diff --git a/packages/google-cloud-node/src/helpers.js b/packages/google-cloud-node/src/helpers.js
index f0df844bcdef..a499d7b245e0 100644
--- a/packages/google-cloud-node/src/helpers.js
+++ b/packages/google-cloud-node/src/helpers.js
@@ -67,28 +67,26 @@ module.exports = () => {
       options = {};
     }
 
-    var requestStream = this._innerApiCalls.streamingRecognize(options);
-
     // Format the audio content as input request for pipeline
     var recognizeStream = streamEvents(pumpify.obj());
 
+    var requestStream = this._innerApiCalls
+      .streamingRecognize(options)
+      .on('error', err => {
+        recognizeStream.destroy(err);
+      })
+      .on('response', response => {
+        recognizeStream.emit('response', response);
+      });
+
     // Attach the events to the request stream, but only do so
     // when the first write (of data) comes in.
     //
     // This also means that the sending of the initial request (with the
     // config) is delayed until we get the first burst of data.
     recognizeStream.once('writing', () => {
-      requestStream.on('error', err => {
-        recognizeStream.destroy(err);
-      });
-
-      // Responses must be explicitly forwarded.
-      requestStream.on('response', response => {
-        recognizeStream.emit('response', response);
-      });
-
       // The first message should contain the streaming config.
-      let first_message = true;
+      let firstMessage = true;
 
       // Set up appropriate piping between the stream returned by
       // the underlying API method and the one that we return.
@@ -98,7 +96,7 @@ module.exports = () => {
         // the appropriate request structure.
         through.obj((obj, _, next) => {
           let payload = {};
-          if (first_message && config !== undefined) {
+          if (firstMessage && config !== undefined) {
             // Write the initial configuration to the stream.
             payload.streamingConfig = config;
           }
diff --git a/packages/google-cloud-node/test/helpers.test.js b/packages/google-cloud-node/test/helpers.test.js
index 12295aae2a31..adc67639eb01 100644
--- a/packages/google-cloud-node/test/helpers.test.js
+++ b/packages/google-cloud-node/test/helpers.test.js
@@ -102,8 +102,6 @@ describe('Speech helper methods', () => {
         done();
       });
 
-      userStream.emit('writing');
-
       requestStream.emit('error', error);
     });