by Sandy Nadeau
He loved her laugh. All the years he’d known her, that laugh lingered in his mind. She still wore khakis and hiking boots, but her light-colored hair hung free about her shoulders. Her bangs brushed across her eyebrows. “Not what you had on your agenda today?” That sweet voice lilted up to the ceiling.
“No, this kind of adventure, I don’t need. You off duty?”
“Yeah, just finished my shift, so since George volunteered me…I thought I’d give you a lift home.”
Nope, she was definitely not happy about this. She most likely couldn’t find anyone else to pass the task on to. She never wanted to be around him anymore. He’d have to thank George. “Sorry you got stuck with that. I don’t think I’ll be driving for a couple days.”
She sighed heavily. Her arm rose up and she smacked her hand against her thigh. “I’ll get your SUV. My brother’s at my place for a few days. We’ll pick it up and get it to your place after I get you settled. What about class this week? Will you be able to go?”
Could that be hope he saw in her eyes? Nah, probably not. “Oh, yeah. I’ll make it. I’d appreciate the help.”
“Glad to rescue you. Twice today.” Again her beautiful laugh.
“Are you really?” Steve got off the gurney and attempted to hobble toward her, clumsy with the stiff padded boot protecting his injured foot.
Ronnie sat in the chair in the corner of the curtained room.
Steve fought the urge to hug her. A sigh escaped him as he realized it had just gotten cold in the room.
“So…” She reached over to snoop in the drawer of the cabinet next to her. “How long do you have to stay off the foot?”
“Doc said I have to stay in the boot and use the crutches for a week then see how it does. I guess I won’t be running into any burning buildings this week.” Oh, man, why did he say that? How stupid could he get?
Her eyebrows lifted. Sadness played over her face.
When would he think prior to opening his mouth?
She gave a half-hearted smile. “Well, that’s good. I won’t have to rescue you again.”
“What will you do with your time?”
The nurse came in with the discharge papers and a pair of crutches. “You’re all set to go. Here’s a prescription for pain reliever. You’ll need to take this for a few days with meals to keep the swelling down. The boot will help it to stay stabilized. Elevate the foot and ice it often.”
“Yep. I know the drill.”
“All right. Here are your crutches.” The nurse handed them to him. “Unless you’d like a ride in a wheel chair.”
Steve cocked his head and took the crutches from her. “No, my pride can’t handle any more abuse.”
Ronnie chuckled. “Are you sure? I’ll be glad to wheel you out to the car.” Her eyebrows wiggled up and down.
“I bet. No, crutches are good.”
Ronnie took the paperwork and moved to his side.
A light citrus scent reached his nose. His senses were fully aware of her nearness as he swung himself down the hall.
She helped him settle into the passenger’s seat of her truck. He could get used to her attention, even if only for a short time. He buckled up while she got in on the driver’s side.
She drove out of the hospital parking lot.
After a few minutes of silence, Steve caught himself staring at her. “I really do appreciate your help today. We haven’t had many calls together for a while. I’ve been wondering how you were doing. ”
“Oh, I’m good. Keeping busy. Mom needs a lot of help these days.” She kept her eyes on the road. “She’s moving into a condo in a couple months. My days off usually consist of helping her sort through things.”
“That must be challenging.”
“Yeah. I think the move will do her good though. Take a step back from the memories. I think I’m having a harder time about her leaving the old house. But it’s too much for her. Without Dad around anymore…” her words fell away.
Steve noticed the catch in her breath. “I think your Dad’s becoming a legend, you know.”
She took in a ragged breath. “He was an amazing man.”
“The guys still stop by his photo at the department and talk about what he did.”
Ronnie shifted in her seat.
“That was my first fire call. John’s lucky to be alive.”
“At least he is.” Her words had a sharp edge.
Steve caught himself. “Sorry.” His guilt freshened.
Her face contorted a bit. “Nature of the profession. We all know the dangers.”
“That we do.”
They grew quiet again. Ronnie rested her elbow against the door frame; her fingers massaged her forehead and temple.
Steve regretted delving into the subject of her father. Not a bright decision on his part. Once again, he forgot to think first.
~*~
When were these memories going to become tolerable? It had been three and a half years since Ronnie’s dad died saving John Jacobson from a burning house. She thought back to the day the chief arrived to break the news to her mom, her, and Adam.
Her father had been the number two man on the hose for the first attack team. Her dad had complained about John’s ego and how he always wanted to be the hero.
Ronnie couldn’t tolerate arrogance on the job from anyone anymore.
Steve had been there. Why couldn’t he…no, she wasn’t going there again.
Ronnie and Steve were so close back then. Best friends with the promise of something more, a relationship that might have led to marriage. He’d been her rock during the funeral. She broke up with him after things had settled down. She couldn’t stand the thought of someday losing him in a similar way.
When she found out he had been third man on the hose outside, feeding it along, she couldn’t help but wonder if he could have done something to save her father. The captain ordered him back since he was a rookie. But what if he could have saved her dad? Couldn’t he have broken protocol? She sighed again as she turned into Steve’s driveway.
