“I’m good,” Alex said, holding up a hand. Discussing what had gone down with Ray and Amber might be the only thing that could make this day worse.
“I’m sorry about what happened.”
Alex lifted an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected an apology. “For screwing my girlfriend or getting caught screwing my girlfriend?”
Ray huffed out a laugh. “Both. But believe me, she was no prize. I did you a favor.”
Alex already knew that to be true but didn’t reply.
“If we’re going to work together, we have to move past it,” Ray said. “Can you do that?”
“Sure,” Alex said. Ray would find out soon enough he was asking for a transfer. Alex could handle him until then.
Two policemen came and recorded Alex’s version of events. The firefighter’s internal affairs equivalent listened in, saving him from having to tell the story more than once. The interrogation took much longer than he thought. Blood kept soaking through his bandage, and twice during the interview, he’d had to stop and tape on more gauze padding. By the time they finished, the adrenaline had worn off, and he was fading fast. Still, he’d promised pizza, so he called in an order before leaving the station and picked it up a few minutes later.
On the walk home, he called Johnny, told him what had happened, and asked how important it was to have a bullet wound checked. “It just grazed me,” Alex said. “Maybe took a small chunk of muscle, but I’ve got plenty to spare.”
“Not funny,” Johnny said. “Get your ass up here, and I’ll dress it myself. You probably need a tetanus shot too.”
“I could use a couple of stitches,” Alex said. “Damn thing won’t stop bleeding.”
“I’m on till midnight. If you don’t come in by then, I’m coming to you.”
Alex agreed but stopped by Julia’s to deliver the pizza and eat with them first.
“How’s your arm, Mr. Alex?” Cal asked. He seemed a little morose, but otherwise fine, which surprised Alex.
“It’ll be fine, bud,” Alex said. “You remember my brother Johnny? The doctor who took care of you? I’m gonna go see him, and he’s going to fix me up. How are you? You know all this is over and you’re safe, right?”
“Yeah. That’s what my mom said.” He picked at his fingernail. “Sam says Mr. Kenneth is going to jail. Is that true?”
“That’s right. He won’t be around anymore.”
Cal nodded. “So, I can still play on the roof? And go to preschool?”
“Of course, honey,” Julia said. “After Christmas, preschool will start again.”
“Can I watch TV?”
“If you’re done with your pizza, yes,” Julia said. She turned on a cartoon show and left him in the living room.
Alex was starving, and dug into the pizza. The food made him feel better, but the news that Julia was planning to move as soon as possible turned that around in a hurry.
He put down the slice he was working on. “Now that you have money and are out of danger, what’s the hurry?”
“I just think it’s time to get Cal out of the city,” she said. “Find a place with a yard. Get a new dog. Join little league. All that stuff.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I thought maybe…” He trailed off, not really knowing what he thought.
She sighed. “I’ve been thinking about what you said. About me not being fair to the men I date, and you’re right. I would—Iwill—do anything for Calvin. And while that includes marrying someone I don’t love, it’s unfair of me not to be upfront about that.”
He nodded, but stayed silent.
“I also got to wondering, why would anyone want to take on a child who wasn’t theirs, with a woman who didn’t love them? No sane person would accept that. Or, it would be suspiciously weird if they did. When I looked at it that way, when you pointed it out so plainly, I realized I can’t expect that. I’ve decided to wait until I find a man who meets my criteriaandwho I love.”
“That’s a tall order,” he said.
“It is,” she said. “In the meantime, I still have to watch out for Cal’s feelings.”
