Johnny’s clear voice carried into the room.
“Pe-re-hem
Tv-lo-fvn
“O-mvl-kv
Fek-hon-ne…”
Roy hurried back into the living room and handed the younger man a glass of water. “Johnny?”
“Yea?”
“What were you just singing?”
“Silent Night”, what else?”
“But I thought you said you didn’t know the words.”
“I don’t know the words in English, Roy. That was Muscogee Creek, the language of my mother’s tribe.”
Roy’s mouth hung open in disbelief. He shook his head and asked, “Then why didn’t you tell Chet that?”
Johnny shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think of it at the time.”
Roy suddenly had a brilliant idea. “Wait right here.”
*****
After roll call, Roy went into the locker room then came back into the kitchen with a cassette player. “Hey guys, I had an idea for the Open House. Instead of multiple Christmas carols, how about just one, but make it something special? Something that reflects the diversity of the Fire Department and our station?”
“Sounds interesting,” Cap said. “What were you thinking of?”
“Well I thought we could stick with “Silent Night”, but with a bit of a twist. Listen to this.” He pressed the play button. The rest of the station members were surprised to hear Johnny singing, but waited until the song was over before they said anything.
“What language was that, Johnny?” Mike asked.
“Muscogee Creek; it’s what the Seminoles of Oklahoma speak.”
Roy spoke up. “I thought we could sing “Silent Night” in English, then have Johnny sing it in Creek. Maybe Marco in Spanish and Stephanopolis from C Shift in Greek. Or some other combination. I haven’t worked out all the details yet; I just wanted to throw it out there and see what you all thought.”
“Well I for one think it’s a great idea. What about everyone else?” Cap asked.
Everyone agreed it was a wonderful idea, now to put it into action.
*****
The Open House was a rousing success. They had a lot more visitors than they expected, but as in past years, they had quite a few extra cookies to go around thanks to donations.
“Silent Night” went over better than they expected. Not only did they have Johnny, Marco, and Chris Stephanopolis to sing in their native languages, but Gerald Becker from B Shift volunteered to sing in German.
Chet and Johnny reconciled, with Chet swearing he’d never again harass Johnny over his Native heritage. Johnny threatened to cut his mustache off with a hand ax if he did, and both men laughed afterwards.
Christmas day was, thankfully, slow for both the engine and the squad. They exchanged gifts and enjoyed a wonderful turkey dinner with all the trimmings, complete with pumpkin pie.
That night the station crew sat around the table and watched It’s a Wonderful Life with James Stewart. Although everyone had seen it before, there were still a few tears.
After a trip to the latrine, Cap stood in the doorway and watched his men. They were a fine crew. He was especially proud to have the best damned paramedic team in the county.
Lights out came around, and before he crawled into his bunk, Captain Stanley said a silent prayer to Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters, to watch over his men and keep them safe.
He pulled the covers up, rolled onto his side, then whispered, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
The end.