by Claire Adams
"So, that would indicate that we need to approach this differently," I said as I thought out loud. "We need to look at this like a fire."
"What are you talking about?" Liz asked as she wiped her face and looked around for her water glass. I grabbed it off of the nightstand next to her bed and handed it to her. She reached out to take it, but it slid through her fingers and spilled down the side of the bed pooling on the floor as she yelled, "Dammit! This is what I'm talking about!"
"Hang on, Liz," I said as I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and mopped up the water. "I know it's frustrating, but let's go through what's happened and see if we can't pick out some common details."
"Screw that!" she shouted. "I'm tired of questions I can't answer and accusations that are going to cost me and my best friend our educations!"
"What are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely confused by her outburst.
"Didn't Alex tell you?" she said. "Victoria Metzler and her gang of mean girls has accused Alex and I of cheating on our practice exams and the school has ordered an investigation."
"Yeah, so?" I replied, not following.
"When they do an investigation, they also put a hold on any scholarship or loan money until they figure out what happened," she said wryly. "They don't like throwing good money at bad students."
"So, you've been accused and they've withheld your money?" I asked.
"Exactly, only the problem is that if we don't pay our tuition on time, we get dropped from our classes and can't be reinstated until the next term, which is after graduation," she said. "We're set to graduate at the end of this term so that means we have to wait until next fall!"
"But if you didn't cheat, they should be able to clear you immediately, right?" I said, trying to understand what the problem was.
"We didn't cheat, but Violet hates us and she has pull with the department head and the nursing internship supervisor, who both have to be character witnesses for the investigation," she said, hitting the bed with the palm of her hand to underscore the problem. "Neither one of us cheated, but we have no way of proving that beyond a shadow of a doubt, and the program doesn't want to lose the donation that Violet's dad made to the school. She wants us out, she gets what she wants."
"That's a shitty thing to do," I said, shaking my head.
"Yeah, well, have you met Violet Metzler?" she asked sarcastically. "She's shitty human being."
"Indeed," I said, thinking about how this shed new light on my contract with Richard Metzler and suddenly understanding Alex's hesitation when I told her about it. "So, what if we find a work around?"
"How in the hell are we going to find a work around for this?" Liz asked with an exasperated sigh. "It's not like Alex and I are millionaires who can finance our own educations. If that were the case, neither one of us would be worked up about this, you know?"
"No, but I think I have an idea," I said, rubbing my chin as I wondered how I was going to make it all work without Alex finding out.
"What are you going to do? Pay the bills, Mr. Big Shot?" Liz shot back as she rolled her eyes.
"In fact, I am," I said, still thinking about how all of this was either going to work spectacularly well or blow up in my face. "Don't tell Alex, though, okay?"
"Dude, I'm not saying a word," she said, shaking her head. "But if she finds out, you're going to be answering to her in a way that...well, just don't let her find out."
"Look, I'll front the money and when the scholarships come in, you can pay me back," I said as I pulled out my phone and started transferring money to the account I used for personal business. "Is there anything else that needs to be paid besides tuition?"
"Alex's rent," Liz said. "Don't tell her I told you, but her landlord is a stickler, and one late rent payment means she'll be served an eviction notice. It was part of her lease agreement because Mr. Deaver had had too many college students flaking out on rent. But like I said, do not tell her I told you. She'd kill me."
"I'm not saying a word," I agreed. "Don't you, either."
"Scout's honor," Liz said, holding up three fingers and giving me a solemn nod. "Or however that goes."
"Quick, give me the numbers," I said as I dug in the nightstand and found a pen and a pad of paper. Liz quickly scribbled the numbers on the sheet and gave me Alex's landlord's address before handing the paper over.
"I hope you know what you're doing, dude," she said with a lopsided grin. "You have no idea how mad Alex will be if she finds out."
"Finds out what?" Alex asked as she walked into the room with a tray full of food and drinks.
"Finds out I've been mainlining heroin here in this very room," Liz quickly shot back.
"Don't be smart with me, Banks," Alex said. There was an edge in her voice that hadn't been there before she'd left the room, and I wondered what she'd done besides get snacks while she was gone.
"I'm not being smart," Liz said as she took a slice of apple from Alex and bit into it. Quietly, she said, "I'm sorry, Alex."
"It's okay, sweetie," Alex said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I know you're stressed out. I'm just worried about you, and I can't figure out how to help."
"I know," Liz said as she leaned over and gave Alex a hug. Her voice dropped to a sad whisper. "I really don't know what's wrong with me, Alex."
"I know, Liz," Alex said, patting her best friend's back. "But we're going to find out. Don't you worry, Liz. We will."
#
At Alex's insistence, I left her at the hospital with Liz while I went home to check on Tesla. I knew couldn't pay the tuition bill until the university offices opened back up on Monday morning, but I could find Alex's landlord and take care of that, so the next morning I drove over and paid her rent through the end of the term.
"Who are you?" the landlord asked suspiciously. "Does Miss Pierce know you're doing this?"
"Look, you're getting your money, aren't you?" I said as I handed him the cash. "Why ask questions? Now give me a receipt and send a receipt to Ms. Pierce so that she knows she's paid through to the end of the term."
