by Marta Perry
A car was coming up the lane, fast. It should be Danny’s mother coming back for him, but that wasn’t her van.
The car shrieked to a stop, spraying gravel. A man surged out, slamming the car door. Danny’s father.
Tension shot along his nerves. From what he’d gathered, the father was opposed to Danny’s work with the dog. He’d never come to pick him up before. What was he doing here now?
The man charged toward the training center, but then stopped, his body swinging toward the barn. He must have heard their voices. He veered that way, his head down like a charging bull.
Trouble.
The word was like the alarm, calling him to action. He yanked the door open, hearing the rush of Max’s feet as he scrabbled across the floor to join him. Not bothering to shut the door, he leaped over the stepping stones of the path and raced across the lawn toward the barn.
The man was out of sight already. He should have moved faster, should have recognized that the father’s arrival wasn’t normal. Nolie and Danny were alone in the barn, facing a man whose anger had been evident in every line of his body.
Max reached the doorway before he did and stopped, letting out a volley of barking fiercer than any Gabe had heard before. The dog lunged forward.
“Max, stay!” He thundered the command. Whatever was happening, he could handle it with more reason than Max could.
Then he reached the doorway. The father was reaching for Danny, but Nolie stood in his way, her slim frame dwarfed by his bulk. Before Gabe could get another word out, the man had thrust her aside with a single sweep of his arm. Nolie stumbled, lost her footing, and hit the barn floor hard.
The sight was like the fierce blast of air from a fire, propelling him toward them so fast he didn’t think his feet touched the ground. He grabbed the man, adrenaline pumping, muscles bunching, fury eclipsing every other emotion. His fist clenched.
“Gabe, no.”
Nolie’s voice was probably the only thing in the world that could have stopped him. He spun the man around, grasping him by both arms, and looked toward Nolie.
She scrambled to her feet, her face white. “I’m all right.” She was probably trying to sound normal for Danny’s sake, but it wasn’t working.
“Are you sure?” His voice was rough with emotion. If she’d been hurt—
“I’m fine.” Her gaze telegraphed a warning. Not in front of Danny. “I just stumbled, that’s all.”
Judging by the kid’s expression, he knew perfectly well that wasn’t all.
“You okay, Danny?”
The boy managed a nod.
“That’s good.”
He glanced toward Nolie for direction. His grand heroic gesture seemed to be dwindling to farce. Now he had the guy, but what was he going to do with him? The fury still pumped along his veins, but man-handling the man in front of his kid wasn’t a possibility.
“Maybe you ought to take Danny’s father to his car. Danny won’t be going with him today.” Nolie had reached the wheelchair, and she put one arm protectively around the boy’s shoulders.
He nodded, turning the man toward the door. Max, hackles raised and a low growl rumbling in his throat, followed them as he propelled Danny’s father out of the barn.
I know what you feel, boy. I do, too. But Nolie wouldn’t thank us for making any more of a scene, so I guess we just have to play it her way.
Nolie took a deep breath, searching for strength. She had to be calm for Danny’s sake, no matter what she’d felt.
But those terrifying moments when Danny’s father had stormed into the barn weren’t easy to erase. It hadn’t taken a moment to know that the man had been drinking and was totally irrational. He’d been determined to take Danny. All she’d known was that she couldn’t let him, no matter what.
She’d have failed. If Gabe hadn’t come through that doorway like an avenging angel, she wouldn’t have been able to prevent it.
She’d never seen anything to match the fury in Gabe’s eyes. For a moment she’d been afraid of what he might do.
But that had been foolish. No matter how he was provoked, Gabe would never lose control of himself enough to hurt anyone.
Thank you, Father.
She hugged Danny, feeling the tension in his thin shoulders. “Are you okay, Danny? I know that was upsetting, but everything’s all right now.”
“Gabe won’t hurt my daddy, will he?”
“No, of course not. He’ll just give your dad time to cool off, that’s all.” She hesitated, not sure how much more to say. “Your mom should be here in a few minutes, and she’ll take you home. I’ll bet your dad will be feeling a lot better by the next time you see him.”
Danny nodded, but she read the pain in his eyes.
Poor child. His love for his father was battling the feeling that he’d somehow let him down.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
Please, Father. Give me the words.
“You know, Danny, sometimes we feel responsible when someone we love does something hurtful.” She stroked his hair. “But it’s not your fault when that happens.”
What had happened to her hadn’t been her fault, but she’d still carried the burden of it for a long time.
She cupped his chin in her hand, looking into his eyes. “It’s never your fault when grown-ups don’t act the way they should. You remember that, okay?”
He nodded solemnly.
She hugged him, hoping she’d done enough to ease his pain. Wishing she could take it away entirely. Danny bore his burdens with courage. If only his father could do the same.
Her throat tightened. How was Gabe handling the stress of the incident? It couldn’t be good for him. If it triggered a seizure—
She heard voices, two of them, and her tension eased. It was Gabe, and it sounded as if Danny’s mother was with him.
“Hey, Danny.” Gabe came straight to the boy. “You okay, buddy?”
