They sat in silence for a bit and it was Rock who broke it with a sigh.
"How are things going today?"
Kaleo smiled at the other man's words. "Okay so far. I know we're going to need some training to fit me into the flow with the rest of you, but I'm a fast learner. I don't see any problems."
"That's good."
The words were simple, but the meaning of the silence that followed was profound.
"I'm not sure if I... if I did something? Or if I said something? But," Kaleo tipped his head back until the back of his head touched the wall, "I think the lieutenant isn't happy with me."
Rock drew in a breath through his nose and a few seconds later, he exhaled. "I'm guessing that you haven't heard about Seth, the man you're replacing."
Kaleo shook his head. "No." It had taken him a few seconds to realize that Rock probably couldn't see him well in the darkness. "I don't usually like to pry."
The bench rocked a little, and Kaleo saw that Rock was stretching his legs out in front. "It's not really a matter of prying. You should probably understand why the lieutenant is having some... difficulty today."
Kaleo listened to Rock as he began to speak.
"The man whose spot you're filling was Isaac's best friend."
Kaleo felt the weight of Rock's words.
He knew what it was like to get close to the other firefighters, even more so with a crew as tight as Rescue Crews tended to get. On any given day, firefighters had to count on each other to have their backs. Rescue Crews were put in more dangerous situations on the job so the trust that developed between the firefighters on crew was that much deeper.
"Did," Kaleo tried to pick his words carefully, "did he die on the job?"
Rock's voice hummed in his chest. "No."
Kaleo felt the bench move again and he lifted his head to look at the man sitting next to him.
Rock was facing him, and even though the lighting was barely more than a golden glow in the darkness, Kaleo had the distinct feeling that Rock's eyes were fixed on his face.
"I think you understand that what I'm about to tell you is something private that shouldn't be repeated to people outside of the firehouse."
Kaleo nodded. "I understand."
Rock folded his hands in his lap. "Seth had been injured on the job, more than once. He came back each time working harder and harder. You can appreciate how close Seth was to Isaac. Most people," Rock explained, "call him Faust."
Kaleo's mouth tipped up at one corner. "I'd love to hear the story behind that, too."
Rock softly laughed at that. "Do you know who Faust was in the story?"
He nodded. "The character made a deal with the devil for... wealth? Knowledge?"
"Something like that." Rock's voice held a tinge of amusement. "In this case, Faust is one lucky son-of-a-bitch on the job. There have been times he seems like he can walk right through fire."
Kaleo heard a sigh in the near-dark.
"If you ask him, it's definitely more of a curse than anything else. Really though, most of us think it's all crazy instinct on his part. It's hard to explain, but you'll see it over time."
Kaleo wanted to know more, but he didn't press Rock for more at the moment.
He was still thinking about the lieutenant's friend.
"Seth's injuries came with a price none of us saw. He... he got addicted to the pain killers he was on."
Kaleo heard the ache of loss in Rock's voice. He could only imagine how Faust felt.
