Between the Lines

by T Gephart

  “Five minutes?” I pointed to the smoke pouring out of the broken glass. “Tessa is in there, and her exit is going to be cut off in two.”

  He tried to push me back, getting more up in my face than he ever had before. “Tibbs, I’m giving you a direct order, do you hear me? I will not risk one of my men—”

  “Then fucking fire me, Cap,” I yelled back, telling him exactly what he could do with his order. “Or better yet, get SWAT to shoot me. Because the only way I am not walking inside that building right now is if I’m not breathing.”

  “Hey,” Leighton was at my side, Rev having taken over on his hose. “I’ll go with you.”

  I shook my head, not willing to risk anyone else’s safety but my own. “I can’t ask—”

  “That’s right, you didn’t ask. So let’s fucking do this.” He pushed against my chest and tipped his head to the door.

  “Yeah, figure I might join you boys,” North piped in. “You might need an extra pair of hands and let’s face it, mine are the best ones here.”

  I wanted to argue, to tell them that not only was it too dangerous but fucking stupid as well. The paperwork alone was going to be ugly, the chances one of them not making it home too much for my conscience to bear. But there was no time, and honestly I could use the help, and I wasn’t going to waste one more second with a conversation.

  North already had bolt cutters in his hands and Leighton was grabbing a hose. The plan was to run it right inside the front fucking door. And if the shithead with a gun was still breathing, he was going to have a hard time staying vertical with 290 psi hitting him dead on.

  Cap swore under his breath, yelling at us to be careful as he turned on the hose. Our actions might not have been sanctioned, but not one of the badges on their side or ours tried to stop us as we hit the front of the building like a missile strike.

  We barely had time to put on our SCBAs, North popping the chain on the external doors, Leighton pointing the hose at the entrance as North swung open the glass.

  An avalanche of water exploded from the nozzle, clearing a path at least in the short term as I was able to squeeze in beside it. There wasn’t much room, keeping myself parallel to the blast so I didn’t end up on the floor.

  “Tessa,” I called out, knowing for the most part she wouldn’t have heard shit over the water and the masks. “Ricci, where the fuck are you?”

  “Last contact was made outside apartment 1C,” Cap’s voice came over the radio. “Third door from the left as you enter.”

  I pointed to the left, making sure Leighton and North swung the hose in that direction as I jogged alongside it. We didn’t get very far, the place of Tessa’s last radio contact also what seemed to be ground zero for the fucking fire.

  “Shit,” I pulled up short, 1C no longer resembling anything close to a structure with its side walls blown completely out. The blast had also removed the door from its hinges, the piece of wood laying like a corpse on the floor a few feet away.

  “Tessa,” I screamed, unwilling to believe she’d been inside. There was no way it ended like that, no fucking way. She was one of the strongest people I knew, and if anyone was fucking capable of walking away from this, it would be her.

  Like a madman, I dropped my axe, yanking up pieces of sheetrock with my hands and refusing to accept any other outcome where she didn’t walk out of there with me. We didn’t have much time, the flames closing on us as we tried to push them back. We had maybe single minutes left, and even that was being optimistic, my hands grabbing whatever they could as I called out her name.

  It was North who pointed back to the blown-out door, the wood having shifted just slightly and not from any assistance from me or the hose. Like a fucking demon I tore the thing off the floor, Tessa’s curled up body revealed underneath.

  THANK. FUCKING. GOD.

  There wasn’t time to celebrate or even check if she was conscious, my hands hauling her off the floor as we retreated back the way we’d come in. She didn’t look good, a cut on her forehead bleeding down her face as I pulled her close to my chest. Leighton and North used the hose to shield us from the flames, the roof starting to cave in as we made it back to the exterior doors.

  “Tessa,” I pulled off my mask while maneuvering her in my arms, needing her to respond. “Ricci, you need to fucking wake up.”

