Chapter Twenty-Seven
Blake
On Tuesday morning, I pulled up in front of the station and found Tony bent down examining the driver’s side door of his car. I laid on the horn to let him know I was waiting to park, but he just flipped me the bird and bent lower. I backed into a spot on the other side of the lot and got out.
“What the fuck, man?” I shouted, as I walked toward him. “Seriously, is your car such a precious antique that you now have to prevent people from parking next to it?”
“Aw, don’t get your panties in a twist, B,” he grinned as he looked up at me. “Someone scratched the door, and I was just trying to figure out who it was.”
“How in the hell would you know that?”
“Paint chips, my friend,” he said, as he ran a finger over the scratch. “I’ll gather the paint chips and take them to the lab.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I said. “You can barely see the scratch!”
“It’s all about order and accountability, my friend,” he said, as he stood up. “If you don’t hold people accountable for their actions, there is no order. Anarchy is not pretty.”
“Anarchy is the result of a scratch in your paint job?” I laughed. “Now I know you’re delusional.”
“Speaking of delusional, how’s the teacher?” Tony asked, as he slapped me on the back. “You two getting down and bumping uglies on a regular basis now?”
“Haven’t heard from her lately,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Must be busy with the start of the new term and all.”
“Wait a minute,” Tony said, grabbing my shoulder and spinning me toward him. “You two were all goo-goo eyed for each other at the New Year’s Eve party, and now you’re telling me you haven’t heard from her in a few days and it’s no big deal?”
“Yeah, why?” I shrugged.
“You’re so full of shit,” he scoffed, as he shoved me away. I caught myself and shot him a warning look that he chose to ignore. “What happened? Remy screw it up for you? Nina get mad?”
“No, just lay off, will you?” I said, giving him a warning look.
“B, something happened,” he pushed. “What was it?”
“Fine, I met her parents, and it didn’t go well at all,” I said, skirting the incident as best I could.
“Her daddy didn’t like you?” Tony pushed.
“No, he didn’t like me, and I didn’t like him, and Emily kicked us both out,” I spat. “There, are you happy now that you know the whole story?”
“Whoa, she kicked you and her father out?”
“Her mother, too,” I added wryly. “It was a mess, and I haven’t talked to her since.”
“Well, maybe it’s for the best,” Tony offered, as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You know, maybe you avoided another shitty relationship and another messed up drama. Silver lining!”
“You sure changed your tune fast there, buddy,” I said, eyeing him suspiciously. “One minute you're all for it, and the next you’re telling me I’m a lucky guy. Which is it?”
“Dunno, ask me again when the two of you patch things up,” Tony grinned, as we entered the station and found the guys gathered around the breakfast table as Cal dished up sausage and eggs. I quickly stored my gear and pulled up a seat at the table. As soon as he’d finished buttering the toast, Cal took a seat next to me and filled his plate.
“Good eggs, man,” Tony said appreciatively, as the rest of the guys grunted in agreement.
“Hey, Blake, was that Emily Fowler you brought to the party last weekend?” Cal asked, as he poured hot sauce on his eggs.
“Yeah, why? You know her?” I mumbled with a full mouth.
“No, but I know who her dad is,” he said, as he took a piece of toast and broke it in half.
“Oh yeah, who?”
“Her dad is William Fowler, the oil tycoon,” Cal said, as he spread jam on half of the toast and then began scooping up eggs with his fork and shoveling them into his mouth at an alarmingly rapid rate. “He’s got more money than God, or so I hear.”
“Huh, is that so?” I said, as the wheels in my brain started spinning.
“Oil tycoon?” Tony said, leaning across me to look at Cal. “A rich guy, you say?”
“Yep,” Cal nodded. “Super rich. Didn’t she say anything about it?”
“Nope, not a word,” I said, looking down at my plate as my appetite deserted me. I didn’t know what to do with this information, all I knew was that I missed Emily and I didn’t know how to get her back.
“B, you need to get her back,” Tony whispered, as he nudged me with his elbow. “She’s an heiress or something!”
“Shut the fuck up, Tony,” I muttered, as I picked up my plate and carried it to the sink where I dumped the remains of breakfast into the garbage and loaded the plate into the dishwasher.
The alarm sounded before Tony could respond and as the voice came through the intercom, we rushed out to don our gear. I hauled myself up into the cab, giving Cal the once-over to make sure he was properly dressed. We pulled out of the station and headed toward the fire. I tried to get my brain focused on what I’d do once we got there, but I couldn’t get Emily out of my mind. I wanted to know why she hadn’t told me about her family and why she’d kicked us all out. Most of all, I wanted to know if she was missing me as much as I missed her.
We pulled up to find the small house engulfed in flames, and two people, old enough to be my grandparents, shivering on the front sidewalk as they watched their home burn. The medics got them into the ambulance while the rest of us suited up to douse the flames.
“Gaston, I want you, Tony, and the rookie to take the front door,” Chief said as I pulled my respiration over my head and grabbed the hose. “The house is a loss, so don’t be a hero.”
I nodded as I looked around for Tony and Cal. Finding them, I motioned toward the front door and headed up the walk. I wondered what Emily was doing right at that moment. Was it time for Nina’s History class? I couldn’t remember. I felt someone tapping my shoulder.
“B, what are you doing?” Tony shouted through his mask. “Where’s the ax?”
I looked down and saw that I was holding only the hose. I shrugged and hollered, “Rookie! Go grab the ax out of the engine!”
Tony shot me a look as Cal headed back to the truck to grab the ax. I pulled off a glove and put a hand on the front door to test for heat. The door was hot, and the knob was too hot to touch. Not a good sign. When Cal returned with the ax, I put a hand on one of the windows next to the door and said, “Bust the glass, but stay back!”
Cal nodded and swung the ax. The sudden gush of air made the flames flare up.
“GET BACK!” I yelled, as I shoved Tony and Cal off the porch and ducked. The sudden increase in heat caused the five small windows surrounding the door frame to explode, sending glass fragments flying. I waited a moment before lifting my head off of the porch. I called out, “You guys okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” Tony replied, as he pulled Cal up off the ground and climbed back onto the porch. “You okay, man?”
I nodded and grabbed the ax from Cal’s hand, swinging it back before bringing it down through the door. The wood splintered but remained intact as I pulled it out and took another swing. This time the door cracked, and when I wiggled the blade, the cheap wood split in two. Tony kicked the door into the house and aimed the hose at the front entry.
It took an hour to put out the fire, and when we were done, the homeowners thanked us profusely. It felt surreal to have people whose lives had just been consumed by flame thanking us. Chief made sure they had the information they needed to get resources while the Red Cross volunteers took inventory of what their immediate needs were.
“Damn, no matter how many times it happens, it always amazes me how quickly those folks get here!” Tony said, looking at the volunteer handing the couple a booklet of resources and a small amount of cash while the other one made hotel reservations for them.
“Are they always that quick?” Cal asked, watching with awe.
“Yep, that’s the power of having thousands of local volunteers in every community,” I nodded. “They always have someone ready to go. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it.”
As we loaded up the engine for the trip home, Tony came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.
“You okay, B?” he asked quietly. “You don’t seem like you’re in the game today.”
“I’m okay,” I replied. “Just got a lot on my mind.”
“Well, you’d better get some of it off your mind before Chief calls you to the carpet,” he said, adding, “Or someone gets hurt.”
I stood by the side of the truck holding my helmet as Tony hauled himself back up into the cab, knowing I had to get Emily out of my head.