"She's not going to like this," he said as he went to his computer and printed a receipt for me. "And what am I supposed to tell her when she comes asking who paid this?"
"I don't care how you explain it, so long as you don't say a word about me," I said as I walked toward the door. I turned and added, "And if you do, rest assured that you will regret it."
I called Alex to see if I could bring dinner to the hospital for her and Liz, but her phone went directly to voicemail, so I ordered dinner to be delivered and headed home to call Leo.
Leo and I arranged to meet at O'Neil's to discuss our plan for Metzler's announcement. When I arrived, Leo was entertaining a group of attractive young women who were skimpily dressed.
"Cam, I want you to meet the girls," Leo said, holding a glass of whiskey in one hand and gesturing to his companions with the other. "Girls, this is Cam."
"Hi, Cam," the pretty young things said in unison. I smiled and waved, then turned to Leo and tipped my head toward a back table.
"Sorry, girls," Leo said with the proper amount of regret, then turning to the bartender said, "Billy, buy these beautiful ladies a drink on me."
We moved to the back table and sat down before I could order a drink, so Billy had the waitress bring me a beer and a shot. I downed the shot and then said, "Okay, so what's our plan for Metzler's announcement?"
"Well, we both need to be there with the security team," Leo said. "He's requesting extra security for the first couple of weeks, so I've hired two more guys to work into the rotation."
"What the hell, Leo?" I said, looking at him. "We never talked about these guys! How do we know they can be trusted? Jesus!"
"Hey, I've been doing this for almost ten years," Leo said defensively. "I know what the fuck I'm doing, Cam, so back off."
"But you never run anything by me anymore," I protested as I took a swig of my beer and slammed the glass down on the table. "If we're going
to do this together, then you have to treat me like I'm actually a part of the team, Leo."
"My bad," he said, holding up his hands in a show of surrender. "I'm used to flying solo, I screwed up. It won't happen again."
"Make sure it doesn't," I grumbled as I took another swig.
"What's got your boxers in a bunch tonight?" Leo asked as he signaled to the waitress for another round.
"I just...nah, forget it," I said, waving him off. I wanted to tell Leo about what had happened with Alex, but since I hadn't gotten an entirely positive response from her, I didn't want to jinx it by spilling the beans prematurely. What if she decided to walk away? I didn't want to have to deal with the pity Leo would feel.
"What's wrong, Cam?" Leo pressed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Alex
I stayed with Liz in her room all night, and then before the sun rose, I got up and went downstairs to see if Leslie could find me a pair of scrubs for my shift. I was tired, but I knew that if I was going to be able to keep things on track, I would have to adhere to my schedule and finish my internship. The only thing that was distressing me was how I would pay for rent and tuition if they didn't settle the cheating case soon.
I had nothing to worry about, and I knew it. I hadn't cheated, but the question was whether they would figure that out in time to allow me to pay my tuition and keep from getting evicted from my apartment. I was worried about Liz, too.
It was obvious that she had some kind of serious problem that she wasn't ready to face, but there was no way to make her own it if she wasn't ready to. I could understand why she would have turned to drugs in the first place, but now that she'd gotten caught, I couldn't understand why she continued to deny it.
Leslie handed me scrubs and a pair of old tennis shoes, and I quickly changed into them and headed back to the floor. I needed to talk to someone, but I was afraid that if I did, I'd sink Liz's chances for reinstatement when she was released. Mrs. Rikka didn't like her to begin with, and this absence was going to cause a bigger rift in the already tenuous relationship.
"Ms. Pierce," Mrs. Rikka said as she found me walking down the hallway. "What on earth is going on with you and Ms. Baker?"
"Liz is sick, Mrs. Rikka," I said simply as I tried to avoid having the conversation altogether. "She should be back in a few days."
"I’m already aware of the situation," Mrs. Rikka said, looking over her glasses at me. She was a tall, imposing woman, and I felt dwarfed by her presence. "And what, pray tell, was she doing that made her so sick?"
"I'm sure Liz would be happy to tell you if you talk with her," I said, trying to dance around the need to talk about Liz's problems when she wasn't here. "I need to get to the floor."
"Mmm hmm." Mrs. Rikka nodded as she raised an eyebrow and pivoted on her heel before walking the opposite way down the corridor. I breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to the safety of the ER.
Leslie asked me how Liz was doing, and I wasn't quiet sure how to respond. I wanted to ask her what she thought might be the problem, but I also knew that Leslie was our supervisor, and as such was required to report any improprieties. So, I held back and let her talk, but didn't answer many of her questions.
"Alex, if you girls are in some kid of trouble, there are people who can help you out, you know," Leslie said as she looked through the stack of files that the residents had piled next to her computer. "I can give you the number of some resources, lawyers, recovery therapists, and such."
"Thank you." I nodded, feeling uncomfortable talking with her about Liz's problems when Liz wasn't here to explain herself. "We're good, but if I need anything, I'll let you know."
"You don't have to shoulder this alone," Leslie said as she gave me a pointed look before returning to the files.
