by Carina Alyce
“Dead? Noah calls home every night,” Jacen said.
“You left a message on your parents' answering machine that ended when the South Tower fell. No one’s heard from you since.”
“No, I talk to my dad every night,” Noah denied.
It all clicked. Noah’s dad… “Did you ever call Abby?”
“I left a message in the afternoon at her office on the first day. Dad said Abby’s been working a lot at the college.”
“As fun as this family reunion is, can you take this outside?” Munnis said.
“Might as well, boss,” Jacen said. “I could use some not-fresh air anyway.”
“Sure thing,” Hank agreed. “Glad to see you got the respirators on.”
One of the Cleveland guys grumbled, “You don’t know our lieutenant; she’d kill us if we took them off. She has fangs and a scorpion tail.”
Hank chuckled. “I thought she was an itty-bitty redhead.”
“Pretty much.”
It took Hank, Noah, and Jacen about thirty minutes to backtrack into the outside world. They emerged from the wreckage, and the three of them removed their helmets. Though he hated to do it, Hank gestured to their faces as he removed his mask. They were relatively far from the Pile, and he wanted to confirm their identities with his own eyes.
The men were not what he expected.
Noah stood around six-foot-two, and while he was slim like Abby, he was by no means skinny. Testosterone must have finally kicked in big time. His eyes were the exact same shade as Abby’s, and unlike Abby, he had thick stubble on his face.
Also, unlike Abby, he was bald.
Jacen was at least two inches taller than Noah but much more heavily built. While he did have a layer of flab around him, Hank could see the beginnings of muscle forming underneath his XXL Cleveland FD shirt. Not only did he lack the beard Soto had described, he too was bald.
“Captain Soto said you had hair.” Hank laughed weakly. “I spent this whole week looking for Wills with the giant hair.”
“Soto’s just jealous. God, I hope when I graduate from the academy next year, I don’t get stuck at Firehouse 15,” Jacen said.
“Now that you’ve seen us, mask back on,” Noah said shortly.
“Killjoy. No one else wears them,” Jacen said tartly, replacing his mask.
“Wait till you learn about protocol,” Noah said.
“Protocol sphrotocol. Rules are meant to be broken. Live dangerously,” Jacen said.
“Those twenty pounds you lost this week says eating empty carbs was pretty dangerous,” Noah warned him.
Hank stared. The shy boy Abby had described had been replaced by this man, who was a leader, not a follower.
“Why exactly are you here?” Noah asked Hank. “How do you know Abby?”
“Abby’s at Ground Zero looking for you.”
Chapter 14
The Red Cross tent was huge. There was an entire hot food serving area, massage tables, and pastoral care. She’d pounced on Nate when he came in for lunch and gave him a hug with a talking to. She warned him that if he didn’t go home today, she’d make the chief order him to leave.
Once she started talking about how his family missed him, he broke down. There were curtained areas for that now. After he recovered, he signed out, and Abby walked him to the check point.
She assumed ‘stay in the tent’ was more of a suggestion as the purpose was to keep her from the Pile.
They were setting up for dinner. Abby was ineffectively sweeping the dirt floor in a futile effort to keep the dust and debris from getting past the entryway.
Three ash-covered men entered the tent. Abby came to a complete and total stop when they removed their masks.
It took a couple of seconds for Abby to recognize Hank as the shortest man in front. He was followed by two bald guys, one Black and one White.
The White guy had her blue eyes.
“Noah!” Abby dropped her broom. She sprinted over and threw her arms around him, heedless of the commotion she was causing.
Noah made a choking sound, possibly because she was squeezing him too tightly. Who cared? He was half a person bigger than he’d been when she’d seen him last. If she could have squeezed him almost to death, she would have. He could handle it. “Hank found you! You're not dead!”
“Why did you think that? I called home every day. I even talked to Dad and your office the first day.”
“You’ve been talking to Dad?”
“Every day.” He looked at her quizzically. “How did you get here? You were in Wisconsin with Dad yesterday.”