  If there was a possibility of waking a person with will alone, I’d have been the guy to do it. I’d cleared us just enough from the entrance for me to safely lower her to the ground, my fingers pressing against her neck and checking her carotid pulse before the EMTs had even gotten close.

  She coughed, my hand on her—or maybe it was my fingers digging into her neck—making her splutter as she breathed in a mouthful of air. It was the single most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, her chest rising and falling as she took another breath, and then one more right after.

  “Tibbs?” she squeezed out, her eyes fluttering open. “What are you—”

  “Shhhh, save your throat,” I warned her, knowing the smoke inhalation alone was going to make talking unbearable. “I’ve got you, and you’re safe.”

  “We need to check her, Tibbs.” Darcy one of the EMTs was at my side with a stretcher. “You can stay, but just give us room to work.”

  The permission to stay had meant jack shit, because there was no other way it was going. And if they thought I was leaving her side, they were fucking delusional.

  Darcy put an oxygen mask on Tessa, checking her vitals while my hand stayed locked around Ricci’s fingers. I was positive I wasn’t giving them as much room as they wanted. But considering Tessa’s injuries didn’t seem fatal, they were going to be hard pressed to convince me they couldn’t work around me.

  I hadn’t even noticed what was going on, only realizing Leighton and North had kept the line on the entrance while other crews provided further support. The ladder had arrived too, the aerial line going a long way at keeping the fire contained and sparing the neighboring buildings.

  Guess the tear-down was going to happen a lot sooner than anyone thought, one of the side walls crumbling under the weight of the water being blasted at it.

  “How is she?” Miller’s voice came from behind me, taking a tentative step closer. “Jesus, Ricci.” He shook his head as he looked down at her on the stretcher. “I don’t know who I’m madder at right now, me or you.”

  “We’re moving,” Darcy barked out. “You both can meet us at Mont Sinai West, but we’re leaving now.”

  For all the patience she’d shown before, she was fresh out, muscling me out the way as her and Cole—the other EMT—got ready to put Ricci in the ambulance.

  “You want a ride?” Miller asked. “I’m assuming you came here in an engine and unless you want to add grand theft auto to your rap sheet, coming with me will probably be easier.” He shoved his hands into his pockets as his mouth thinned into a line. “And before you even fucking say it, I thought she was right behind me or I never would have fucking left.”

  “You think I’m going to try and pin this on you?” My brows knitted, genuinely surprised he’d go there with me. “You remember I’m dating her, right? So I know that whatever decisions she makes—good, bad, or indifferent—are hers alone. And to be quite honest, I don’t give a fuck. As long as she’s okay, that is all I need.”

  I got it.

  Really, I did.

  There was a responsibility you had to the man—or woman—on your left and right. And unless you wore the uniform, it wasn’t easily understood. When we said we’d die for each other, that was literally what was on the line.

  “Dude, guilt is a waste of fucking time and emotion. No one—especially not Tessa—blames you. Not for this. So you need to get right with yourself, talk to your shrink or your God if that’s what you need, or it will eat you alive. But I will say this, if you don’t take me to the hospital so I can see my girl, we’re going to need another ambulance for you.”

  I’d only been partially joking, mentally
counting the minutes since the EMTs left with Tessa. I wasn’t even worried about leaving when I was still technically on duty, the chances of me still having a job after my rogue mission probably not looking good.

  Miller tried to laugh but came up short. “You really are perfect for each other, you know that. Okay, let’s get out of here.”

  Justin

  CAP DIDN’T SAY a word to me as I left the scene, but that was no surprise. He was probably saving it all up for the shitstorm that was going to rain down on me when I finally got back to the stationhouse. And if I thought Cap was mad, the chief was going to be worse. Not that it would’ve changed a thing, my choices and decisions would have been exactly the same given the situation over, and my only regret was that Leighton and North were involved. Still, I’d deal with all of that once I was positive Tessa was okay, and I’d be sure that both Cap and Chief knew the only person who should be facing repercussions was me.

