Chapter 12
Rico
I hate house fires. No fire call is good, obviously. But knowing we’ve been called to someone’s home brings its own special brand of urgency and dread.
Thankfully’ today’s call isn’t too bad. The family all made it out with minimal smoke inhalation.
Even the very disgruntled looking cat that’s currently wrapped up in a blanket in one of the kids’ arms so she can’t run off and add to the drama of the day.
Neighbors have come to consol them and watch as we douse the last of the flames.
Like the family in question, some of them are still in their pajamas.
This was our first call of the day. I’d barely parked my car before the tones sounded.
The third watch almost stayed overtime to take it, but they looked dead on their feet from dealing with an arson attack on a church of all places.
So Captain Valentine rallied us as fast as he could.
I’m not too optimistic the family will be able to repair the structure.
To my eye, it looks like the whole building will have to be torn down so they can start from scratch.
But less than half the house actually succumbed to the fire, and we tried to keep the water damage to that side as well.
So there’s every chance the family will be able to salvage a great number of their possessions.
No doubt they’re in horrible shock right now, but hopefully they’ll be okay.
What matters is no lives were lost. I’ll always say a little prayer of gratitude for days like that.
A wave of grief catches me off guard. Snatches of the past, coming back to haunt me.
I’m thankful Teddy and Sawyer are currently manning the hoses, so I can step back for a moment and take a breath by myself.
I know my emotions have been running high ever since Jesse came back home, but I absolutely cannot let that affect me while I’m at work.
These are memories I usually keep locked up tight.
Jesse is just…in my head. Weakening my defenses.
I don’t think being concerned about him is a bad thing.
I’m not controlling his every move or anything like that.
Far from it. But it feels like my thoughts somehow swirl around him all the time.
It’s only been a few days since he moved back in, but I find myself excited to see him in the morning, whether that’s waking up or coming home from work.
I want to tell him everything that’s happened in my day and hear all about his, even if he’s just been sitting at my computer, job hunting.
I’m interested in what he ate for lunch and the things he saw when he was out running.
That sounds kind of creepy and pathetic to say out loud, so I haven’t.
But I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve almost blurted out some Jesse related comment to someone at work.
The situation is complicated, though, and I still feel like I need to keep him in a bubble for now so I can protect him.
It’s difficult when he’s become such a big part of my life so quickly.
I knew we’d formed a connection back in October, and that was before we even got married.
But post-rehab, it’s like we’re on a whole new level.
We have known each other for almost a couple of decades, although that was mostly estranged.
I can’t figure it out. It’s as if we’ve been circling around one another for all this time, so when Jesse got treatment and then we found our lives intwined again, we skipped ahead several steps and became so close it’s kind of dizzying.
I’m not sure if what I’m feeling is okay. It’s probably a giant red flag that I haven’t mentioned much at all to Adam, just giving him generic updates like I’m Jesse’s landlord rather than him being the reason I fling myself out of bed every morning.
Jesse is vulnerable. He’s off limits. Yet it’s becoming increasingly obvious to me that my whole world is starting to revolve around him, and I’m scared what that might mean.
I’m even more terrified to find out how he feels. Because some of the glances I’ve caught him throwing my way have made my stomach swoop and my heart stutter.
It seems taboo to even think but…is there something between us?
That right there is crazy talk, and I need to get a grip on myself.
I storm over to the rig and grab a bottle of water, downing half of it, then tipping the other half over my head.
Between the fire and the regular California heat, I appreciate the cool rush.
It also helps me shake away this train of thought.
There’s no way in hell Jesse and I could be anything…more. I could never take advantage of him like that, not to mention betray Adam’s trust. And Jesse doesn’t see me that way, so the whole point is mute.
I need a distraction. Apparently, rushing into a raging blaze isn’t good enough for me. I have no idea what would be good enough, though. At this point, I’m open to trying anything.
“Everything okay, Lieutenant?” Lochlan asks as he jogs up to me. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
I love that for someone who looks a little like a Celtic barbarian misplaced in time, he has one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever known.
