RIYA
Riya dismounted the engine and was heartily greeted by a tail-wagging, attention-seeking Scout. There was no choice but to get on her knees and cuddle the puppy. Playing with Scout was de-stressing, but it wasn’t enough to take the edge off her lieutenant’s comments.
“You and that dog.” Ambrose shook his head at her.
“What about me and the dog?” She was immediately defensive.
“Takes up a lot of time is all I’m saying.”
“I get my work done.” She continued to play with Scout.
“That you do. But we can’t keep her here, Desai.” Ambrose’s voice was gentle, something she had not heard before.
Riya snapped her gaze up to him. “What do you mean?”
He squatted down next to her. His mouth was set in a line, but sadness flicked through his blue eyes. “I mean you need to find her a real home.” He stood and walked away.
She cuddled Scout, cradling the puppy’s little head in her hands. “What am I going to do with you?” She could take her back to her parents’ after shift tonight, but then what? Put out an ad on social media? No. Too risky. Scout might end up with someone abusive. The best thing for the puppy was for her to ask Dhillon. He knew his patients’ families and knew who would be able to take in a puppy. Her heart sank at the thought of Scout being with a strange family. Maybe her parents wouldn’t mind having Scout, temporarily. But maybe not the best idea while her mother was recovering.
She needed a shower and a change of clothes before she headed over to the rehab center to see her mother.
She walked into the locker room and was met with a round ofHeys andWhoas, not to mention an eyeful of half-naked firemen. That may not sound bad to most women, but these were her coworkers. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned on her heel. “I’m leaving,” she yelled.
She refused to apologize. It wasn’t her fault there was no women’s locker or shower. The problem was that now she would have to wait to get in the shower.
“I don’t mind if you’re in here!” That would be Walsh. Gross.
“Yeah, well, I do!” she called back.
Riya went back to the bay to clean the rig and was teaching Scout some new commands when she spotted Hetal wandering around.
“Hey! Did I know you were coming here?” Riya hopped off the engine.
“No. I just knew you had a shift and took a chance.” Hetal glanced around, her face shining with excitement. “This place is amazing! I’ve never been in a fire station before.”
Scout was wagging her tail, trying to get Hetal’s attention. Hetal laughed as she knelt down to greet the puppy. Riya shook her head. “Dog whisperer all the way.”
“So did you just get back?” Hetal asked, giggling as Scout licked her face.
“Yeah.” Riya looked down at her gear. “Just waiting to use the locker room.”
“They don’t have a women’s locker room?” Her eyes widened in shock.
“Or shower. The guys got in first, so now I wait.” She sighed. “Not a lot of women in firefighting.”
“Can you show me around?” Hetal asked as she stood up. Scout simply gazed at her with pure adoration.
Riya was thrilled to show off the station to Hetal. She was proud to be a firefighter, and Hetal was the only one who seemed to understand and support that. Plus, if she was serious about firefighting, Riya wanted to help guide her, so she wouldn’t have the same obstacles she herself had dealt with. Like any big sister would.
Schultz was the first of the guys out. “Hey, Desai, sorry about that. They’re almost done.”
Riya was grateful for Schultz’s almost immediate friendship. “Thanks. Meet my neighbor, Hetal.”
“This is the vet’s sister?” asked Schultz.
Hetal laughed. “Yep, that’s me. I’m actually interested in becoming a firefighter.”
“Oh, yeah?” Schultz grinned. “Want to be a hero like Desai, here?”