He nodded. “Is my daddy okay?”
“He’s fine. He’s just embarrassed about the way he acted, you know? He’s kind of upset, so I called a taxi to take him home.”
Myra touched her son’s shoulder, and her expression mingled hurt and apology. “It’ll be all right, Danny. I promise.”
“Nolie says it’s not my fault if grown-ups don’t act the way they should.” He watched his mother, as if waiting for her reaction to that.
She managed a smile that trembled on the verge of tears. “Nolie’s exactly right. Come on, now. Let’s go home.” She glanced at Nolie. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “If I’d been on time, it wouldn’t have happened. Traffic was held up out by Forest Road. It looked like there’s a fire.”
Nolie felt the sharp surge of Gabe’s attention as surely as if they were touching.
“Did you see where it was?” He rapped out the question.
Myra shook her head, pushing Danny toward the door. “We’ll just go around by Fifteenth Street on our way home.”
Nolie waited until they were out of earshot. “Would your brothers have gone on the call?”
“Not unless it went to several alarms. That’s not their district. Times like this, I miss the radio. Even if it’s not my fire, I always want to hear about it.” He shrugged. “Still, I guess there was enough excitement here for one day.”
“Definitely.” He wouldn’t want to be thanked, but she had to say it. “Thank you. I don’t know how I’d have handled Danny’s father if you hadn’t been here.” She hesitated, but she might as well say the rest of it. “I thought you might have left.”
“You thought I’d have bailed out.” He shook his head. “I haven’t changed my mind about performing for the foundation. But I said I’d see the training through, and I will.”
Probably only because of the pressure from his chief, but she had to be grateful for anything that kept him here a bit longer.
“What happened with Danny’s father when you took him outside?”
Gabe leaned back against the stall door, p
ropping one heel against the rail. “Not much.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I heard what you told Danny. Now tell me the things you didn’t want to say to him.”
His face eased. “Well, I certainly didn’t want to tell the kid that I felt like punching his old man.”
“You didn’t—”
“No, I didn’t. But when I saw him shove you to the floor, I certainly wanted to. Are you sure you’re all right?”
She nodded, rubbing her shoulder. “I landed a little hard, but I’m okay.”
“Let me.” He reached out to massage her shoulder, his hand warm and gentle. “You shouldn’t take on guys who are twice your size.”
“I’ll remember that the next time.” And she’d remember forever the way she felt at Gabe’s touch.
“Don’t let there be a next time.” He was frowning again. “It’s not your job to deal with the parents’ problems.”
“Unfortunately Danny’s father thinks I’m part of the problem. He doesn’t want Danny involved in the program.”
“I know. He told me that.”
“He talked to you about it?” She’d never heard Danny’s father willingly discuss his son’s condition.
Gabe stroked her shoulder. “He started to. Then all of a sudden he broke down in tears.” Gabe’s voice thickened, as if his own tears weren’t far away. “Poor jerk. He’s trying to protect his kid, but he doesn’t know how to do it.”
“What did you say to him?”
“I thought about my dad. Funny. I mean, we’ve never been in a situation like that, but I still thought about what he’d do, if one of his kids had been disabled.”
Joe and Siobhan Flanagan were devoted to their kids. She hadn’t had to be around them long to see that. “What did you come up with?”
“I told him the best way he could help his son was to set an example of strength, not one of weakness. And that he wasn’t going to find strength in a bottle.”
She could only nod. Gabe had given the man good advice, if he could find a way to follow it.
“You set a pretty good example of strength yourself, you know.”
He dismissed it with a slight smile. “Didn’t take all that much muscle to hustle a drunk out of here.”
“That’s not the kind of strength I was talking about.” If only Gabe could see that his strength could be used for so many things other than fire fighting. “It was stressful, but you handled it.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t have a seizure. And I wouldn’t if I were back on the job, because I thrive on that kind of stress. You have to, if you’re a firefighter.”
She still thought he was kidding himself, but there was no point in saying it again. “I’m glad you’re going to stay out the week. Thank you for that.”
“I don’t want you to lose the grant, Nolie.” His hand on her shoulder tightened. “I’ll do anything I can to convince Mr. Henley that you deserve it.”
“Anything but tell him you need the dog.” They’d come full circle, and nothing had changed.
“I can’t do that.” He drew her a little closer, and the intensity of his gaze seemed to heat her skin. “You have to understand why I can’t.”
“I know.”
Tears stung her eyes, and her heart overflowed with the love she couldn’t speak. She’d do anything if she could only wrap up his heart’s desire and give it to him as a present, but she couldn’t, any more than she could give Danny limbs that worked.
Either Gabe moved, or she moved, but they were very close. She felt his breath against her cheek.
“I wish—” His voice was a murmur that seemed to fade on the words.
What did he wish? His nearness was robbing her of coherent thought.
His fingers brushed her cheek. In a moment they’d be kissing again.
A sudden shrilling made her eyes fly to his. “What—”
He was already pulling the cell phone from his pocket, brows furrowed.