  Miller got us to the hospital quicker than expected. Guess a pair of flashing lights and some solid defensive driving moves helped. But even though we weren’t stuck riding taillights like regular civilians, I was still going out of my mind until we got to Mont Sinai.

  “Tessa Ricci.” Her name the only greeting given to the nurse at the ER.

  “Hey, Carole,” Miller added, tapping my shoulder and trying to make me step aside. “Tessa was just brought in, any idea of her status?”

  He might have sounded calm, but I knew better, the tight smile on his face giving away he was just as anxious as I was.

  “Hey, Grayson,” Carole smiled, not giving me the same warmth when she turned in my direction, “let me check the system and see where she is.”

  She tapped on her keyboard with a lot less urgency than I would’ve liked before pausing. “She is in exam 3, you both can go back there if you like.”

  We’d barely waited for her to finish the sentence, pushing through the doors and heading into the main part of the ER. It didn’t take long to find her, Miller seeming to have a pretty good idea of the layout and walking us directly to the curtained-off area.

  “Hey Grayson,” another nurse pushed apart the curtains as she walked out, “they’ve taken her for a CT, she should be back soon.”

  “Was she conscious?” I asked, ignoring I hadn’t been the one addressed. “How were her vitals? Are they running a chest x-ray as well? She was in that smoke longer than she should’ve been. And—”

  “Slow down there, FD.” She shot me a smile that I wasn’t feeling. “She is with Dr. Camden, who is one of the best ER doctors in the city, and I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s doing. But if it helps put your mind at ease, she was conscious and responsive. Tessa Ricci is a tough cookie. I am positive she is going to be fine.”

  While I appreciated her assessment, I really didn’t give a shit what she thought. What I wanted was a fucking guarantee and a visual confirmation that Tessa was going to be all right, not willing to settle for anything less.

  “Hey, you want to take a seat and wait until she gets back?” Grayson rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m going to call her parents. I’m sure our captain is going to call, but I want them to hear it from me. I owe them that.”

  “Yeah, fine.” I shoved myself into a chair, my turnouts taking up more room than I would have liked. I wasn’t sure if he’d meant out in the waiting room, but he was delusional if he thought I was going to be anywhere other than her bedside.

  He nodded, taking his phone out of his pocket and pointing to the direction we’d come. “I’m just outside, come get me as soon as she gets back.”

  After assuring him I would, he left to make his call. I didn’t envy him, the phone conversation with a next of kin when something went bad, the worst thing ever. It was while I was waiting that the nurse from before came back.

  “Justin Tibbs?”

  “Yeah, that’s me.” I stood, wondering if she had any more news.

  “Chief McPherson is out front for you.”

  FUCK.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised; Mack wasn’t the kind of guy—or chief—to sit around and wait. And while I absolutely expected—and deserved—whatever punishment was coming my way, I was hoping it could wait until after I’d seen Tessa.

  Swearing under my breath, I begrudgingly followed the nurse into the hall. It would only be worse if I kept the man waiting, and considering I was fairly positive I was going to be suspended or worse, it was just better to get it over with.

  Chief was eerily calm as he waited by the triage desk, his face devoid of the anger I was expecting as he watched me approach. “Tibbs.”

  “Chief.” I tipped my chin, wondering if that was the calm before the storm.

  His head pointed to the exit. “Let’s take a walk,” and it didn’t sound like a suggestion.

  “I know what you’re going to say, and I’m fine with it. I understand you have to do what you have to do. But Tessa is getting back from CT soon and I want to be waiting for her when she does. I know you get it, Mack. When Hayden was lying in a hospital bed not even Jesus Christ could’ve moved you until you saw she was okay. So give me that, and then I’ll talk, walk, or do whatever you need me to do.”

  It wasn’t like me not to follow orders, especially when they came from the big guy. But when it came to Tessa, protocol went out the window and I wasn’t apologizing.

  Chief cleared his throat, looking around before he lowered his voice. “Oh, you know what I’m going to say? You become a mind reader at some point when I wasn’t aware?”