“I’m fine, Bell,” I assure him. Even though I’ve been getting better at using the teams’ first names in social settings, it still feels right to use their surnames while on call.
And I’m definitely not calling him ‘Beast’ while we’re out on a job.
He crooks an eyebrow at me. “You sure? You look like you saw a ghost.”
Isn’t that the truth?
I avoid looking at the house fire and nod at him as I screw the lid back on my empty water bottle, tossing it in the can on the truck so I can recycle it when we get back to the house. “Strange head space,” I admit truthfully enough. “Is the rest of the fire out?”
“Yep, looks so,” he says proudly, puffing his chest out. “It seems like the damage might not be so bad, after all. We’ll know more once the investigators get here.”
“Good, that’s good,” I say sincerely. “Let’s go give a hand with the clean-up. Otherwise, Kwon will accuse us of slacking.”
“Oh, you know she already is,” Lachlan says with a snort.
We head back over to the smoldering house, and I leave my ghosts in the past where they belong.
It’s strange. Most of the time my memories don’t affect me at all.
I wouldn’t have chosen this career if they did.
But sometimes they catch me completely off guard, and when that happens there’s a good chance they’re going to haunt me all day.
I’m not looking forward to that.
I don’t like hoping for busy shifts, because that would mean putting energy out into the world that wished people harm.
But I would rather keep occupied if possible.
Maybe I could set up a ladder exercise at the back of the station.
We haven’t run one in a while, and the team’s bitching about it will certainly entertain me.
Enough to not dwell on the sounds of a video game I haven’t played in a lifetime.
We stick around the remnants of the house fire for another hour or so until we’re satisfied nothing is going to spark back to life and the investigators have already started poking about.
The working theory seems to be a faulty plug socket in the kitchen.
If we can prove that, the family’s insurance should cover most if not all of the costs. I hope that’s the case.
Speaking of insurance covering essential costs, I’m surprised when we arrive back at the station to find Captain Padilla waiting for us, sharing a cup of coffee with Mrs. Bloom.
The sight of them makes me nervous, as the last time they were together as far as I know was at my top-secret wedding.
We didn’t specifically tell them not to mention it to anyone, but I hope they’re aware no one else was invited for a reason.
If they start chatting about it now, I’m going to have to do some very awkward explaining to the rest of the team.
“The heroes return!” Padilla calls out with a cheerful wave as we disembark from the rigs. “How was the call? Good, I hope. Otherwise, I’ve just put my foot in it.” She frowns, like it only just occurred to her that we could be coming back from a tragedy.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
“Nah, it was fine, Captain,” Julian says, walking over to shake her hand. “Our paramedics are transporting the family to San Clemente General for a checkup, but the only real damage was structural. This is a nice surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“A girl can’t just stop by for cake?” Padilla asks, mimicking offence as she clutches her chest. I assume the slices of red velvet they’re indulging in has been freshly baked from our neighbor.
I also really hope there’s lots left over for the rest of us.
Without time for breakfast earlier, we’re all starving.
“You know you’re welcome any time, Lucy,” Valentine says with a grin as he leans down to squeeze her shoulders. I love how they have a sibling-like relationship, always giving each other crap but deep down, they’re incredibly supportive.
“And what about me?” Mrs. Bloom asks mischievously.
“We couldn’t keep you out of here even if we tried,” Valentine tells her with a wink.
“And we did try,” Sawyer cries playfully. “But Miss Margot Fontayn is too good at lock picking!”
The Shih Tzu in question raises her head, eyes blinking beneath the teal and gold sparkly clip she’s wearing in her long hair today.
Mrs. Bloom hums and crooks an eyebrow. “There’s more cake in the kitchen, you scallywags.”
“Already found it!” Lili shouts with her mouth full.
Not everyone’s running for food, however. Lochlan’s looking around with a frown. “Hey, have you guys seen Rocky? He normally comes to greet us when we get back from a call.”