GABE
Two more hours, and the end of my shift can’t come soon enough. I feel like I haven’t had any time to breathe this last week, and I feel like I could sleep for days, but that’s not why I am ready for my shift to end. I’m ready because as soon as I get out of here, I’m going straight to Chrissy’s, and we’re working this out.
We can’t keep going like we are, and the truth is, I miss her. I miss talking to her, joking around with her, hell, just being around her. Somehow I need to show her that we can be good with one another. I need to show her that we are meant to be together.
I’m sitting in the dining hall, looking between the clock and the television. Everyone is just hanging out, and I’m praying we don’t get a call inthe next two hours. The door to the station opens, and all heads turn.
All the guys get to their feet. “Holden!”
“Go Bears!” someone hollers.
I just stand up and watch as everyone talks to my brother. I’ve gotten used to him being some sort of celebrity. He was the best catcher in the professional league for a long time, plus he’s an amazing guy. He always gets noticed when he goes places, and even though he’s here at the station a lot, the guys still get excited to see him.
When he finally reaches me, he’s smiling, and he hugs me. “How you doing, brother?”
I nod and look around the room. All eyes are still on us, so I gesture to the door. “Want to go outside?”
He nods and talks to a few more guys on his way to the door. I’m shaking my head when he finally gets outside. “You’re a superstar, brother.”
He shrugs. “Not really. I throw a ball. You save lives.”
I point to the lawn chairs that one of the guys had brought and set up out here. “Want to sit? To what do I owe this visit?”
Holden gestures to the mountains in the distance. “Is that something to worry about?”
I look at the smoky sky. “It’s a brush fire in the mountains. Jasper FD is on scene, and they say it’s almost contained.”
“That’s good,” he comments.
I nod. “Yeah, is that what you came to talk about?”
Holden sits down next to me and leans his elbows on his knees. “So Cat came home telling me how upset Chrissy was after seeing you today, and I thought I should come talk to you.”
I know Chrissy has been through a lot the last week, and I thought with time it would be okay, but it kills me to know she’s upset. “Fuck, I messed up, Holden!”
I stand up and start pacing back and forth. I didn’t think I was messing up, but now I do.
Holden stands up, and the happy lighthearted look is completely gone from his face. “Did you… shit, I don’t even know how to ask you this… did you take advantage of Chrissy?”
I stop, and my mouth drops. “Is that what she thinks? Is that what she’s saying? I knew I should have made her wait. Ledger died, and we were both hurting, and one thing—”
“Gabe, what were you thinking?”
“I love her.”
He stands up and just looks at me, and I nod my head. “I love her and don’t say like a sister or some shit like that. I mean, I’m crazy in love with her. I want to marry her. I want her to be the mother of my kids. I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
He hesitates, but it doesn’t look as if he’s surprised. He asks me as if my answer is going to change, “You love her?”
“Of course, I do. You can’t tell me you didn’t know!”
He throws a hand up in frustration. “Well, I thought I knew, but hell, for the last three years you guys have denied, denied, denied, so I wasn’t sure, and then Cat comes home saying you’re seeing someone and—”
“Seeing someone? What the hell are you talking about?”
He points toward the station. “The girl you were with today?”
“Bullshit. She’s new, we work together, and she offered to go with me to pick up food for the guys.”