“Dad’s confused. I’ve been here since Wednesday. The only way I knew you were in New York was because Captain Soto got your postcard. He said you were on vacation with Wills.”
“I’m Wills—Jacen Williams, his best friend,” the other man introduced himself.
“Who isn't dead! Welcome to the Baker family! You’re adopted.” Abby gave him a big hug.
He shrugged and hugged her back. “My sisters aren't going to be jealous, are they?”
“Where were they?” Abby asked Hank, forgetting things weren't the best between them.
“I found a group of mixed Ohio firefighters searching the subway tunnels,” Hank said.
Jacen nodded. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m faking the firefighting thing. Otherwise, I’d have gotten kicked out. Consider it practice for when I enter the academy next year.”
“Plenty of faking going around. This is Noah’s shirt. I stole it from his apartment, and I cut off my hair last night,” Abby said.
Noah blinked at her. “You thought I was dead, so you went to Ohio and then New York. You’ve been here almost a week looking for me?”
“Yes. The point at which I thought you were dead isn’t important, though.”
“And who is Finny?” Noah pointed to Hank.
There was an awkward silence. Hank had willingly re-entered the most dangerous job site on the planet despite his personal fears and misgivings. He didn't have to, but he did it for her. And even though they fought, he’d stayed and kept working, kept searching.
She was obviously a terrible person. Instead of grasping the awesome thing that was Hank with both hands, she’d sabotaged it. In her panic and fear, she’d torn him to pieces.
“I'm Abby's friend,” Hank said neutrally.
“He's not ‘Abby's friend.’” Abby stepped up to Hank. “Noah, it might be a surprise… but Hank's marrying me.”
Before Hank could do more than open his mouth, she grabbed his dusty shirt and kissed him good and hard on that mouth. It took him a few seconds to catch-up, but, when he did, it was with plenty of enthusiasm.
Gasping from lack of air when they finally parted, he said, “Really?”
“Really,” she said. They’d only been apart for thirty-six hours, but that was all it took to admit he was something special. And that she’d be insane to let him ago again.“Fifteen minutes is all it takes to know a good thing. And if you find it, you keep it forever.”
“We've known each other a week.” His brown eyes were brimming with hope.
“A week, a year, who cares? Anyone who actually likes me after two days in the car and hasn't gone hook-hand murderer is a definite keeper. Will you marry me?”
A wild look came to his eyes. He scanned the scattered debris around them and found a metal washer on the ground. He got on one knee and said, “Abigail whose-middle-name-I-don’t-know Baker, I would be happy to marry you. Will you let me be part of building the Finster-Baker clan?”
“Hell, yes.” Abby reached out and wiggled the washer part way up the knuckle of her left pinkie finger. “I think I'm gonna love you.”
“That's great,” Jacen said, slapping Noah on his shoulder.
Noah crinkled his brow. “Who exactly are you?”
Hank reached out and shook Noah's hand. “I'm Hank—Henry Finster. Abby and I met—”
“Stop!” someone shouted.
Three chaplains, some firefighters, and a
bunch of other Red Cross volunteers, including Bethany, had gathered behind them.
The oldest chaplain stepped forward. “You two weren’t married? You were living in sin?”
“Umm…” Hank glanced at Noah who had taken his hand back.
“Yes, we were!” Abby said proudly mentally laughing at the absurdity of their surprise. There was a terrorist attack, she’d snuck into a protected area, and premartial sex was a shock? “I picked him up hitchhiking and seduced him, the cradle robbing Twenty-Questions-Asking Pink Lady I am. Next, I'll make an honest man out of him and drag him back to bed.”
“Good to hear. How about right now?” the youngest chaplain said.
“Right now? You want me to screw him right now?”
“No, the ceremony!” the chaplain cried.
“Isn’t there paperwork and a license and stuff?” Hank said.
“Because we’re filling out a lot of death certificates, we have half the city officials nearby.” The second chaplain spoke into one of the many radios in the tent. “I need a judge and a city clerk to report to the Red Cross Tent on Murray and West for a wedding.”
