As he sat there with empty fingers and sagging shoulders, I felt guilty for snapping at him. “Sorry.” I ran a hand back through my hair. “It’s not your fault. I’m just a jerk today.”
Nick’s brows furrowed and he clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I know it’s a rough day for you.”
I couldn't help but sigh. I was hoping none of the other guys would notice, but we were a tight-knit group and nothing got past them. Especially Nick.
“It’s no excuse for acting like a dick,” I growled. I tried to brush off the situation. “Anyway, if we get paged, I have to be ready. I can’t waste time thinking about the past.”
I forced myself to say the words in hopes that they would come true. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about my ex-boyfriend leaving me. It was six months today, but the wound still felt fresh and bloody. Tender to think about. It still hurt.
“I don’t think you could be more ready for a job if you tried.” Nick said with a smirk, shaking me out of my thoughts. “You’re always the first one at the station, even the guys who were already there.”
“Thanks, kid,” I grunted, giving him a friendly shove. Nick was 20, only a couple of years younger than me, but he only joined the volunteer firefighters recently. I’d been the one to “raise” him, so to speak. He would always be a kid to me.
Despite our close relationship, there was one thing I could never tell him – the same secret that was the reason my ex dumped me.
I bristled thinking about it. I was tired of having the same thoughts every fucking day. I was sick of it. Couldn’toneday go by where I didn’t have to remember him?
Nick must have noticed I was lost in a thought again because he nudged my leg with his boot. “Earth to Victor.” He imitated a walkie-talkie noise. “Your coffee’s getting cold, over.”
I kicked him playfully back and downed the rest of my lukewarm coffee. All the sugar I’d dumped in it had floated to the bottom and my face twisted in disgust.
Nick laughed. “Youshould quit all the sugar.”
“Shut up,” I said with a grin.
A sharp familiar noise went off from both our belts at once. Adrenaline shot through me as I grabbed the pager. Without speaking, Nick and I nodded at each other and ran to the car. I slammed the door and barely had my seatbelt on before I twisted the ignition and we tore down the street towards the fire station.
Parking the car, both of us darted inside. The bay was packed. The rest of the guys on call were getting dressed and ready. Bodies and noise blurred all around me.
I breathed deeply and steadied myself as I grabbed my boots. I was no use to anybody if I rushed and made a mistake.
Once I had my coat on, I jogged to the truck when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nick hopping on one foot trying to get into his gear. He cursed under his breath. He haphazardly finished dressed and bolted towards the truck. As he ran, he didn’t notice the clattering of his radio falling out of his pocket.
“Nick!” I called. The tone of my voice must have been enough to get his attention. He skidded to a halt. “Don’t rush, rookie,” I grunted, handing over his radio. “That’s the fastest way to make a mistake.”
Nick nodded. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I said. “Now you know better. Take a deep breath, make sure you have all your things.”
He checked himself over and nodded. “I do.”
“Alright, let’s go, then.”
Among the bustle of men and constant blips of pagers, I closed my eyes and breathed again. The truck rumbled to life and shot out of the station. The siren blared, and the traffic on the streets stopped dead and parted like the sea, allowing us to pass.
“Vic, what’s the call?” another rookie, Dan, asked.
“You mean you didn’t listen to the entire page?” I growled. He shirked back sheepishly. I had to force myself to remember how overeager the new kids could be. “Structure fire. An old abandoned building on Queen street.”
“Anyone trapped inside?” Dan asked.
“Thankfully not,” Nick said.
“Keep an eye out anyway. You never know,” I grunted, furrowing my brow. They were still naïve. There could easily have been squatters in the building they didn’t know about. Animals, too – but with their sharper senses, they were usually smart enough to get out at the first whiff of smoke. Humans, unfortunately, weren’t so keen.
I smelled the smoke before I saw it. The truck rounded the corner, slipping through the parted cars. Huge black clouds of smoke billowed out from a rotting building and drowned the sky. The guys in the truck gasped in awe.
“Holy shit,” Nick muttered.
