by Lynn, Davida
I could have survived a lifetime, if she’d asked me to. I was fucking glad she didn’t, but Lizzie was one in a million. If she said, “jump,” I’d have replied, “I can’t yet, but when I can, how high?”
Yeah, it hurt, but I was getting used to working around hurt. “How much time do you think I have left?” As I spoke, I turned my phone on to see several missed texts and a missed phone call. I quickly sent a response to my worried parents.
Got delayed, heading home now. All is well.
I looked up at Lizzie after sending the text. The look on her face wasn’t exactly reassuring. I raised a brow. “Trouble?”
She shook her head. “No, no. It’s just that I don’t know. I mean, from what I can tell right now, you seem very healthy, stable, and—”
“And a fuck machine?” I had to say it. It was too perfect a moment not to. Lizzie rolled her eyes at my shit-eating grin.
“I would have gone with a more clinical description, but yes. Your stamina is excellent, and you are gaining some muscle back. I’d say less than a month to go.”
My heart pumped harder. Less than a month and Lizzie and I wouldn’t have to sneak around and text our feelings back and forth. And there were some things, some feelings, that I couldn’t get across over the phone.
My pops had given me an insight that made me think. I thought about my future, and I thought about Lizzie. It kept me busy most nights.
Lizzie cocked her head. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” I said with a smile. I pulled her in close, getting one last kiss in before I headed back to reality. “The next time this happens, you and I won’t have to sneak around.”
“Is that so?” Lizzie’s smile was like sunshine.
I nodded. “How about you and I grab dinner before the month is up?”
“Rico, you know we can’t do that. If anyone sees—”
“They’ll all see,” I said.
Lizzie shook her head, her smile gone. “We can’t. My career is on the line. You of all people should understand that.”
“I do understand it. If you’d let me finish…” I dragged it out, giving her a taste of her own medicine.
“Well? I’m letting you finish.” She didn’t look amused, but I knew she was. Amused and intrigued, I hoped.
I smiled at her. “We eat in the hospital cafeteria.” I saw the look on her face change. “Mmhm. I’m more clever than you give me credit for, Lizzie.” I slid the minivan door open, glad that the parking lot seemed deserted for the moment.
“Cleverer,” she corrected.
Turning back to her, I winked. “Yup, that too.”
Less than a month. I sat on my bed with that thought on replay. In thirty days or less, Lizzie and I would end our secret affair. My parents were the only other people who knew, but I had to tell someone else.
I grabbed my keys and my cane. I couldn’t wait until the cane was a thing of the past. A smile crossed my face, because I remembered thinking that the walker would be a thing of the past soon enough. Before that it was the wheelchair. I had defeated them both, and the cane would soon join them.
“Ma, I’m heading out. I’ll be back for dinner, though.”
She called to me from another room. “Where ya going?”
Letting out a sigh, I shouted, “I’m meeting someone.”
This time it was my little sister who replied. “Is it Lizzie?” She practically sang the name.
“No,” I mirrored her sing-song voice. “It’s not Lizzie.”
Before anyone else could slow me down, I hopped in the car and tossed my cane into the passenger seat.
The freedom was refreshing. I’d only been on my own for a few weeks, but it felt amazing after the months of being surrounded by people. First it was the hospital staff. They were great, but the constant cheeriness was really getting to me. Living with the fam was starting to grate on me, as well. Once I got the all clear, I’d be back to my apartment. God, I couldn’t wait.
The station was a welcome sight. I missed work so badly, and seeing Engine 37 gleaming out in the sun made my heart twist. I yearned to be back on shift. I wanted to feel that adrenaline giving me life again. The only rush I’d had in three long months was my amazing encounter with Lizzie.
A shiver ran down my spine as I parked the car. It happened any time I thought of her. She had done an amazing job of digging herself deep inside me. It was a new feeling, but it was one that I liked. I threw the car into park and grabbed the cane.
At first, I thought they might be out on a run. The garage door was down and I didn’t pick up on any of the telltale signs of a living, breathing fire station. No radio blasting out music, the smell of grilling was absent, and there were no voices. It was a slow walk inside, but I felt better than ever.
In through the offices, the station was still eerily silent. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been in an empty fire station. I figured I’d check the garage to see the empty bays and get a different feel for things.
When I pushed the swinging door into the kitchen, the lights were out. Then they weren’t.
“Surprise!”