“And forms?” Abby said, since these chaplains moved faster than her, which was saying quite a bit. They seemed completely serious about marrying the two of them then and there.
“No problem.” The youngest chaplain whipped out several forms from a trapper keeper. “I like to be prepared. Driver’s license?”
“Hank, is now a good time?” Abby glanced around at the growing crowd as she and Hank handed over their IDs. People were grinning so hard, their faces were ready to crack.
“Why not?” Hank stepped forward and then back to Noah. “There is one more thing. Noah, I know we just met and I thought you were dead until about an hour ago, and this is an antiquated custom, but do I have your blessing to marry your sister?”
“Felonies?
“None.”
“Married?”
“Not yet.”
“Do you play Twenty Questions?”
“Yes. I never pick saber-tooth tiger, and you always pick a tribble,” Hank professed, winning a tiny bit more of Abby’s heart for knowing the traditions of 20 questions.
Noah nodded, likely having a similar train of thought. “Then you have my blessing… not that she's ever listened to me. She goes and does what she wants to anyway.”
“I know.” Hank put his hand in Abby’s and gave her a soft kiss.
That wasn’t enough kissing. She needed more, brother or no brother, crowd or no crowd. This was happening. This craziness was going to be real. This moment was real.
He was real.
The second chaplain tapped Abby on the shoulder and pointed to two men who had come into the tent on a sprint. One wore a red badge that read City Clerk and asked, “Did you say there’s a wedding? Not a dead body?”
“Wedding,” the young chaplain confirmed. “Here’s the license application and their IDs. Try to keep up.”
“Wedding,” repeated the clerk, obviously confused.
The youngest chaplain continued and addressed the second man, “Judge Schwartz, will you waive the twenty-four-hour waiting period for the ceremony of the Pink Lady and Pink Lady’s husband Finny?”
“Are they city residents?” the judge asked.
“Nope,” Abby said.
“Sure, granted. They’ll be someone else’s problem later,” the judge said. “Might as well have something good happen today.”
“Quick—old, new, borrowed, and blue,” the second chaplain said.
“I’m in blue. Noah’s newly found, and the washer has to be old,” Abby said. “We need something borrowed.”
Bethany handed a Red Cross Vest to Abby. “You can borrow my vest.”
“You sure you want to do it here? We can wait or go to St. Paul’s?” Hank glanced at the crowd in the tent. “Don’t we need music and our families . . . or your family?”
“After this week, we are a family,” Noah said. He cupped his hands over his mouth. “Form two lines for an aisle.”
“Anyone who can carry a tune come over here. I need people to hum Wagner’s Bridal Chorus in the key of C,” the young chaplain said.
“Absolutely not, the middle chaplain cut him off. “Too antisemitic.”
“We need music. It’s not a wedding without music,” his counterpart complained.
Noah cut both of them off, “I see a few guitars over there. I’ll play. It is my sister’s wedding.”
“But you’re terrible at it,” Jacen said.
“Can of have some volunteers to play ‘not the wedding march?’”
“I’ll play,” Hank volunteered, fortunately not re-evaluating his life choices of marrying into the Baker Clan. “But I’m picking the music.”
“Too much planning,” Abby had enough. They needed to get this show on the road because she had a million questions and marrying Hank was simply the easiest one to answer right now. She shooed them to the front. “You go wait by the chaplain, and everyone will hum along whatever you play. Noah will give me away, and you pick a random person in the crowd as best man.”
“Or me.” Jacen went to the head of the line with Hank.
“You’re really going to do this, Abby?” Noah whispered. “I’m guessing this is a pretty emotional time, but you don’t have to...”
“I’m doing this. Don’t worry about me,” Abby reassured him and took his offered arm.
And the music started. Hank played One Sweet Day, the song he’d played the first day in Noah’s apartment. Abby’s throat caught and the only thing she could see was Hank’s smile, waiting for her at the end of their makeshift aisle.