His cabin sat against the backdrop of a pine-covered hillside. A small stream, flanked by blue spruce trees, meandered across the property behind the house, flowing toward the road and eventually disappearing into the culvert.
The beautiful scene settled down the heartbreak she had been reliving in her mind. She pulled to a stop as close to the door as possible. “Here you are.” She put the truck in park and jumped out. The delightful smell of pine filled the air. She ran around the front to help him out.
Steve opened his door, set the ends of the crutches on the ground, slid on the seat and scooted out.
Ronnie touched his elbow and felt a delightful chill run through her. No, no…no feelings allowed. She shrugged it away. “I’ll get you inside, and then go pick up my brother so we can get your vehicle. I can pick up your prescription, too, if you want.”
“You know…I have pain reliever inside. That’ll work fine.” He made his way to the front stoop hobbling in front of her.
“You’re pretty good with those crutches. My guess is you’ve had some experience on them.”
Steve laughed. “You could say that.” He reached in his pocket for his keys.
She stayed behind him, her arm reached out toward him in case he stumbled. But she couldn’t touch him, not again.
He unlocked it, and then handed the keys to her, pointing out the one for his car. He limped into the living room.
“What can I do for you before I take off?”
“There’s an ice pack in the freezer. Can you grab it and a small towel from the drawer by the sink?” He took the crutches in one hand and hopped around to sit on the couch.
“Sure.” She made certain he could sit down safely before heading into the kitchen. When she came back, she put a pillow under his leg, helped him open up the boot, put the ice pack in place, and then headed for the door. “I’ll be back in half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes.”
“Great, thank
s again.”
“No prob. Behave yourself.”
~*~
Steve settled in on the couch, grabbed the remote, and turned on a baseball game. His mind couldn’t stay on the game. The lulls in the play allowed his mind to drift back to Ronnie. He missed her. He missed them. The time they dated settled his life, readying him for that big leap. Then her dad died and she broke it off. The guilt ate at him. He tried to get her to go out again, but she refused him every time. Not that he gave up easy, but all the guys at the station knew she refused to date firefighters from that point on. He still had the ring tucked safely away in his dresser. He hadn’t been able to turn off his love for her as easily as she had for him.
With eyes closed, his mind took him back seeing the fire engulfed home. Being the rookie, he fed the hose that John and Ronnie’s dad took into the inferno. He had never been that close to a large fire before. As they sprayed, a lot of smoke poured out of the door they had entered. When the smoke slowed and the hose didn’t move, Steve hollered the information to the captain. He started to run for the door to help, but the captain ordered him back.
The second attack team headed in. They found John and Frank ten feet in. When they carried Frank out, Steve knew. Frank did not look good. The air mask was gone from its position on his face.
He shook his head and popped his eyes open to stop seeing it. Again. He couldn’t have done anything, so why did he feel so guilty about it? Lord, it’s so hard. Please remove my guilt. I need to move on from it. Hurting my foot hasn’t been a fun experience, but if it gives me another chance to try and get Ronnie to forgive me, then I’m all for it.
An inning later, he heard the gravel crunching outside the door.
When she knocked, she announced them as she opened it.
“Come on in.”
“We’re back. Your car’s home.” Ronnie stepped in with her brother close behind.
“Hey man, how are ya?” Adam walked over and extended his hand. “Good to see you again. It’s been a while. I hear my little sis got you out of a pickle today.”
Steve leaned over and reached to shake Adam’s hand. “Yeah, my luck.”
“Can I make you a sandwich or something so you don’t have to get up later?” Ronnie thumbed toward the kitchen.
“You know…that would be great. There’s a bottle of water in the fridge and the pain reliever is up in the cupboard by the stove if you could. That’d save me some hobbling.”
“Got it.” She spun around fast and headed for the kitchen. Her hair, light as feathers, flew up in the air.
Adam looked at the television and sat on the chair next to the couch. “Still no score, huh?”
“No, it’s a slow game today. Thanks for helping get my car.”
“Oh, sure. You’re still with the fire department, aren’t you? How long have you been on there?”
“Just under four years. A little longer than your sister’s been on rescue. We’ve ended up on a number of calls together. She’s made for the job.”
“Yeah, she decided long ago to be like Dad. She loves the rescue work as much as he liked fire.”
“Your dad’s memory is really respected down at the station.”
“Good to know.” Adam’s gaze stayed glued on the game.
Ronnie came back and put the items on the coffee table. The sandwich was wrapped in plastic. “There you go. I found a bag of chips, too. I know you like your potato chips. Anything else?”
“No, thanks. I’ll be fine. This helps.” He decided not to ask her to stay right there so he could just stare at her.
She pulled his car keys out of her pocket and set them on the table. “We’re only a phone call away.” She seemed to hesitate. “I…could pick you up for class Tuesday night if you can make it. I’m sure you’d rather not drive with that thing on your foot.”
“That’d be great. Thanks.” That offer must have been hard for her.
Adam headed for the door. “I’m in town for the week. I can help you out if you need something. It would get me out of the girlie room at Ma’s.” He smirked at his sister as she punched his arm. “What? You’ve loaded my old room with packed boxes. I don’t like pink, OK?” He laughed, ducked and darted out the door before he got slugged again.