  “No, but—”

  “But nothing.” Mack cut me off, raising his hand. “I know you want to be with her. If you didn’t after that stunt you pulled, I’d have some pretty serious questions. But there is something I need to say and I’m not doing it here. So give me two minutes outside and then I’ll leave you the hell alone.”

  Since arguing with him wasn’t going to get me anywhere, I followed him out the door. He wanted two minutes, so that was what I was giving him, exactly one hundred and twenty seconds, and then I was back beside that bed whether he was done or not.

  It was only after we’d cleared the main doors, away from the crowd, that Mack started to speak. “First things first, are you okay? And I’m not just talking physically, Tibbs.”

  “Chief, I’m fine. Things got toasty, but I had my SCBA on the whole time and North and Leighton were on hose support. Other than going off script, we did everything textbook. As for my head, I’ll be solid once I see Tessa and know she’s okay.” It was the best I could give him, knowing if I told him I was all good that I would be lying.

  He nodded, understanding probably better than anyone what I was going through. “Good, and I need an assurance from you that if anything changes you will tell me.”

  “Promise, Chief,” I agreed, having no intentions of hiding anything. “We good?”

  “No. We’re not.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “What you did was not only a direct violation of your captain’s orders but incredibly reckless as well. There’s a reason we don’t go into an unsecured scene, Tibbs, turnouts aren’t bullet proof and you can’t fight a fire with a hole in your chest.”

  I huffed out a breath, his sermon one hundred percent what I was expecting. “Yeah, I got it. But—”

  “Let me fucking finish.” He cut me off again. “It was also one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen you do. Cap said you didn’t even hesitate, took point on Leighton and North. And if it weren’t for you, Ricci would’ve come out of there in a body bag instead of in your arms.”

  I swallowed hard. It was one thing to know her chances wouldn’t have been great but hearing it out loud made it feel more real.

  “We won’t know everything until we read the police report and get our investigator down there, but from what PD said, the guy was cornered and probably lit a fire out of desperation. Asshole probably hadn’t passed high school chemistry or he’d know that just the vapors of what he was cooking were enough to cause
an explosion. I’m guessing they’ll find him somewhere in the rubble, and Ricci was shielded by the door. In any case, while I can’t officially approve of what could’ve been a suicide mission, I want you to know that PD are incredibly grateful. I’ve also never been prouder of you in my life.”

  Praise didn’t usually make me emotional, but hearing those words from Chief choked me up in a way where I was glad we didn’t have an audience. “Thanks, Chief. But I wasn’t going to let her die in there.”

  “I know. So, here’s what we’re going to do.” He slapped me across the back. “You’ll get paperwork, because there’s nothing I can do to avoid that. But it will come with an addendum that you acted with exceptional bravery and therefore will not be a mark on your record. You’ll also take a few days off because while I am not suspending you, I have a feeling your head isn’t going to be in the game, and I won’t have that on my crew.”

  I nodded, not trusting myself to talk while he basically gave me the biggest free pass ever. It wasn’t what I was expecting, and sure as hell not what I’d been ready for, willing to have lost my career if that’s what it came down to. But knowing I got to go back, that I got to work alongside my brothers and do what I loved to do. Fuck, that was a gift I hadn’t even hoped for.

  “Okay, I’d say I’ve exceeded my two minutes and I know you want to get back.” His head tipped toward the hospital doors. “North and Leighton will drive your car over and get any personal items from your locker. You might also want to get out of your turnouts before they get here. I’ll email you later tonight or tomorrow morning and we’ll discuss your return date. I’m sure that will probably be contingent on what the doc says anyway.”

  “Thanks, Chief.” I put out my hand, unable to fully convey my gratitude. “I don’t know what else to say.”

  Mack returned the shake, his shoulders lifting as he gave me a slight grin. “Well, that works for me because usually I can’t shut you up. Go on, get out of here. And I want status reports, let Ricci know we’re all pulling for her.”