"How is she?"
"She's okay. The doctors said she can go home tomorrow." Millie shifted on her feet. "She, um—she asked me to come out here."
My chest tightened.
"Okay."
"She wanted me to thank you. For coming. For getting her out." Millie paused. "But she said she's not ready to see you. She needs some time."
The words landed heavy.
I nodded slowly. "Okay. Tell her—" I stopped. What was there to say? "Tell her I understand."
Millie lingered. She looked like she wanted to say something else but didn't know if she should.
"What?" I asked.
"I called you," she said quietly. "When I saw the smoke. I know I should've called 911 first, but I just... I thought of you. I knew you'd come."
"I'll always come."
Millie nodded. Looked at her shoes. "She's been crying a lot. The last few days. Before all this." She glanced up. "I don't know what happened between you two. But... I hope it works out."
"Me too."
She went back inside.
Brian stood. "Come on. I'll drive you home."
"I'm fine."
"You're not." Brian's voice was gentle but firm. "Also, you’re not doing her any good sitting here like this."
Garrett pushed off the wall. "He's right. She knows you stayed. That's enough for tonight."
I looked at the door one more time. Then I followed my brothers out into the cold.
Two weeks passed. I went through the motions at Engine 295.
Drills. Maintenance. Calls that blurred together. A kitchen fire in Woodside. A car accident on the BQE. A false alarm at a nursing home, where the residents kept asking if I was the one from the calendar.
I did my job. I was competent. Professional.
I felt hollow.
The crew saw it. They didn't say anything at first. Firefighters aren't big on emotional conversations. But Brian watched. Garrett watched. Even Captain Rodriguez pulled me aside after a call and asked if I needed time off.
"I'm fine, Cap."
"You're not fine. You're functional. That doesn't mean you're okay."
I didn't argue.
Brian found me in the apparatus bay one night, staring at my phone. No new messages.
"You need to talk to her."
"She doesn't want to talk." I shook my head. "I'm not going to force her. She knows where I am. She knows how I feel. The rest is up to her."