“Thanks for everything, Ronnie. I really do appreciate it.”
“I know. You’re welcome. I’ll give you a call later and check in on you.”
She closed the door and her lovely face disappeared, but not from his mind. He sighed. He closed his eyes and tried desperately to keep the vision of her before him. He smiled at the thought of her picking him up for training. More time together, cool.
His thoughts went to happier times. They had a lot of fun together. When her dad died, everything changed. She broke the news of splitting up with him two days after the funeral. No matter what he said, she stood her ground. He regretted telling her about being third man, but he had to tell her the whole story. She needed to know. She wanted to know. He wished he could have gone in the second that hose stopped moving. But endangering his own life and adding another to rescue wouldn’t have helped anyone.
After spending most of this day with her around, his thoughts drifted to her creamy skin and pink lips. How he longed to press his own lips against hers again. Feel his arms around her slender body with her arms wrapped around him.
“Arg. I need a nap.” He slid down further on the couch resting his head on the pillow, turned the game up a little louder and soon fell asleep.
3
How dumb could she be? Driving toward his house, she mentally beat herself up. Her heart remained so raw when it came to Steve. What possessed her to offer him a ride to class? Dumb. Let him find his own way. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t just let him drive himself there with his leg braced up. She knew he would, but she had to go by his place on the way to the station. She had no excuse. No, she had to offer. She could do this. She could keep her emotions at bay. She’d let her feelings go years ago. Didn’t she? Their relationship ended. She could just be a friend. Couldn’t she?
Maybe Steve could have helped her father. Not much of a future with that looming in her mind. He knew that something had gone wrong in the burning house. He could have broken the rules. But what if he had died along with her dad?
No. He could have done something. She was sure of it.
Besides that, Jeannie confided in her that she liked Steve. She’d just joined the department a year ago and didn’t really know their history.
Ronnie encouraged Jeannie to pursue Steve.
If that worked out, then he’d stop bugging her to get back together.
She wouldn’t do it. Not with any firefighter, and especially not with Steve.
~*~
Five-thirty. She’d be here soon. He’d been anxious to get the training started to become an Emergency Medical Technician, but now that Ronnie said she’d drive, even better. Maybe this would give them the opportunity to move on. To start over.
Steve liked the physical side of firefighting, but he wanted to do more to help the injured. Medical stuff fascinated him anyway. The department had developed the policy that all firefighters must be EMT’s as well. They responded to all rescue calls, so he understood the reason. The training didn’t cost him anything.
And now it meant more time with Ronnie. He figured she wouldn’t be too happy about the time together. But maybe…
She pulled into the driveway.
He stepped out and waved as she came to a stop near the stoop. The smile lighting her face turned his knees to water. Good thing he still needed crutches.
“How’s the foot doing?” She stepped out to open the passenger door.
“Getting better every day. Thanks for driving tonight, though.”
“No problem. Glad to help, Gimpy.”
He loved that cheeky smirk of hers.
He hobbled into the department’s training center, Ronnie close behind. The conference room had a dozen tables for two. He took the c
hair to the outside so he could stretch his leg out. Only a few more days in the boot. At least he hoped. He couldn’t wait to get rid of the confining contraption.
“I’ve been waiting for this training to be offered again. It’ll be good to get beyond First Responder status.” She set her notebook down and took the seat next to him.
“It’s required for the fire now, but I’ve wanted to do this for a while. I’m glad we’re taking it together.”
More classmates came into the room and found seats.
Jeannie, the only current female firefighter, took a seat in front of them.
Steve nodded to her.
She turned in her seat facing them. “Hi Ronnie, Steve. How’s that foot doing?”
“It’s good. How are you doing, Jeannie?”
She smiled and tipped her head. “I’m doing great. I was hoping you’d be able to make it to class.”
“Yeah, Ronnie picked me up.”
“Oh. I could have come by to get you.”
“She has to drive by my place anyway. It worked out.”
Jeannie’s smile disappeared. “Ah.” She turned forward and opened her notebook.
~*~
Ronnie smiled and turned her attention to her own notebook. Why were men so clueless? Maybe she could arrange for Jeannie to pick him up if he needed a ride next time. Jeannie was trying so hard to get Steve to notice her. Men.
If Ronnie pushed a little, maybe that would convince him to look at Jeannie. She was strong, capable, quite attractive, and loved firefighting. It’d be good for him to get interested in someone else.
Ronnie had no future with him. Did she? No, definitely not. Ronnie had managed to avoid being around him, until now. But she had to help him. Didn’t she? She glanced at him. Oh, that smile. She sighed.
“You OK?”
“Huh, oh, yeah. Just…anxious to get started.”
The tall instructor walked into the dingy white room, much to her relief. He never said hello, just started to explain while walking in how tonight’s class would be an overview of taking vitals. He passed out kits to half the class.
Ronnie felt Steve’s gaze on her as the lesson began.
The instructor sat up front. “Since most of you are paired up at a table, you already have your new partner. Those of you sitting alone, find someone to pair up with.”