I wasn't sure how I was going to handle this, but I knew Leslie was definitely wrong about her last assertion. Liz was telling me that she wasn’t doing drugs, and I wanted to believe her. I also knew that I was alone in this mess, and I was going to do what I had always done and handle it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Cam
"Engine One, Truck One, Ambulance Fifty-Four, warehouse fire at Jackson and Green. Be advised there are workers trapped in the building."
"Shit, I hate warehouse fires," Newsome said as he and I climbed up onto the engine and waited for Mike to hop into the driver's seat. It wasn't like Mike to be lagging behind us, but today he seemed a little slower than usual.
"You okay, Kelly?" I hollered as he turned the key and fired up the engine.
"Yeah, fine," Mike yelled. "Your cooking was a little off this morning, that's all!"
"My cooking is never off, you asshole!" I yelled back with a grin. "It's your pansy ass stomach that's incapable of making even the slightest change! From now on, I'm gonna make you plain oatmeal with fruit."
"Aww, fuck off, Connor." Mike grinned as he turned on the siren and pulled out of the firehouse.
He drove like a bat out of hell down Jackson and pulled up to the fire less than five minutes later. I wondered what was going on, but then got busy hooking up the hose and getting ready to go in and forgot to ask.
"Vangel, don't go in till Chief gets here," I yelled as Victor shouldered his axe and headed for the door taking the new probationary firefighters with him.
"Fuck you, Connor," he said, waving me off. "I've been doing this job longer than you've been wishing you could do it."
"It's not safe, you dumbass," I said loud enough for him and the probationary candidates to hear me then turned back to helping Danny get the hose ready.
The next thing I knew, Victor was at the side door to the warehouse knocking the handle off the door with his axe. There was a momentary silence before the familiar woosh.
"GET AWAY FROM THAT DOOR!" I shouted as the air entered the building and fed the flames. Suddenly, there were flames shooting out of the door and windows shattering as the intensity of the heat that had been trapped inside the warehouse struggled to escape.
Victor jumped to the side, but the two probies behind him didn't have the reflexes that he'd developed and were quickly engulfed in flames.
"Hose! WATER!" I shouted at Danny who cranked the hydrant and sent water shooting out of the nozzle. I pointed the hose at the probies and doused them as I pushed them back a good ten feet. Neither one was burned, or even hurt, but they were both shaken by the close call.
"Get back to the truck," I said, motioning toward the engine. "Just sit there and wait for Chief to tell you what to do next. You got it?"
Two heads bobbed in unison as they moved back to the back of the engine.
"Vangel, you son of a bitch, you almost got the probies killed!" I shouted as I pulled on my mask and prepared to enter the building.
"They need to get some on-the-job training sometime," he shouted back. "Don't be such a pussy, Connor!"
"Asshole," I muttered into my mask. Danny nodded at me as if to say he understood and we headed inside. The entire building was in flames, and I could hear people yelling in the back of the room. They'd gone into the back room to escape the flames, but it didn't have a way out and now they were trapped. The building was a textile mill, so there was plenty of material to be burned as the fire leapt from bolts of cloth and machinery used to sew enormous rugs.
"There's a shit load of flammable stuff here," I shouted at Danny as we sprayed the room, trying to get the flames under control enough to get to the people who were trapped. "Be careful, Newsome! Hold the hose, I'm gonna spray it all down."
Danny saluted me as held onto the hose and helped me guide it toward the worst parts of the fire. The rest of the guys were working their way across the floor looking for those who might have been trapped under the tables or injured by the explosion. Mike signaled that he'd found someone, and moments later, he pulled a small girl out from under the table. She couldn't have been more than fifteen, if that. He gave me a "what the fuck?" look as he carried her small body out to the waiting param
edics.
"They're in here! They're in here!" Victor shouted as he pried open a door that had been sealed shut by the intense heat.
"VANGEL, LOOK OUT!" I shouted as he slammed his axe into the door handle and pried the door open. There was a wave of air that cut across the sewing floor and then sucked the fire back into the room before everything exploded. Machinery went flying, and I could see the flames spreading up the walls that hadn't yet been ignited.
Overhead, I heard the sound of cracking wood and looked up to see a large portion of the roof being pulled back by the guys from the ladder. They were venting the fire and looking for the trapped workers, so I aimed the hose at the area where Victor had opened the door and moved forward with Danny right behind me.
"Stay close!" I shouted over my shoulder and felt Danny pat my shoulder to let me know he would. The flames on the far side of the warehouse refused to die no matter how much water we poured on them, and I knew we were running out of time.
Victor had recovered from the blast and was now moving through the warehouse hacking wet equipment out of our way as Danny and I did our best to quell the flames. The guys above us sliced holes in the rest of the ceiling and vented the smoke in the hope that it would keep the oxygen flowing to the people trapped in the back room.
It was almost an hour before we were able to get the fire under control and access the back room. What we found there stunned us all into silence. The workers had all crowded into the small back room that was now filled with soot and ash. Two people were groaning and coughing, but the rest were still, and as we felt for pulses, we came up empty.
"Dammit!" I growled as I walked out of the room and slammed my fist against the doorframe yelling, "This is all your fault, Vangel! You're recklessness cost these people their lives! You're a menace!"