Page 17 of Too Much Heat

Joe walked back into the fire station and went right to his office. He dropped down in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. Images of Lara haunted him: her helping her husband to bed…confessing her whole story…the tears in her eyes.

He tried not to think about his reaction to her.

Gage came to the door. “Hey, Cap, you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Swanson come back with you?”

“No. Get the guys together in the kitchen, will you? I have something to tell you.”

When they were all assembled, he saw the irritation on their faces. He knew that emotion had been evident in his dealings with her, too. Maybe that’s what she meant about his being mean.

“I’ll come right to the point. Firefighter Swanson’s been hiding a big secret.”

Gage said, “Can you tell us what?”

“Yeah. She wants you to know now. Probably because she doesn’t want you to think I’m playing favorites.”

“You?” The rookie said. “You treat her like shit.”

Gage snapped, “Watch your tone, Trent.”

“No, he’s right. I guess I did. And you all followed in suit.”

“Not me.” Trent again. The kid didn’t know when to shut up.

Joe said, “I drove her home. That call was about her husband.”

“She’s married?” Pike’s tone at least was concerned. “She never let on.”

“She is. They met in Elmira and moved to Westwood after she graduated from the fire academy downstate. But there’s more. He has ALS.” To Trent he said, “Before you ask, that’s a degenerative disease that robs the person of his ability to function physically and eventually mentally.”

Trent raised a brow. “I know what it is. My uncle had it.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“How has she dealt with it and kept a job? My aunt had to quit hers to take care of him.”

“He has family here. She also hires aides.”

Gage whistled. “That costs a pretty penny.”

“Yeah, our insurance would cover some of it, but I think Swanson’s strapped.”

Shame, now, on their faces. “I feel the same as you obviously do from your expressions. But I suggest we figure out how we can help her. I meanreallyhelp her.”

The brainstorming began.

* * *

A knock on the screen door. Lara got up from the chair where she’d been staring out at space and found Trent, one of her colleagues on the porch. “Bobby?”

He held up cartons. “I brought you food. And company.”

“Come on inside.”

She sighed. “The cap told you all, right?”

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