It was an hour and forty-five minutes past the time when they ordered dinner that Chloe’s phone rang.  It was Zarek.  There was so much noise in the background, it was hard to hear him.  “It’s going to be a long night, Cupcake.”

“We’ll meet you at the station.”

“Nah, get some sleep.  We won’t be done until morning.”

“So, we’ll wait until morning.”

“Sleep!”

“I hear you,” she said.

“Good.”

“Be careful.  I have something to say to you when you get back home.”

There was a long pause, she thought the connection had been lost.

“I can’t wait.”

“So keep my man safe.”

“I will.”

She hung up the phone and looked at her brother and sister.

“So he’s your man, huh?” Evie asked.

“Damn right.”

She thought Evie’s grin might split her face.

“Good choice little sister.” Drake nodded his head, tipping his beer in her direction.

“Mine was better,” Evie said smugly.

“I know Aiden.  Zarek I’ve just met.  My vote’s with Zarek,” Drake said.

Even though her brother barely flinched, she was pretty sure that Evie kicked him underneath the dining room table.

“Come on, we’re going to the store, then to the Station.”

She liked the fact that neither of her siblings had to ask why they were going to the store first.  They knew she would want to pick up food for the others who would arrive.  She called over to Sheryl’s house and made sure the Slayer was taken care of, and they left.

***

When they arrived at the station, there were already about twenty people milling about.  She couldn’t keep up with the names and the faces, but everyone knew who Zarek was and had a kind word to say about him.

A woman named Mrs. Leonard had them sit down next to her and her husband.  Their son Ian had become a fire fighter last year.  Apparently Zarek had taken him under his wing.  They thought the world of him.  They produced a picture of Ian and Zarek.  Chloe wished she knew something about the young man, but Zarek had never mentioned him.  Hell, it seemed like most of their time had been spent focusing on her stuff. 

She looked at Evie who seemed to be able to read her mind.

“Let’s get some coffee for everyone,” she suggested.

“How come I don’t know them?” Chloe moaned as they stood near the coffee pot.  “I should know their son.”

“How long have you been here?  Has it even been a month yet?”

“No,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Cut yourself some slack.” Drake came up from behind and picked up two of the cups they had poured.  “I don’t tell Karen a lot of what goes on at work.  Work is work, and home is home.  If the guys come over, then we talk about it.  The same will be for you and Zarek.”

Chloe bit her bottom lip.  It was a pretty big assumption that there would be a future for her and Zarek.  Hell, they’d only shared a couple of kisses.

An older man strode into the room.  “Listen up.”  Everyone left their tables and gathered around him. 

Mrs. Leonard sidled up to Chloe and said, “he’s Gus.”  Chloe remembered that was the man who had taught Zarek how to cook. 

“They haven’t been able to contain the fire to just one warehouse, it jumped to the adjacent building.  People were inside despite orders to evacuate.”

“Mother of God,” one woman gasped.

“Are they stupid?” Another man said angrily.

“We have multiple stations working the fire.”

“I found it!  It’s right here on Channel Six!”  Everyone turned away from Gus and rushed to the television that was now showing the out of control fire that was being filmed from a helicopter.

“Jesus.”

“That’s our guys!  Look!”

Chloe frantically scanned the scene in front of her, but she couldn’t tell who any of the miniscule personnel were.  What she could see is that ladders were pressed up against the three-story warehouse building and men were climbing them.  She reached out both hands, Drake grabbed one, and Evie grabbed the other.

Before her very eyes, one of the sections of the roof collapsed.  Please God.  Please God.  Please God.  Say that no one was in the building.  There was a hush in the station house.

One of the people on the ladders went into the third-floor window.  She heard someone behind her gasp.

“Turn that off.”

“Leave it on.”

Chloe couldn’t move a muscle.  The helicopter shifted and then they were seeing the two warehouses.  So many firetrucks, so much fire.  How could anybody be expected to survive.  She must have cried out or something.  The next thing she knew, Drake had his arms around her, but her eyes never left the television.

“People, these men and women are the best of the best,” Gus’ voice boomed out.  “I am getting up-to-the minute information.  Not one Dallas fire fighter has gotten so much as a hangnail.  I don’t want to have to do blood pressure checks on all of you because you got upset about a little video.  Let’s move away from the television and sit back down.”

Drake’s voice rumbled, “I like him.”

“What about the fools they have to rescue?” one man shouted out.

“Mr. O’Hearn, they aren’t fools,” Gus said.  “According to sources at the scene they were doing inventory at the second warehouse and they didn’t get the notification about the evacuation.”

“The sirens didn’t give it away?” another woman asked sarcastically.

“Gus, do they have a headcount of how many people who need rescuing?” Drake asked.

“There’s eight still unaccounted for,” Gus answered.

Chloe blocked out the grumbling and instead focused on the screen.  She saw another person on one of the ladders climb into a window.  That had to be the reason they were going inside, they must be trying to rescue the workers. 

Please God, let everyone be safe.

She heard someone whispering the words to ‘Hail Mary’ behind her.  Then she thought she caught the same prayer being uttered in Spanish, but she wasn’t sure.

“People, this is going to be at least another hour or two.  I made some chili, who wants some?” 

Gus’s offer was met with dead silence. 

“Is there cornbread?” Drake finally asked.

“Well what would be the point of chili without cornbread?” Gus groused.

“Sold.”  Drake tried to maneuver Chloe away from the TV, but she refused to budge.

“For God’s sake, you just ate,” Evie said exasperatedly.

“I’m a growing boy,” Drake said.

Chloe knew he was trying to divert attention from the screen, but there was nothing that was nothing that was going to move her, or anyone else, away from the screen.

***

“The fire has been contained.”  Was Gus’s final update.  He was hoarse after four hours of shouting.  He looked like he’d been through a war.  “I’m still getting some updates, but the main thing is that the fire has been contained.”

A weak cheer went up from the people in the room.

 “Not everyone came out of the building, Drake.  Did you see that Evie?” she asked turning to her sister. 

“I couldn’t keep track,” Evie said honestly.

Every one of Chloe’s instincts was to pepper Gus with questions about Zarek, but he was surrounded by all of the other loved ones doing the same thing.  She took out her phone and looked to see if she had any messages.  Nothing.

She called Zarek.  It went to voicemail.  She texted him to call her.  Then she waited to talk to Gus.

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard broke away from the throng, all smiles.  They came up to Chloe.  “Ian is fine.  He’ll be back here in the next forty-five minutes.”

“Will Zarek be with him?” Chloe asked.  She didn’t care that her voice sounded desperate, she was desperate.  She needed to see him.  To touch him. 

“I’m sorry, Gus didn’t say.  Go ask him.  He knows who’s coming back, when.”

Chloe saw that the crowd was dispersing.  With Drake and Evie at her side, she went up to Gus.  The older man took one look at her and pointed towards the office.

“No,” she said calmly.  “Just tell me.”

“He’s been taken to Parkland Hospital.  Lexi Fletcher worked on him at the scene and rode with him there.”

“Who’s Lexi?” Evie asked.

“She’s a damned fine paramedic.  She said he’s holding his own.”

Her knees turned to water.  Drake kept her from falling.

“Damn it, that came out wrong.  She thinks he’s going to be fine.  Three of our people were caught when roof collapsed.  They all made it out.  Zarek was one of them.  They thought he was okay, but then he passed out.”

Before she could open her mouth, Drake was answering her question.

“We’ll get you there, Honey.  How far away is it from here Gus?”

“This time of the morning?  It should take you less than thirty minutes to get there.”  Chloe appreciated the comforting feel of Evie’s hand on her back.