She managed a strangled breath. It was probably a very good thing his phone had rung just then. Otherwise they’d have found themselves kissing again, and that wasn’t going to lead anywhere.
“Where are they?”
The sudden sharpening of Gabe’s voice alerted her. Something was wrong.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He clicked the phone off, already turning toward the door.
“What is it? What’s happened?”
The face he turned to her was a rigid mask. “The fire. A three-alarm down at the old shirt factory. Engine 10 was called. The roof collapsed.”
Fear grabbed her heart. “Your family?”
“My dad and Ryan. They’ve both been taken to Providence Hospital. I don’t know how badly they’re hurt.” He shook his head, his expression breaking into anguish. “I’ve got to get to them, and I can’t even drive.”
She was already jerking the ring of keys from her pocket. “I’ll take you.”
Their feet thudded on the barn floor as they ran, Max leaping along beside them as if it was a game.
No game. Joe. Ryan. Their faces formed in her mind as she ran.
Please, Lord. Please. Hold them in Your hands.
There wasn’t anything else to say.
Chapter Thirteen
He’d been praying all the way to the hospital, frantic, almost wordless prayers. He glanced across the front seat. Nolie was praying, too, her lips moving soundlessly.
He snapped off the phone. “Busy. Everyone who’s not at the fire is calling everyone else, trying to find out what’s happening.” He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know who else to try.”
He should have been there. Dad. Ryan. He tried to swallow the fear that was acid in his throat. He kept forming pictures in his mind. That was the trouble with knowing too much about what could happen.
“That place was a firetrap that should have been torn down years ago.” He didn’t know whether he was talking to Nolie or to himself. “No sprinklers and a roof that was bound to go once the fire reached it.”
“I thought I’d read in the paper that they’d been renovating the building.” Nolie seemed to understand that he had to talk or go crazy.
“That probably made it worse. Lots of flammable materials around, and no way of knowing what the contractors had been doing.”
Nolie went through an intersection on a yellow light. “Just two blocks.” She glanced at him, hesitation in her face. “Do you want me to leave after I drop you off?”
“No.” The negative was out before he thought about it. He needed her with him. He didn’t want to analyze why.
“Okay.” Her response was brief. Maybe she didn’t want to think about it, either.
“Mom’s going to be devastated. When I got hurt, she had Dad to protect her from the worst of it.”
“Your mother’s a strong woman. She’ll bear anything she has to.”
Nolie didn’t know his family. She didn’t understand that Dad was the strong one. Mom had to be shielded, but in this case he didn’t know how that could be managed.
They drew up in front of the hospital, and his stomach turned over. In a few minutes he’d know.
“Just let me out—” he began, but Nolie was already pulling into one of the reserved slots.
“I have a permit because of the work I do.” She snapped off the ignition and slid out of the car. She and Max were right behind him as he ran into the emergency room.
“The firefighters from Engine 10. Where are they?”
The woman behind the desk stared at him blankly. “You can’t bring a dog in here.”
“Max is my seizure-alert dog. You can’t deny us access.” He said the words without thinking twice. “My family must be here. Where are they?”
An EMT pushed through the doors from the treatment area and came toward him. He didn’t recognize her, but she seemed to know him.
“We put your family in the lounge.” She pointed toward a swinging door. “Right through there.”
He pushed through the doo
r and came to a halt, aware of Nolie close behind him.
Mary Kate had her arms around his mother. Brendan sat on the other side of her, his embrace seeming to hold both women. Seth sagged in a chair, still in his turnout coat, his helmet on the floor beside him and his face black.
“How are they?” His question went to Seth, who surely knew the most, even as he crossed the room to hug his mother.
“Ryan has a broken right arm, some burns. Nothing too serious. He was trapped, but we pulled him out pretty fast.” Seth’s blue eyes were the only alive thing in his face. “Dad—we don’t know yet.”
He couldn’t let himself feel thankful for Ryan until he knew about his father.
“What happened? Was he trapped, too?” A battalion chief shouldn’t have been on the front line, but it was tough to hold Dad back, they all knew that.
“No.” Seth buried his face in his hands, his voice muffled. “Ryan was first in, on the nozzle. I guess he thought he could go farther. Dad saw the condition of the roof, yelled at him to get back, but maybe he didn’t hear.”
Nolie probably didn’t understand, but he could translate that without any trouble. Ryan, revved up and running on adrenaline, had gone too far without pausing to analyze the danger.
“Dad went after him, didn’t he?”
Seth looked up. “He tried. But the roof came down. By the time we reached Ryan, Dad had collapsed. Paramedics were already there. They brought them both in.”
“We just have to wait.” His mother patted his arm. “That’s all we can do now. Wait.”
He met Brendan’s eyes over his mother’s head. How long would his mother’s poise last, with her son and her husband both injured?
“Where’s Terry?”
“Her unit was still on duty.” Brendan was quickly reassuring. “She figured she could do more good there than here.”
Max lay in the corner, his eyes moving from Nolie to Gabe and back again. Nolie had found a coffee-maker on the counter and was quietly putting the pot on. Her gaze caught his, and he nodded. Trust Nolie to find something practical to do.