by Sherri Hayes
It was true. The only time she came upstairs to watch was when she wanted to learn something new. “No. I was looking for you, actually.”
He turned to face her. “I’m flattered. What can I do for you?”
“I was hoping you could help me with some rope bondage. Drew likes to be bound and while I can do some simple wrist ties, I was hoping maybe you could show me something a little more involved.”
A huge grin spread across Michael’s face. “Sure. Let’s see if we can find an open room.”
Chapter 32
Drew worked alongside his crew to clean the truck and make sure everything was stocked and ready to go for the next run. It had been a busy shift. Both lunch and dinner had been interrupted by calls. It was a good thing it was Sunday, otherwise they’d be scrambling to get the daily maintenance finished.
His brother’s appearance that afternoon had been unexpected. Why he was so concerned about Drew’s relationship with Beth was a mystery. It wasn’t as if Seth had ever taken a great interest in the women Drew dated before.
Although his conversation with Seth, and his brother’s subsequent visit with Beth, irritated Drew, it had nothing on what he was feeling toward Beth’s ex. Fury ran through his limbs as he washed the windshield of the fire truck.
“I don’t know what the windshield did to you, but I’m sure it didn’t mean it.”
He looked down to find Shawn standing there with his hands on his hips. Drew sighed and wiped off the last of the solution he’d applied before hopping down. “Stressful day.”
“I can see that. Want to talk about it?” Shawn asked.
“Not really.” Talking about it wasn’t going to help. What he really wanted to do was punch something—preferably Ben’s face. Since that wasn’t an option . . .
Shawn was quiet for a moment. “You almost done here? I was thinking of trying to get a workout in if you wanted to join me.”
Rolling his shoulders, Drew thought that might be the best idea he’d heard all day. He needed to release some of his pent-up energy. “Give me ten minutes.”
Nodding, Shawn left Drew to finish his work. Luckily, most everything was done. His crew had finished washing down the truck and all their gear was cleaned and in place. The only thing he had left to do was check in with them and make sure there were no issues from the previous run to go over. Irwin had some problems getting the hose hooked up and Drew wanted to see if there was a way to keep it from happening in the future. In a fire, seconds counted.
He found all the members of his crew huddled together at the back of the truck. “Hey, Cap.”
Something was going on. “What are you knuckleheads up to?”
“Not a thing,” Romeo said.
Yeah. Drew didn’t buy that for a minute, but he decided to ignore their strange behavior. “I wanted to talk about what happened with the hose connection today.”
Irwin spoke up. “Not much to tell. Looked like some kids had been messing with it or something. I had a hard time getting the cap off.”
“What do you mean? What was wrong with it?” Drew asked.
“Someone must have been trying to pry it open with something and whatever it was got wedged in there. The only way to get the cap off was to dig it out.” Irwin shrugged.
Drew nodded. “I’ll brief Chief Franks on the issue. I think I remember one of the other crews saying they had a problem with a hydrant recently as well. In the future, if you can’t get whatever it is out after a few seconds use the sledgehammer. Anything else?”
Baily cleared his throat. “Just one more thing.”
“Yes?” Drew asked when Baily didn’t automatically spit it out.
“We.” Baily pointed to Romeo and Irwin. “We’re wondering if your girlfriend was going to be stopping by tonight. You know. To say hi.”
Drew guessed that answered his question on what they’d had their heads together about. Figures it was about his personal life and not work. “No. Beth isn’t stopping by.”
“Well, you know, if you needed to work off a little tension, we’d cover for you,” Romeo said.
“Good to know you all would go through such a sacrifice for me.” Drew strolled over to the cabinet and replaced the cleaning supplies he’d been using. “See if you three can keep out of trouble for the next hour. I’ll be in the gym if you need me.”
He could hear them laughing as he left. They were good guys and a great crew. In all honesty, they probably didn’t understand why he wasn’t sharing details. He had in the past. Then again, his relationship with Beth was different. It had been from the start.
As promised, Shawn was waiting for him in the gym. They were alone. Apparently, no one else had felt the need to burn off any excess energy.
For the next forty-five minutes, Drew lifted weights, did leg presses, and spent some time on the treadmill. He was still angry, but at least he had it under control.
“Feel any better?” Shawn asked.
“Yeah. I do.” His friend handed him a bottle of water and Drew downed most of it in one go. “How’s the new apartment?”
“Quiet.”
Drew nodded and followed Shawn into the showers. It was almost nine and things would be winding down. Considering the day they’d all had, Drew was guessing most of the guys would be crashing early tonight.
Freshly showered, he went to his desk and finished the paperwork on the small house fire they’d responded to earlier that day. Once that was completed, he placed the file on Chief Franks’ desk and went to find a spot to read before going to bed.
By eleven o’clock, the station was quiet. Most of the guys were upstairs asleep or heading in that direction. Drew closed his book, tucked it under his arm, and began climbing the stairs.
He was halfway to the top floor when the intercom came to life. Drew froze and waited. You never knew if it was going to be an EMT-only call or if the trucks would be needed.
