Mac’s eyebrows went up in surprise. She looked briefly out into the audience and spied Sarah standing in the doorway, along with Chief O’Reilly and John. Her mouth grew dry, instantly knowing that something was afoot.
The chief of staff cleared his throat—not that he needed to, as you could have heard a pin drop in the room with all eyes keenly focused to the front.
“Not that long ago, as most of you know, the laundry caught on fire. We all got to see first-hand how to put fire-safety education into play. Many of you were there helping out, either directly with the fire, or indirectly by dealing with those people involved. I want to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to each and every one of you for how you handled yourselves on that day, and the days succeeding it. You did both yourselves and this hospital proud in your undertakings. I would like to call on the managers from Emergency, ward three, and the burns unit to come down to the front. In addition, I would like to pay tribute to the men and women of the local fire station, who came so swiftly to our aid and contained the danger before it could become a much larger disaster. Chief, if you and your colleague would care to join us out the front too, please?”
To much applause and cheering, Chief O’Reilly and John made their way down to the front to stand next to Mac, along with Sarah and the unit managers from the burns unit and ward three.
The chief of staff waved to the audience for quiet. “As you know, two men were trapped inside that fire. Both of these men are family men. Their families are here today and would like to say thank you to you all, for being there and for helping their men the way that you did.” The chief extended his hand to the families, inviting them forward.
The audience clapped and cheered. Once again, the chief raised his hands for quiet. “They especially would like to say thank you to Lieutenant Mackenzie James, who risked all to bring them out. Chief O’Reilly, Mrs. Chesterfield, and Mrs. Lee would like to make a presentation, in recognition of Lieutenant James’s actions that day.”
Mrs. Chesterfield stepped forward holding a box. The chief stepped in front of Mac, opened the box, and withdrew a meritorious award, pinning it on Mac’s navy suit coat. The chief saluted her and stepped back. Mrs. Chesterfield hugged Mac and kissed her on the cheek. Finally, Mrs. Lee stepped up, with her young family, to envelop Mac in a group hug. Mrs. Lee whispered into Mac’s ear, “I can never thank you enough for saving our Jimmy. You will be forever honoured and remembered in our family. Thank you.”
The smallest of the Lee children, a tiny doll-like girl in a pink stripped dress, stepped forward to present Mac with a posy of flowers. Mac knelt down and hugged the child, who clung to Mac’s neck with great enthusiasm until her mother pulled her off.
The families returned to their seats at the front of the class. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Mac turned to the chief and John, who both patted her on the shoulder. Looking down the line past them, she found Sarah, who was clapping and grinning at Mac, tears streaming freely down her face. She stepped forward to Mac and handed her a tissue to wipe the tears that she didn’t realize were flowing down her own face.
One by one, the representatives left the stage, to leave Mac standing there alone as quiet descended on the room. Mac cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and looked to the now silent crowd. “I’m deeply grateful and humbled by this morning. To Peter’s and Jimmy’s families, I thank you. Knowing that we all helped make sure both of your men get to come home to their families…I think everyone in this room would agree, these are the things that we all strive for, and that give us the greatest joy and satisfaction.”
Mac took a moment to look at the audience. She looked first at John, and then at Sarah. “I thank you for the honour you have given me this morning. However, the day of the laundry fire was a day of great teamwork. Many hands achieved great things that day. The safety class participants, the hose-and-bucket lines, my colleagues in the fire service, through to the wonderful hospital staff who treated us all with great skill and care. This honour belongs to all. Thank you.” Mac bowed her head to the audience and mimed clapping with her bandaged hands, joining the audience applause.
The chief of staff came over and kissed Mac on the cheek. He turned to the audience again. “And now, folks, I think we need to hand the floor back to Lieutenant James, so she can finish her class. Lieutenant, I leave them in your hands.” The families, the unit managers, Chief O’Reilly, and John followed the hospital’s chief of staff out the door.
