Page 69 of The Night Belongs To Fireman

No one said a word. He scanned the familiar faces of Station 1’s A shift. Their expressions ranged from curiosity to respect to acceptance. He held Mulligan’s glance for a long moment, making sure they understood each other. Mulligan nodded briefly. That’s all Fred needed. The man’s nod was as good as his bond.

“Say no more. We’re cool, Freddie. You need anything, let us know.” Double D finally said. Everyone nodded. Fred felt a rush of love for his crew. They always had his back. Always.

“Except my wife is about to blow a gasket,” Double D continued. “Think we can get back to business here?”

“Yes.” Relieved, Fred let out a quiet whoosh of breath. The firehouse had survived some outrageous scenes, but he’d never been at the center of one before. “Let’s do it. Tell Patty I’ll be right there.”

The crowd dispersed, including Rachel, who huddled with Sabina as they headed into the house. Obviously they were discussing something very serious. He reached a hand down for Vader, who grasped it and hauled himself to his feet.

“I’m sorry, man,” he told his captain, low so no one else could hear. “I shouldn’t have thrown you. I lost my shit there.”

“Yeah you did,” Vader said cheerfully. “You proved my point, bro. I hate to say it, Freddie-boy, but you’re in love.”

Chapter 20

Chalk up another new experience in Rachel’s life; she’d never before had two guys come to blows over her. She still wasn’t completely sure if that’s what had happened, since Fred had clammed up. After the fight with Vader, he’d stalked into Patty and Double D’s bedroom and slammed the door.

Sabina did her best to explain. She took Rachel into the kitchen to help pack up the dishes and flatware. With a morbid sense of humor, someone had draped police crime scene tape around the microwave.

“When Fred first came to the firehouse,” Sabina told her as she wrapped glasses in newspaper, “he had a very serious girlfriend. She seemed like a real sweetheart. On his first day she made blueberry pie for the whole crew. It was adorable. The guys teased him because she called him all the time and left little love notes in his lunch. On his first day, Double D overheard her calling him ‘you big stud’ on the phone, and that’s how he got the nickname. Anyway, it turned out she wasn’t so sweet after all and she dumped him for someone on the C shift. Someone with more seniority who was about to make captain. So what it comes down to is that he might be a little sensitive about bringing girls around the crew.”

“Was that Courtney?” Rachel asked, remembering the girl from the bowling alley. She followed Sabina’s lead and picked up a mug, surrounding it with a sheet of newspaper.

“No, this was ages ago. He broke it off with Courtney … well, a few weeks ago, I think. Here’s the thing about Fred. He’s a sweet guy, but push him too far and he pushes back.”

“I guess he proved that today.”

Sabina laughed. “I know, right? Fred’s one of my favorites at the firehouse. He’s got a heart the size of California. But he doesn’t get the attention he deserves. I’ve been waiting for the right person to show up, someone who really appreciates Fred.”

Rachel couldn’t tell if Sabina was welcoming her or warning her. She set the mug in the box and reached for another one. “Fred is …” How could she put this without revealing too much? “He takes good care of me.” She winced. That made Fred sound like a babysitter. “I mean, I trust him.” That wasn’t any better; now he sounded like a trustworthy babysitter. “I care about him. I … we have fun together.”

Sabina put up a hand to stop her. “I don’t need the details. In fact, I beg you not to share the details. Fred’s like a brother to me. But I thought you should know that when his old girlfriend hooked up with that C shift guy, he seemed relieved more than anything. He sure didn’t knock anyone around. Something to think about.”

Just then Patty hurried into the kitchen like a hurricane in flip-flops, and the conversation ended. Rachel was dying to ask Sabina more questions but never got a chance. And then they were all draining the last of their beer, saying good-bye, and heading home.

During the entire trip back to her apartment, Fred didn’t say a single word.

“Do you miss the station?” Rachel finally asked, just to break the silence. He didn’t answer, just frowned at the road ahead. She tried again. “I bet you’ll be glad to get back to your real job.”

Nothing. Maybe he hadn’t even heard her.

The communication blackout continued all the way home. Fred barely said hello to Marsden in the lobby. Once he’d checked the entire apartment and done the usual security check, he took Greta for a walk.

With a sick feeling in her stomach, Rachel used the time to go through the mail she’d been neglecting over the past few days. Her mail went to a post office box, which Marsden emptied twice a week on her behalf. Not that there was anything interesting—mostly solicitations and catalogues. She flipped through a pet care catalogue while she sorted through her thoughts, and especially Sabina’s words.

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