Page 13 of Sampled

“There’s no girl because I’m busy becoming a doctor. No free time for fun. Like you can talk, Ms. ‘My daughter makes me so proud she’s getting two sets of letters. CPA-MBA. Be still my Indian heart.’”

“I see why Nora wants to murder you. Bye, big brother.”

“Stay hydrated. Use protection. STDs are real.” Raj sounded exactly like their mother for a second.

CHAPTER 5

It appeared lineup would start late on Thursday morning. The outgoing shift from Firehouse 19 was sleeping in, and the next shift hadn’t shown.

Unless they were the members of the dynamic duo of Royce Murphy and Casey Jensen on the Medic ambulance.

“How long do you think you can hide?” Casey asked. Royce had volunteered them for the Medic yesterday morning and had done his best to stay outside of the firehouse for the shift.

“I’m not hiding,” Royce said. By mutual accord, they went to the Engine and started checking the hoses.

Per his routine for the last six months, Royce had arrived early for his shift at Firehouse 19 yesterday. The captain was notoriously easy going about line-up, so Royce liked to come in, work out, and do an equipment check on the outgoing shift. Actual line-up usually occurred closer to ten instead of nine on most days.

“You checked your phone every ten minutes, and you had that goofy smile between calls,” Casey said, folding the hose.

“I get texts.”

“She’s still at your place, isn’t she?” Casey and Royce had been paired together for the past year because Casey was actually punctual.

“So what? I just… I just couldn’t. Didn’t you see your last one more than once?” Royce remembered going to Firehouse 15’s rookie graduation party where Casey had left with one of the rare female firefighters.

“Three drunk nights without sleeping over don’t count.” Casey re-rolled the hose.

“See, more than once. It’s something,” Royce said and pointed to the crew quarters off the garage. “How long do you think they’re going to sleep?”

Firehouse 19 had been called in support of an overnight fire in Battalion 2. As usual, Medic with Casey and Royce had beaten the Engine and Ladder to the scene by almost ten minutes. They’d ferried 10’s lieutenant and rookie to MetroGen hospital after they got hit by some rafters. The rest of 19 stayed to start overhaul before collapsing into bed.

“Not long enough for you to escape,” Casey warned him.

“Sex doesn’t have to be random. I’m not attached. She’s really nice. A workaholic, but nice.”

“No one wants to nurse you through another heartbreak.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “My heart wasn’t that broken.”

“Right. Drinking alone. Getting a ton of tats. Taking stupid risks like going into buildings without air or your partner?”

“That only happened once,” Royce disagreed. “You know why I went in. I had to save that kid.”

Firehouse 19 had been slow to respond to a fire call. As they were deploying, Royce had seen a kid trapped inside the building. He’d abandoned his position in Medic and ran into the building first without air. Casey had followed him.

He should have gotten written up. But, according to the captain, escaping death by an inch was as good as a mile.

Casey nodded. “I don’t know why you’re still here. Take the lieutenant’s exam.”

“Why don’t you? You’re older than me and more experienced.” Royce had this argument with Casey and his brother Sean regularly.

“I don’t need to stretch my wings. I’ve only been here for three years, unlike your six. You’ve never been in another station. If you wanted to fix this screwed up one, be a lieutenant somewhere else and then come back.”

“I don’t know. I might not be ready.”

“You were ready to leave a year ago. Her dumping your stupid ass can’t be the reason you stay here bored.”

An odd metallic screech came from the Medic radio, but he swore he heard the words ‘over, dispatch, over.’

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