Mac put her posy down and gathered herself briefly before turning back to the audience. “Wow, that’s a pretty hard act to follow.” There were a few good-natured chuckles from the group. “Well, we’ve had a pretty good example of how important having some basic understanding of fire, fire behaviour, and safety is. So let’s dive in to finding out a bit more about it.” Mac dimmed the lights and went through the program.
*
Tony was a very able and willing assistant during the practical session. Mac even spied him demonstrating to one of the kitchen staff orderlies how to bend low and make sweeping actions with the extinguisher. Because it was such a large group to get through, it took until lunchtime before Mac had finished.
Sarah had commandeered a bench by the time Mac met her. She leaned over and kissed Sarah before sitting down. Sarah smiled as Mac tried valiantly to open the container of yoghurt.
Sarah took the container and removed the lid before handing it back.
“Thanks.”
“I thought your speech was beautiful this morning. You were beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
Mac’s hand holding her spoon was shaking. Sarah placed her hand on Mac’s thigh. “You okay?”
Mac nodded.
“Sure?”
A brief smile flickered across her lips. “I just feel a bit overwhelmed. It’s why I was hoping we could have lunch outside. People are really lovely, and it’s been very nice, but I’m on overload.”
Sarah gazed lovingly at Mac, then leaned over and kissed her cheek. “How’s your hand going?”
“Fine.”
Sarah looked at her with a single raised eyebrow. “How is it really?”
“It hurts.”
“Have you taken the other tablet?”
Mac shook her head. “I thought I should have something to eat first. I find when I take them on an empty stomach, it really messes with my head.”
“Fair enough. You do seem to be pretty sensitive to them. I might try and get you some different tablets that, hopefully, won’t knock you around quite so much.”
“Thanks, that would be good.”
Sarah’s phone rang. She looked at the screen. “It’s Jean.”
Mac watched Sarah as the call progressed. From Sarah’s curt replies and the look of concern etched on her face, she suspected the news was nothing good.
Sarah hung up and Mac asked, “Everything okay with Jean and Thomas?”
Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know. Stuff’s been happening and she thinks it’s Richard—odd phone calls, her mail destroyed…I made her the offer a while back, if she ever wanted to stay at my place, she could. You’ve seen the security around the place, she’d be safer there than where she is on her own. Anyway, she just asked if the offer was still open.”
Mac picked up her water bottle, swirling it thoughtfully in her hands. “Can you drive me home after work?”
“Sure. Is there something you want to pick up?”
“I was just thinking, you might want to spend some time with Jean and Thomas, to help them settle in.”
“I would love to spend some time with them and, yes, show them where everything is, but I was hoping we could do it together.”
“I don’t want to crowd things, or be in the way, or make things awkward. I just thought it might be easier, might be more comfortable for everybody, if I went home.”
Sarah shook her head. “I feel most comfortable when I’m with you. How about we stay for one night and help them move in, then i
f it seems to be going okay, I’ll pack some things and we can head back to your place?”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. Now, are you going to finish that yoghurt or not?”
Mac picked up her half-touched container. “Yes, ma’am.”
Chapter Twenty-five
On the way home from picking up some groceries, Sarah rang and organized security clearance for Jean and Thomas. She and Mac had not long finished the unpacking when the doorbell sounded, heralding their arrival. Jean stood in the doorway with bags, while Thomas stood behind her with a backpack, carrying Henry in his cat cage. Neither Thomas nor Henry looked very happy.
Jean put her bags on the floor and stepped into Sarah’s waiting hug. “Thank you so much for this. I’m really sorry.”
Sarah held her close. “It’s all right. I’m pleased you’re both here. Come on, let’s get you inside. Are there any more bags to bring up?”
Jean nodded. “Yes, a couple more in the car.”
Sarah turned to Mac. “Do you want to show Thomas where his room is, and I’ll help Jean get the other bags?”
“No worries.”
