Page 62 of Phoenix Rising

Finally, Lucinda pulled back, wiping at her face again. “I should probably get back to work,” she said, though there was reluctance in her voice.

Becky nodded, knowing that they couldn’t stay in this little pocket of peace forever. “Yeah, me too.”

But neither of them made a move to stand just yet. There was something about this moment, about the quiet intimacy they had shared, that neither of them wanted to let go of just yet.

Becky reached out, taking Lucinda’s hand in hers and squeezing it gently. “Promise me something?”

Lucinda looked up at her, her brow furrowed in curiosity. “What?”

“Promise me you'll lean on me,” Becky said, her voice soft but firm. “We’re a team, Lucinda. Youdon’t have to carry everything on your own. Let me help you with your burdens, and I'll let you help me with mine."

Lucinda’s eyes softened, and she nodded slowly. “I promise.”

Becky smiled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Lucinda’s forehead. “Good.”

They stood up together, Becky helping Lucinda to her feet before fixing her disheveled hair. Lucinda gave her a tired smile, and for the first time in what felt like days, there was a lightness in her expression, a faint glimmer of hope that things might actually be okay.

Becky watched as Lucinda adjusted her clothes, her heart swelling for the woman in front of her. It wasn’t just the affection she felt—though that was undeniable—it was the admiration, the deep respect for how much Lucinda had endured, how much she gave of herself every single day. And now, seeing her so vulnerable, so raw, made Becky love her even more.

18

LUCINDA

The morning came with a thin mist hovering over Phoenix Ridge, the air heavy and saturated from the relentless downpour. Lucinda stood at the window of the Emergency Operations Center, her breath fogging the glass as she stared out at the gray world. The rain had been falling for days, unrelenting, beating down on the town as though the sky itself was determined to drown it. But as dawn crept over the horizon, the downpour had slowed to a steady drizzle, a faint whisper compared to the violent roar that had raged through the night.

She felt a knot of tension in her chest begin to loosen. After days of uncertainty, waiting for the worst—waiting for the dam to break, for thefloodwaters to crash through the town—there was finally a sliver of hope. The radio crackled behind her, the low murmur of reports from field teams filling the room.

“The water level has stabilized,” one of the engineers from the dam’s monitoring team reported over the radio. “We’re still keeping an eye on the structural integrity, but it looks like the worst of the pressure has passed.”

Lucinda exhaled, her shoulders slumping slightly with relief. She turned away from the window, rubbing her eyes. It had been a long, sleepless night. Everyone at the EOC had been on edge coordinating the evacuation, managing emergency calls, and trying to stay ahead of the disaster. The storm had pushed them all to their limits, and now, with the threat of the dam breaking finally receding, exhaustion hit her like a wave. She pulled out her phone to see a multitude of texts from her mother and a few messages from Artie. Lucinda sent them both a message saying she was alright and would call them later. Thank god Artie and his partner had been out of town this week.

She caught sight of Becky across the room hunched over a map spread out on the table, deep in conversation with one of the other firefighters.Her brow was furrowed in concentration, her hair damp from the rain and pulled back into a messy ponytail. Despite everything, she still had that steely focus that Lucinda admired so much. Watching her now, seeing how she’d taken charge during the crisis, Lucinda couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride.

Becky had been a rock through all of this. While Lucinda’s job had been managing the medical teams, triaging patients, and coordinating hospital efforts, Becky had been in the thick of the action managing rescue efforts, keeping her team safe, and organizing the evacuation of entire neighborhoods. They’d barely had a chance to talk amidst the chaos, but there had been stolen glances, brief moments of unspoken understanding that passed between them, reminding Lucinda of why they were here—why they were trying again. Also, the moment they had in the closet last night. A last-ditch effort at claiming one another before inevitable doom.

She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed that connection with Becky, that unspoken bond they shared when they worked together. It wasn’t just professional respect; it was something deeper, something that had been missing from her lifeever since they’d broken up. And now, in the quiet after the storm, Lucinda felt the weight of everything they’d been through together these past few days.

Becky glanced up and met Lucinda’s gaze, her expression softening just for a moment. It was brief, barely a second, but it was enough. Lucinda gave her a small, tired smile, and Becky returned it before returning to her conversation.

The radios crackled again, and Lucinda moved to listen.

“Water levels at the dam are lowering,” the voice of one of the engineers said. “We’re still not completely out of the woods, but for now, the immediate danger seems to have passed.”

Lucinda exhaled slowly. The words felt like music to her ears. For days, the dam had been the looming threat, the one thing that could turn an already dangerous situation into a catastrophe. But it seemed they had been spared—at least for now.

The tension in the EOC eased slightly, and the hum of activity continued, but with a more measured pace now. People were tired and worn down from the nonstop work over the last few days, but there was relief in the air, a sense that maybe they could finally start to relax.

Lucinda moved to the corner of the room, picking up a half-empty water bottle and downing it in a few gulps. Her throat was dry, and her limbs felt heavy with exhaustion. She hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours, but there was still too much to do, too many patients to check on, too many reports to file. Her head was splitting from the raging headache that had been plaguing her for three days.

She sank into a chair, rubbing her temples as the adrenaline began to wear off. Outside, the rain had almost completely stopped, leaving only a light drizzle in its wake. The streets, which had been rivers only hours before, were now littered with debris but no longer submerged.

Lucinda heard the soft scuff of boots on the floor and looked up to see Becky approaching her, a tired but determined look on her face.

“You doing okay?” Becky asked, her voice low but carrying that familiar authority.

She wondered if Becky was asking how she was doing with the emergency plans or if Lucinda had recovered from their affair in the storage room. She thought it better to answer vaguely.

Lucinda nodded, leaning back in her chair. “I’m fine. Just exhausted.”

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