It wasn’t meant to be. The dispatcher announced that a fire had been reported. Drew turned on his heels and made a beeline for the fire engine. He was still putting on his gear when the rest of the guys began filing into the bay. Less than a minute later, they were climbing into their trucks and driving away from the station.
Drew’s crew pulled up to the building first, so he jumped out and began assessing the situation. Taking his radio with him, he jogged around the side of the building to get a look at the back. It was much the same as the front, unfortunately. The third floor appeared to be completely engulfed in flames.
Bringing his radio up, he relayed the information. “There’s evidence of fire on sides A, B, C, and D. Request second alarm.”
“Copy that. Dispatching additional trucks to your location.”
By the time Drew made it back to the front of the building, everyone was in position and ready to go.
“Do we know if anyone is in the building?” Romeo asked as he came up beside Drew.
“No idea.” He said it loud enough for everyone around him to hear. They all knew what that meant. They were going to have to go in and find out.
Shawn and his crew took the lead. When they first entered the building there was very little smoke. It wasn’t until they came to the top of the second level that they began to encounter serious evidence of the fire. Drew and Romeo stayed on the second floor to look for anyone who might be inside while Shawn and Kelly continued on to the third floor.
As Drew began checking each of the rooms, an eerie feeling settled into his bones. The building was under construction. It was being renovated and it looked like apartments were going in. That meant the chances of there being people inside were slim, which was good. It also meant that it had the potential of being a target for the arsonist.
A shout came from up top and Drew and Romeo took off toward the noise. They ran up the stairs. As soon as Shawn saw them, he tilted his head toward the standpipe. “It’s not working. We’re going to have to get one of the ladders to feed us hose from the outside.”
“On
it,” a voice came across the radio.
“Bring it to the second floor. I don’t think we can get close enough to any of these windows on the third,” Drew said.
The four of them hightailed it back downstairs and made it to the windows as the ladder was maneuvering up to the window. They pulled in two hoses. Shawn and Kelly took one, Drew and Romeo the other.
Out in the hallway, they met with the crew who’d searched the first floor. “All clear on one.”
All six of them began their journey back up to the third floor. They could hear the water hitting the building from the outside. The aerial trucks must have arrived. That was good because this fire was a hot one. It only reinforced Drew’s thoughts that this might be another fire courtesy of the arsonist.
It took a while to get the fire under control. Every time they thought they’d managed to get everything, they’d find another hot spot. It was a big building and unlike the others the arsonist had hit, this one was probably only a month or so from taking on tenants. Once the main fire was out, they had to go room to room to make sure there were no live embers.
Finally, they got the last of it and made their way back downstairs. When they reached the first floor, something caught their attention and they all turned. They couldn’t see anything, but something or someone had made that noise. The first floor had been checked, so no one should have been down there.
“Hello?” Drew shouted into the darkness.
There was no answer, but they did hear what sounded like metal.
“We’ll check it out,” Shawn said. “You guys stay here.”
Shawn and Kelly were halfway down the hall when the figure of a man appeared and bolted into one of the far rooms. Kelly took off after him.
“Kelly wait,” Shawn yelled.
The rookie didn’t listen. He took off after the guy and Shawn had no choice but to follow.
Drew clicked the switch on his radio. “We’ve got a civilian inside the building. Shawn and Kelly—”
The sound of an explosion ended the transmission. Drew and the other guys automatically ducked in reaction.
“Is everyone all right? What the hell happened in there?” came across the radio.
“No idea. We’re gonna check it out. Shawn and Kelly are unaccounted for,” Drew said.
“Were they anywhere near that explosion?”
Drew swallowed, trying not to think the worst. “Yes.”
“I’m sending in the rapid intervention team.”
By the time the RIT got there, Drew was already on his knees next to Shawn. His friend was unconscious. Drew checked for any major injuries, but couldn’t find anything beyond some superficial wounds on his face from where his helmet had been knocked off. Chances were he had a concussion.
Romeo was beside him. The other team was checking on Kelly. It looked like the door had been rigged. When Kelly tried to follow the guy out, it had gone off. From what he could tell, Kelly’s injuries were much worse than Shawn’s were. Part of his jacket was torn and Drew could see and smell burnt flesh. Shawn had been collateral damage. Kelly had taken the bulk of the blast. The force of the explosion seemed to be concentrated near the door.
When he walked out of the building a few minutes later, the sun was coming over the horizon. They’d been at it all night.
Drew waited for the EMTs to load Shawn and Kelly into the ambulance and drive away with the sirens blaring before heading back to his truck and his crew. They had a couple of hours left in their shift and then he’d head over to the hospital to see how Shawn and Kelly were doing. It was a far cry from how he’d planned to spend his morning.
***
Something felt off. It took Beth a moment to realize it was because she was alone in her bed. Drew had to work last night. The only saving grace was that he was coming over this morning.
