Page 64 of Dr. Roz Harrington
Frustrated, Roz dropped her phone into her lap again. She wanted to say something,anything.But the words wouldn’t come. Roz had always been better with her hands than with her voice, her ability to act far surpassing her ability to explain herself.
She exhaled slowly, staring at the blank screen.
“You just have to be brave.”
The thought struck her like lightning. She didn’t need to say the perfect thing. She just needed totry.
Roz’s fingers clenched around the phone as she stood abruptly, a new restlessness in her chest. She didn’t know exactly what she was going to do, but she knew she couldn’t sit here anymore. She couldn’t let fear control her any longer.
Moving with purpose, Roz grabbed her jacket and keys from the hook by the door. She paused only for a moment to glance back at the apartment—the paperwork on the table, the cold coffee, the neatly arranged loneliness.
It wasn’t enough. Not anymore.
She stepped out into the hallway, locking the apartment door behind her. The metallic clang echoed in the silence, and she exhaled, her breath fogging in the cool morning air as she made her way down the steps.
The drive to the firehouse felt longer than it should have. Roz gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles white, her thoughts a chaotic mess.
What if she doesn’t want to see me?
The doubt snuck in like poison, curling in her chest. Roz tightened her jaw, forcing herself to breathe through it. It didn’t matter what Sam said. What mattered was that Roz showed up. She had to show Sam that she wasn’t running anymore.
Her car pulled up outside the firehouse, the familiar red brick façade looming ahead. Roz parked and sat there for a moment, the engine still running. The firehouse doors were open, and the faint sound of movement and chatter drifted out.
She hesitated, her fingers drumming against the steering wheel. The last time she’d stood in front of Sam, she’d pushed her away and lied to her with every clipped word and cold glance. This time had to be different.
Roz shut off the engine and stepped out, her boots striking the pavement with a muted thud. Her heart pounded as she crossed the short distance to the firehouse bay.
A young firefighter noticed her first, his head tilting with curiosity. He paused in his task, wiping his hands on a rag. “Morning. Can I help you?”
Roz swallowed, her voice steady despite the knots in her stomach. “I’m here to see Captain Sam.”
The firefighter raised his eyebrows but nodded. “Hold on. I’ll grab her.”
Roz watched him disappear inside. She shifted her weight, hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket as she stood there, surrounded by the quiet hum of the waking city. Her pulse roared in her ears.
A moment later, she heard steady, familiar footsteps, and then Sam stepped into view.
She was still in uniform, her shirt sleeves rolled up, and there was a smudge of soot on her cheek. She looked tired but strong, her expression sharp until her gaze landed on Roz.
Sam froze mid-step.
For a second, Roz couldn’t move or speak. The world shrank until it was just the two of them, standing there with an ocean of silence and words left unsaid between them.
Sam’s voice broke through the quiet, low and cautious. “Roz?”
Roz swallowed, forcing herself to hold Sam’s gaze. “Hey.”
The faint lines of tension in Sam’s brow deepened. “What are you doing here?”
Roz took a step forward, her voice soft but sure. “I needed to see you.”
Sam stood still, her arms crossed defensively as she looked Roz up and down. “Now you do? After everything?”
The accusation in her tone stung, but Roz didn’t flinch. She deserved it. She knew she did.
“I know,” Roz admitted quietly, her throat tight. “I screwed up, Sam. But I?—”
Sam shook her head, holding up a hand. “Don’t. I don’t know if I can do this right now, Roz.”