I thought I’d have a coronary. I really did. When the lights flipped on, my entire shift of guys jumped out from behind counters and tables. They all shouted in unison as I grabbed onto the door frame and tried not to shit my pants.
As my heart struggled to keep up, my brothers all came up and threw their arms around me. I couldn’t keep track of everyone. Clay was standing back, leaning against the wall and smiling over at us. He looked over us like a father, and I was sure he thought of us as his sons, too.
Kade was the last one to step forward. “Good to see you, brother.”
I looked down, trying to will the lump in my throat away. When he pulled me in for a rough hug, I couldn’t hold back the emotion any longer.
Looking up, I figured I’d get all kinds of shit for the tears running down my cheek, but no one said a word. They were a group of pranksters, ballbusters, and hard asses, and not one of them said a word. I was home.
Besides the two liters and bags of chips, there was a cookie cake on the table, but the cursive writing was unreadable. I hobbled over to it and stared at it. “Walter boch, Rice?”
“The fuck?” Arnie leaned in. He was the resident cook on our shift. “It says ‘Welcome back, Rico.’ Didn’t realize the fall damaged your eyes, too. It’s plain as day.”
I laughed. “Sure, sure. It’s plain as something.”
“Hey, we had twenty minutes to throw this all together. Your ma called as soon as you left the house.”
“Well, it’s great, Arnie. Thanks, brother.” I slapped him on the back. “How’d she know I was coming here?”
From behind me, Clay spoke. “She said there were only two places, and you told your little sis it wasn’t one of them. Something about a girl.” His voice sounded a bit lower than I remembered. A bit grayer.
If the accident had taught me anything, it was that my family knew me better than I ever could have imagined. My family at home, and my family at the station.
The group of guys that I called brothers were huddled around me, and I turned to them. “I can’t thank you enough. It’s been dark. Real dark, but I’m starting to see light again. I’m glad I came out here. I really needed this. Thanks, guys.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Dougie said from somewhere in the crowd. He was short and stocky, so I couldn’t even see him. “All we wanna know is, when ya comin’ back?”
I smiled. “Damn, I didn’t realize you missed me so much.”
The voice bellowed out again. “We just hate the fill-ins from the other shifts. We want our rook back.”
Laughter filled the kitchen, my own included. When I looked around, Captain Clay Parnell was the only one not laughing. He looked more serious than ever.
Across from Clay’s desk, I looked around. It was the first time I noticed the place. It was filled to the brim with anything firefighter. Toy trucks stuffed the sh
elves. Pictures and inspirational shots littered the walls. Even his desk had fire service pens and pencils in a firefighter coffee mug. Clay was a lifer, and he was proud of it.
“Well?” He regarded me with suspicion. I knew everything the simple question meant.
I swallowed. “Therapy is coming along. My therapist says I’ve got less than a month left.” Not my therapist—my girlfriend. I left that detail out, though.
Clay nodded. He always took the time to think through things. It was probably why he was a captain. Captains had to think. They had to be in the head of every firefighter on a scene. It meant keeping track of a hundred things all at once, and he could do it.
He proved that when he read into my statement. “Less than a month of therapy. That’s impressive, but it doesn’t guarantee anything. I’m willing to schedule your physical. When do you think you’d be up for it?”
My heart pounded in my chest. I was one step closer. “Eight weeks. That’s a month out of therapy.” I was counting on being done in four, giving me extra time to get back into shape.
Again, Clay thought it over. “Twelve weeks, it is.” I was going to protest, but he went on. “You’re eager. Maybe overeager, Rico. It’s not a bad thing, but it is something that needs to be managed with care. No offense, but you’re not capable of that. That’s where I come in. Twelve weeks.”
I thought about what Clay said for a moment. I thought about how I would have reacted before the accident. I would have already been on my feet and screaming before Clay was done. Now I only nodded.
He was right. I was going to push myself, and I always would. I needed people around to tell me when it was best for me to slow down. Clay did it for me, and Lizzie did it too. She was there to catch me when I fell, metaphorically and literally. Clay was there to keep me from falling.
“You’re right. I could use an extra month.” I smiled at him, grateful to have such an understanding boss.
“Good deal. I want you back, Rico. We all do. But to have you back, I need to be absolutely certain that you are good to go. If that means an extra few weeks of workouts, I’m more than okay with that.”
Easy for him to say. I was itching to get back to work. I had begun to dream about calls, and I’d wake up and analyze them to see what I could do better the next time.