Sighing, she turned her head to look at the clock beside her bed. Beth was shocked to see that it was almost nine o’clock. She sat up and glanced around the room. There was no sign of Drew or the duffel bag he always brought with him.
Beth flung the covers off her and went downstairs to check her cell. Maybe he’d gotten held up at work or something—at least, that’s what she was hoping. She didn’t want to consider it might be something else.
The first floor was as empty as the upstairs. She went to the kitchen and removed her phone from the charger. There was one text message.
Went to the hospital. Call you later.
Her heart began pounding in her chest and all the air from her lungs seemed to disappear. Was he hurt? Of course he was. Why else would he have gone to the hospital? She hit the call button and tried not to hyperventilate while she waited for him to pick up.
But he didn’t pick up. The phone went straight to voice mail.
She hung up, not bothering to leave a message, and then berated herself for even trying to call. If he was being treated for an injury in the hospital, then he probably wouldn’t be able to answer his phone.
Beth knew she needed to calm down and think rationally. If he’d sent the text message, then he couldn’t have been that badly hurt, right? Then the thought crossed her mind that maybe he hadn’t sent the message. Maybe he’d asked one of the guys he worked with to send it for him. Before she could talk herself into a panic attack, Beth called the only person she knew could help her.
“Isn’t this supposed to be your day off?” Nicole yawned in her ear.
“I need your help.”
Her friend must have picked up on how desperate Beth sounded. “What’s wrong? What do you need?”
She took a deep breath and explained. “Drew was supposed to come over this morning, but instead I got a text saying he went to the hospital. I tried to call him back but he isn’t answering. I need to know what’s going on and I know if I call the station they won’t tell me anything.”
“Okay. Hold tight. I’ll see what I can find out and call you back, okay?”
“Okay.”
Beth paced while she waited. Nothing could happen to him. It couldn’t. She’d just told him she loved him. They had so much more to experience together.
When the phone rang, she jumped. “Hello?”
“Drew’s fine. He’s not hurt.” Nicole must have known those were the words Beth needed to hear most.
“Then why did he go to the hospital?”
“They were responding to a fire last night and two other guys were hurt. One was Drew’s former captain.”
Beth swallowed. “Shawn.”
“Yeah.” Nicole gave her a moment. “I didn’t get all the details, but apparently something happened as they were exiting the building and two of the responding firefighters were injured. I got the impression that Drew, along with most of the other guys from that station, headed over to the hospital as soon as their shift was over.”
“What hospital?” Although Nicole had assured her that he was all right, Beth needed to see it for herself.
It took her almost a half hour to get dressed and drive to the hospital where Shawn was being treated. She was still trying to convince herself that Drew wasn’t the one hurt as she parked her car and headed into the emergency room waiting area.
If there had been any doubt that she had the right place, it disappeared as soon as she walked through the sliding doors. There had to be a dozen firefighters taking up various positions around the large room. All of them were still wearing their dark blue pants and polo shirts with the St. Louis Fire Department logo.
“Beth?”
Beth turned to her left and saw Drew striding toward her. She released a cleansing breath when she saw he was perfectly fine. “Drew.”
He pulled her into his arms and held on tight. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? Didn’t you get my text?”
She still hadn’t let go of him. “Yes. I got your text. Your text that said you’d gone to the hospital.”
Drew leaned back and searched her face. Then his gaze softened as he realized h
ow she’d taken the message. “You thought it was me? That I’d been taken to the hospital?”
“Yes, you insufferable man.” Beth wiped the moisture from her cheeks. “I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
“Aw, Beth, I’m so sorry. I never meant to make you worry. It didn’t occur to me that you’d take it to mean I’d gotten hurt.”
She tried to pull herself together—everyone was watching them. “How’s Shawn?”
“How did you . . .” He paused. “Nicole.”
“Yeah. I didn’t know what else to do when you didn’t answer your phone, so I called her.”
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, still trying to comfort her. “The last we heard he was still unconscious, but stable. I think they’re trying to get him a room now. Kelly, though . . . they took him upstairs for emergency surgery. He got beat up pretty bad by the explosion.”
Drew guided her over to a set of chairs in the corner. The other firefighters left them alone, but she knew they were paying attention. She took hold of both his hands and gathered them into her lap. “I was scared. I thought . . .”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I promise next time to give a little more information when I text you.”
Next time. Beth knew there would be a next time. With his line of work, it was inevitable.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I’m thinking how hard this is going to be going through this for the rest of my life.” He grew really still, and Beth looked up to see what was wrong. “What is it?”
“You said the rest of your life.”
She hesitated. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Yes. You did.”
Beth flipped over one of his hands and traced the lines in his palm. “I’m not ready to get married yet, but I want you in my life, Drew Parker. And one day, hopefully not too long from now, I will be ready to walk down the aisle with you, and have a family with you . . . the whole nine yards.”
A huge smile spread across his face, and before she knew what was happening he was kissing her—right there in the waiting room. It was only when a couple of the guys whistled that Drew pulled back. They were both breathing heavily. She never thought she would get a kiss like that in a hospital waiting room.