Monica’s first stop once she finally shook Katie loose was at the fire station where the majority of guys who’d come to her aid worked. It was about four in the afternoon, and the station was quiet. Quiet was not a word she’d say out loud for fear of jinxing the vibe of the day.
She stepped into the familiar garage that housed the big red trucks and knocked on the wall. “Hello?” she called out for someone to notice her.
Out from the weight room walked Stan. A veteran of the department for nearly twenty years, his hair was peppered with gray but he was still stacked with muscles he should have lost in his forties.
“Queenie? Holy cow. Guys?” he yelled in the back. “We have a visitor.”
Stan walked over and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back and meant it.
“So damn good to see you.” Stan stood back and took her in.
Her bootleg pants didn’t hide her cast, but they did hug her ass. She wore a simple button-up shirt and whimsy scarf. The guys were used to seeing her in nothing but scrubs. She knew she looked different to them in plain clothes.
“Monica?” The next hug came from Radar. Not his real name but a nickname these jokers gave him because of the glasses he often wore. That’s what they told her anyway. Rumor had it he actually had a stuffed animal his kid gave him by his cot.
After Radar was Clive, no nickname there. Then came Spock, his name because of the word games he was so fond of playing in their downtime. Even their captain had his hug turn. Charlie might have been about four years away from retirement but he wasn’t anything but hot. In fact, all the guys surrounding her could easily be placed on one of those hot fireman calendars. Even dirty, these guys would sell thousands of copies.
She remembered the first time she’d done a ride along. They did their best to make her feel like she belonged. They kicked back when the radio was silent and hauled ass to the next emergency when needed. It was a learning experience to help her call appropriate shots over the radio from the ER.
She trusted these guys.
Even she knew that trust was rare.
“Come in, come in.” Charlie opened the door to their man-cave and gave her one of the prime seats so she could put her foot up.
“How you doing?” Radar asked.
“Remarkably well. I was told that some of you volunteered for the search.”
“Yeah, well… you might not wear blue, but you’re part of our family here.”
Oh, damn… there were actual tears welling behind her eyes. “Uhm, I’m not even sure who was there. I don’t remember anything.”
Radar and Spock raised their hands. “Mitch on B shift was with us, and Miller from 73.”
“Wow. That’s just… wow.” She blinked several times trying like hell not to let tears fall. “I know the rest of you had to shuffle shifts.” She turned to Charlie. “And your boss had to let you go.” She grabbed Charlie’s hand because he was close. “Thanks isn’t the right word.”
They were smiling at her and taking her appreciation with a shrug. “It’s how we work, right? You’d have come for us.”
Yeah, she would.
Another knock grabbed their attention. “Delivery.”
The smell of barbecue sauce followed the delivery guy as he stepped inside the fire station.
“Who ordered? I thought we were going out?” Stan asked.
Monica waved the deliveryman over once he placed the bags on the table. “On me,” she said as she signed for their dinner. She’d scheduled dinner for the guys for the next few days to make sure everyone managed at least one meal on her.
“Oh, hell no.”
“That’s not gonna happen.”
More than one of them pulled a wallet from his back pocket.
“C’mon guys. I have to do something.” She shooed the deliveryman off before someone could grab the ticket and circumvent her gesture.
They didn’t like a woman paying for their food, but that didn’t stop them from digging in.
She ate with them and they talked about some of the things they’d seen while in Jamaica. A couple of them talked about joining a team of emergency aide for future disasters.
“I’ve seen my share of crazy shit, but that was huge,” Spock said between bites.
“Did you see the clinic?”
Radar nodded. “After we got you on the plane, nice digs your sister has by the way, we took some of the locals back home.”
“I didn’t know you were related to the Morrisons.”
“I’m not. Well, my sister married Jack. But—”
Clive waved a rib at her. “That’s related in my book. Morrison offered a huge incentive for us to look for you.”
Monica stopped eating mid chew. “He did?”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “Like we needed it or something.”
Knowing these guys didn’t come because of money made her smile linger.
“Word from the ER is that you lost your job.”
They all watched her now, with eyes over their food and serious concern on their brows.
“Pat’s been out to sack me forever. Not sure why.”
“She’s jealous,” Radar said as if it were common knowledge.
“Jealous of what?”
“You’re single, gorgeous, all the guys fawn over you, and you could take her job in a heartbeat if you wanted it,” Clive said.
That had Monica squirming in her chair.
“Way to make her uncomfortable, Clive.”
“What?” Clive had this cleft in his chin that dug in with his smile.
“Aren’t you married?” Monica scorned.
“Happily. But I’m sure as hell not blind,” he said with a wink.
That made her laugh. “Remind me to kick your ass when I get this thing off.” She lifted her leg as she spoke.
“She can’t really fire you for helping in Jamaica, can she?”
Monica blew out a breath. “I don’t know. I have a meeting with human resources tomorrow to find out what exactly is happening.”
“Well, we have your back if you need anything from us.”
The guys nodded right as the blaring alarm forced them from their hot dinner and had them running for the door. She knew the drill, wasn’t offended in the least.
“Would have been too much to ask for ten more minutes,” Stan said. He patted Monica on the shoulder as he made it out the door.
“Thanks, Queenie.”
“Thanks, Monica.”
“Come by again soon.”