Sarah watched as Mac got Thomas’s attention and signed, “If you follow me, we’ll take your bags into your room and get Henry here settled in. How’s that sound?” Thomas nodded in a resigned fashion, which broke Sarah’s heart. But she felt a glimmer of hope as Mac put her arm around his tiny shoulders, and together they walked down the hallway to his new room.
She followed Jean to her car. Jean lifted the last bags out of the back seat and closed the door. Standing behind her, Sarah put her hand on Jean’s shoulder. “You okay?”
Jean shook her head. Sarah turned her around to enfold her in her arms. When they first arrived, she could see that Jean was trying to be solid and positive for Thomas, but now that they were alone, Jean could let go in safety, to cry freely without needing to maintain the facade of a calm and in-control parent. Sarah held her until the tears finally stilled. As Jean pulled away, Sarah pulled a tissue from her pocket and offered it.
“Thanks, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve been worried about you on your own. I’ll feel a little bit easier, knowing that you’re both here.”
“Like I said, maybe I’m making this bigger than it is. The phone calls rattle me, but lately…it’s escalating, and I’m not sure but I think a car has been following me around town.” Jean looked down intently at the tissue, worrying the corners. “I’ve learned to trust my instincts over the years. I have no proof, but I think Richard is close by.”
“Have you told the police?”
Jean nodded. “Yes, and I told them I was coming to stay at your place. They’re going to do some precautionary patrols around here and Thomas’s school for the next week or so.”
“Does Thomas know?”
“No. I haven’t told him. But he’s been through this before. You saw his face tonight. He knows something’s up. I feel bad that we’re crashing in on you and Mac like this, though.”
“Don’t be. Mac and I talked about it, and it’s fine. We’re going to stay here tonight. Then, if everyone’s okay, we’ll head over to Mac’s tomorrow and sleep over. She needs her car and some more clothes, so we figured by the time we finished work and picked up everything, we might as well stay. That way, you and Thomas can settle in at your own pace. If you feel worried, we can come back and stay, or you and Thomas can have the run of the place and call it your own. We’ll just take it one step at a time, huh?”
Jean threw her arms around Sarah. “Thanks, Sare. I really mean it.”
Sarah gave her a squeeze. “All right, well, let’s get these bags on up and we can get some dinner going while you and Thomas settle in.”
They opened the door to see Mac and Thomas lying on the floor with takeaway flyers spread out in front of them. They were signing back and forth about the various choices. Thomas was jabbing his finger at two different pizza menus, indicating first one sort, then another, shaking his head and smiling.
Sarah put the bags down and shut the door. “What’s going on here?”
Mac and Thomas were smiling. Mac pointed to Thomas to go ahead and explain. He sat up and signed, “Mac and I were playing a game, trying to guess what sort of pizza people you are.”
“And what sort of pizza people do you think we are?”
“I’m barbecued beef boy. Mac’s a classic Hawaiian. Mum’s seafood delight, and Mac said that you’re a spicy super supreme, but I think you’re more a chicken delight.”
Jean burst out laughing and signed back, “I’m sure you’re both right.”
Mac added, “Thomas and I thought that as we’re all together for dinner, we could make it into a pizza party.”
“Why not?” Sarah agreed. “What do you think, Jean, you up for pizza?”
“I think it sounds perfect.”
Mac nodded at Thomas. “How about Thomas and I order the pizzas while you two unpack?”
Half an hour later, they were sitting at the table with pizza boxes in front of them. Mac and Thomas had set the table, Mac showing Thomas how to fold the napkins into little hats.
Jean touched Thomas on the shoulder. “You guys did a great job. Look at the fancy napkins, who did those?”
Thomas sat up with a big smile. “We did. Do you like them?”
“They’re splendid. What pizzas did you order?”
Thomas demanded, “Guess!”
Sarah could smell barbecued beef and figured the little beef boy got his choice. “Barbecued beef?”
