Page 86 of Ink and Ashes
“How is he?” Jess is the first to ask.
Chief Whitlock blows out a breath, his eyes glassy. He’s a tough guy, never letting anyone see him down, so I know based on his response that this is hitting him hard.
“He was groggy, but all things considered, he seemed okay. We didn’t tell him about Finn, though. We decided to hold off on that news until he’s a bit stronger,” Colson tells the crew when Chief Whitlock struggles to find the words.
Jess nods, and the rest of the crew retakes their seats. I squeeze Cassidy’s shoulder before making my way back over to Colson, lacing my fingers with his.
Colson’s dad William shows up a little while later with Finn’s wife and daughters in tow. Whitlock must’ve asked him to break the news to them, which makes sense since he was fire chief when Finn started with the station and knows the family well.
A doctor comes out to talk to them while the rest of us hangout in the waiting room, a silent show of support for the Finnegans. When the doctor takes them back to discuss some things, Colson makes his way over to his father, his hand still tangled in mine.
He only releases it to give his dad a hug, a silent conversation being had between them. When he pulls away, he immediately takes my hand again.
“Dad, this is Holland Rhodes,” Colson says, gesturing toward me. He gestures to his dad next while looking at me and adds, “Holland, this is my dad.”
I reach my hand out in front of me. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
Colson’s dad doesn’t hesitate to take my hand too. “It’s great to meet you too, Holland. Been wondering when we’d finally meet. Too bad it’s under these circumstances.”
“It is,” I say back. There’s an air of awkwardness in the room, no one knowing what to do or say next. We continue to wait around until visiting hours end and the nurses have no choice but to ask us all to leave.
We say our goodbyes to the rest of the team, Colson leading me out to his truck. His dad follows closely behind, inviting us over for dinner. Colson agrees easily, and even though the idea of officially meeting his parents terrifies me, I don’t protest. I get the feeling he needs this.
His dad leaves and we follow suit. Colson runs a hand through his hair, focusing on the road as we drive. I wish there was more I could do to comfort him right now, but I feel in over my head here. So I simply take his hand in mine again, letting him know that I’m here for whatever he needs.
“I don’t think Ollie’s the arsonist, Rhodes,” Colson finally breaks the silence to say.
I exhale deeply. “Neither do I.”
He glances at me with confusion. “You don’t?”
I shake my head. “Not after this. I can’t clear him for sure until the next fire, but Ollie’s motivation wouldn’t include intentionally harming the people closest to him, especially not if it means he could get injured too.”
Colson’s grip on the steering wheel tightens. “I never thoughtanyone at the station would do something like that.”
I squeeze his hand tighter. “I know. And that makes it harder to figure out who it is. They’re good at putting on a show so no one suspects them.”
“How the hell are we going to catch them then?”
I really wish I had an answer for him, but I don’t. “I’m not sure yet. But we’ll figure it out together, okay?”
Colson’s jaw flexes as he squeezes my hand. “Okay.”
A few minutes later, we pull into Colson’s parents’ driveway behind his dad. The rest of the full-timers were invited over too, but according to the text I got from Cass a little while ago, they’ve all opted for drinking their sorrows away at Wildfire Bar and Grill instead. So it’s just Colson and me here tonight.
The moment we make it to the front door, the woman I can only assume is Colson’s mom meets us in the foyer.
“Hi, baby,” she tells Colson as she pulls him in for a hug. “I’m so sorry to hear about Finn.”
My chest clenches at those words. I’m guessing William filled her in on everything before he came to the hospital.
She releases her son a moment later and turns to me.
“You must be Holland,” she says as she wraps me in a hug. “I’m Stacy. It’s so lovely to finally meet you.”
I’m a bit taken aback at first, but quickly relax into her, hugging her back. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
She pulls back with a smile. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”