When Noah took Hank’s borrowed guitar and put her hand in Hank’s, she was barely breathing. The world had ended, and they’d found each other. They’d found Noah and Jacen. This was meant to be.
The eldest chaplain gamely asked them their religion and names before selecting the Book of Common Prayer for the ceremony. And just like that, with her brother now playing I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (badly), Henry Darren Finster and Abigail Carol Baker were married.
“You may kiss the bride,” the chaplain said.
“Good plan,” Abby agreed and kissed him again. His kiss tasted of warmth, happiness, and a hint of the future.
They’d have kissed longer if their friends hadn’t gotten impatient and showered them with shredded napkins.
“Now for the reception!” the young chaplain declared. “Break out the brandy!”
The eldest chaplain murmured something.
The young chaplain tried again. “We don't have brandy. Only the best New York Egg Creams and paninis for the newlyweds!”
After receiving a flood of congratulations, the furor died down, and Abby finally got to start on her million questions about where the Hell Noah and Jacen had been.
Jacen explained after picking at his food. “Noah decided we were taking a two-week roadtrip to ‘focus on our health.’ He threw out my candy bars and insisted we go to New York for an economics conference. We stayed in World Trade 3 on the 17th floor.”
“You can have fun and get smarter and healthier.” Noah stole Jacen’s panini and ate it.
“So, we did a bunch of touristy stuff—Times Square, Broadway, the works. On Tuesday morning, Mr. HealthKick made us hit the gym before the Economic Tea Leaves breakfast meeting.” Jacen drank his first and second cup of coffee.
“Economic Tea Leaves was the night before. We were going to the Global Financial Market lecture,” Noah corrected him, drinking both his and Jacen's egg creams.
“Back to the story. We were showering off when we heard this… sound above us. We turned on the TV and saw the North Tower had been hit. We grabbed our shoes and wallets and knocked on the doors in our hallway. Then the second plane hit.”
“Why didn’t you evacuate?” Abby squeaked.
“We did… after we went to the 16th floor and tried those doors too. I would have gone to the 15th, but the firefight
ers found us and told us to leave,” Jacen admitted.
“We didn’t have any gear. Can’t rescue anyone if you need rescuing.” Noah wagged a finger.
“So then Noah’s all up on me, making us leave. He says we need to call our parents. We get about two blocks away, and I call my parents. He’s in the middle of calling when the South Tower falls. And he drops our only cell phone!”
“It didn’t matter because the phones were out for almost six hours anyway.” Noah took Hank’s fries.
“When we got hit by the first dust cloud, a firefighter shoved us into a drugstore and blocked the door.” Jacen drank his third cup of coffee, though Abby was certain Soto said the man hated coffee.
“He wouldn’t let us leave,” Noah said, his eyes hardened.
Having spent a week by the Pile, Abby had a greater understanding of firefighters. The firefighter in the drugstore protected them, even while he knew other members of FDNY were lost.
Jacen had that same look in his darker eyes. It only lasted for a second before he and Noah quickly suppressed it, moving on to something more light-hearted.
“We stayed there after the second tower,” Noah said. “The clerk shared saline with everyone to wash our eyes and diaper wipes for our faces.”
“Couldn't save my hair,” Jacen said. “It was one giant dust mop. We went to the school supply section and hacked it off.”
“Everybody helped. We broke a couple pairs of scissors.” Noah pretended to shine Jacen’s head with a napkin.
“Child safe scissors do not cut hair,” Jacen retorted. “Then we got some razors to finish the job on our heads and faces. Made masks seal easier. I think I’m gonna keep it this way. So much less work.”
“Is that why they call you Jordan?” Hank asked.
“Black, bald, and beautiful, baby.” Jacen stuck out his tongue like actual Michael Jordan.
“Are you a good basketball player?” Hank asked.
“Terrible. I hate basketball.” Jacen glanced at Abby. “You're responsible for the Jordan-thing.”
“I am?” Abby asked in confusion.
“Noah, it breaks best friend code, but I groped your sister.”
“What?” Hank and Noah said simultaneously.