“Yep—your turn, Mum.”
“Is there a seafood delight?”
“Yes!”
Sarah looked on the table as she sipped her water. There were three pizza boxes. “What’s the third one?”
“It’s you, Aunt Sarah. It’s chicken delight.”
Sarah spat her water all over the table as the others laughed.
The pizza party was a hit, with everyone feeling full and relaxed. Mac had saved the prawns from her seafood pizza. “Hey, Thomas, how about we see if Henry would like a prawn for a treat and we can see if our trick worked?”
Jean and Sarah looked at each other. Sarah turned to Thomas. “What trick?”
“Mac said to put a bit of butter on his paws and one of my jumpers on the floor near his bed. Mac said it might help him settle in and not be frightened. And we made him a day bed too. Come and see.”
They all traipsed off to Thomas’s room. Henry had dragged Thomas’s jumper halfway into his bed and was contentedly curled up on it, purring. “Mac said to let him stay in here tonight. Then we can open the doors up and let him explore tomorrow, when he feels braver after a good night’s sleep.” Thomas walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain. Sitting on the wide windowsill was a cat hammock bed. “See? We made it when you two were out at the car. That’s Henry’s new daytime bed in the sun.”
Jean smiled. “I have to say, it looks like you two thought of everything. Henry’s a lucky boy.”
Sarah smiled at Mac and Thomas. “I wouldn’t mind a cat hammock for myself. What a terrific idea.”
Thomas looked at Mac. She winked at him, and he nodded back, smiling.
Jean ran her hand lovingly across the top of Thomas’s head. “All right, young man. I think it might be time for you to clean your teeth and for you and Henry to say goodnight. What do you think?”
“Can I read?”
“One book.”
Thomas looked at Mac and threw her a very dramatic wink. Mac touched her nose in reply. They obviously had cooked up something between them.
Leaving Jean and Thomas to get ready for bed, Mac and Sarah went out to clear the table. Jean emerged twenty minutes later, walked straight over to Mac, and gave her a big hug. “Thank you for making Thomas’s night so special. And by the way—he loves his Buzz Lightyear light.”
Mac blushed. “I’m glad.”
Sarah was frowning. “O
kay. I’ll ask. What’s a Buzz Lightyear light?”
Jean laughed. “It’s a headlamp light, shaped like the character, Buzz. You twist his arm and the light comes on.”
“Ha, sounds like some of the footballers that come into Emergency some nights…”
*
“How are the new pain tablets?”
Mac was lying on her back with Sarah at her side with her head snuggled into Mac’s neck and shoulder.
“Mm, much better thank you. My head feels clearer.”
“Good. Thank you, for what you did for Thomas tonight. It broke my heart when I saw how miserable he was at the door, but I think it would be fair to say that he ended up having a fun night.”
“We put some chocolates on Jean’s pillow too. You can’t go too wrong with chocolate.”
“How very true, my love. You are an amazing woman, Mackenzie James. Do you know that?”
Mac shook her head. “Not really. I just tried to take his mind off things. I think the amazing person is Jean, having to do this in the first place. It’s not right. My heart bleeds for them both.”
“I know what you mean. I feel so helpless.”
Mac kissed her on the top of the head. “Well, I think letting them stay here is a great idea. What does this Richard creep look like, anyway? Maybe I could drive around town in one of the fire trucks, and if I spotted him, then I could accidentally on purpose run over him?”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”
“Running over him with the truck?”
“No, silly. I should ask Jean if she has a recent picture of him. We could leave one downstairs at the desk and the school will probably need one too. I’ll talk to her in the morning. How’s your hand feeling?”
“It’s not too bad. Signing with barbecue boy worked it out a bit, but those new tablets make the pain manageable.”
“Good. More classes tomorrow?”
“Mm, although we must be getting close to the end of it. The group this morning was huge—even with my helpers, it took us longer than I wanted to get through them all—but they seemed okay with it.”
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