Clay stood up. “When you come back here, I’m sure you’ll have a new nickname. My vote is for Lazarus, but the guys might come up with something a little less eloquent. See you in three months.”
“He’s been progressing well. He doesn’t talk much, but that boy sure does work hard. I have to give him that. Every time I up the weights or lengthen the time, he doesn’t complain. He just hits it even harder.”
I watched Alan’s face as he told me about Rico’s progress. It brightened my spirits, but he didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know. I knew that Rico was a hard worker; I had witnessed it myself just a week before.
“That’s great. How many sessions does he have left?” I hoped that my coworker couldn’t hear the excitement in my voice. I looked down at the folder of another patient to cover it up.
Alan gave a noncommittal look. “I’m gonna say ten. I think as long as he keeps up the exercises and stretches on his own, he’ll be right as rain. What a miracle, right?”
It was a miracle. The sheer force that Rico had hit the ground with could have killed him. Instead, he wouldn’t have any lasting damage—at least not in the short term. There was no doubt that arthritis was going to haunt him in his later years, but something told me that Rico didn’t think that far ahead.
“Detroit’s golden firefighter will be heading back to work soon,” I said. Alan didn’t look up at me, which I took as a win. God, he was going to be so surprised in a few weeks. Rico was right, though. As fun as the sneaking around was, we were ready for an adult relationship where we didn’t have to keep anything a secret.
While my patient was taking a much-deserved break, I sent Rico a text. It was maybe the best one I’d sent him.
Three weeks left.
I didn’t know what kind of response I was going to get, but I was not at all prepared for the one he sent.
Want to meet the fam?
As mean as it was, I didn’t reply until after work. I spent the last few hours thinking about it. I did want to meet Rico’s family, but was it too soon? How did they feel about me? What if anyone from the hospital found out? All the waiting we’d done would be for nothing.
I decided to give him a call. There might have been something that I was missing. I had probably already pissed him off by waiting so long to reply.
When he picked up, there was nothing but happiness in his voice. “Lizzie, hey. How are you?”
I was surprised, but relieved. “I’m great, and from what Alan said, so are you. Three weeks, and you’ll never have to come to Henry Ford again.”
“I’ll quote you on that one. Anyway, did you get my text? Want to meet the family?”
I bit my bottom lip. “Rico, I’m still worried that someone might find out. I’m sure your parents are great, but—”
He cut me off, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Parents? Wrong family, Lizzie. I’m gonna text you an address. I’ll see you at ten. And I’m not taking no for an answer, sweetheart.”
Rico hung up before I could say another word. Wrong family? Just what did that mean?
I was a little bit upset with him. I didn’t know how many times we’d talked about being careful to protect my job, but Rico was insisting, as usual. For a change, though, he had me intrigued. Just when I thought I had him pegged, he took a page from my book.
As my phone vibrated with his text, I shook my head and smiled. Yeah, I’d be there.
The place looked like a dive. There were neon signs in the window advertising all kinds of bottom shelf alcohols. I looked around, but couldn’t see a sign with a name on it anywhere. Double-checking the address, I shrugged and headed toward the door.
There was music blaring. The place smelled like a bar from the outside. I couldn’t imagine what it smelled like once I went through the door.
It was filled with dudes. I didn’t see any women. Then it hit me. They were all wearing firefighter t-shirts. It was a bar filled with firefighters. A lady’s wet dream, if you could look past all the mustaches.
They turned to me and cheered. My heart raced and blood rushed to my cheeks. I was the only woman in the place. Covering my face as all the men around me clapped, I walked into the bar.
I was looking down when I saw the cane. I looked up to see Rico, a grin on his face.
He leaned in. “You came!” I could barely hear him over the cheering and the music.
“You didn’t give me much choice.”
Rico pulled me to him and kissed me hard. I knew the firefighters were clapping around me, but I couldn’t hear it. Rico’s passion and strength blocked everything out. He had literally swept me off my feet. It was incredible. When I opened my eyes, he was watching me. He looked in his element; so powerful and handsome.
He reached down and took my hand. After he gave it a squeeze, he said, “Thank you.”
After he explained it all to me I didn’t feel as embarrassed, but I still had firefighters lined up to thank me for what I had done for Rico. I didn’t know if they meant physical therapy or trying to get him to settle down. I just smiled and said, “You’re welcome,” more times than I could count.