Chapter 30 #2
“Oh, thank fuck,” Jesse cries, throwing his arms around me and kissing my cheek. “You both made it.”
I hug him back and take a second to breathe. I know there are plenty of incredible men and women working the scene right now, so I can allow myself a moment to soak in the victory.
My family made it out unscathed.
I just hope I can say for the rest of the tenants before the night is through.
“I’ve got to get back to work, baby,” I tell Jesse reluctantly. “Please get checked out with Del and Yara, okay?” I can see that Katerina is already with them, Noski safe and sound wrapped in her arms inside her case.
“I will,” he says, then looks down. “But Klaus woke me up before the alarm even went off. I think I’m fine.”
“Seems like you guys really hit it off,” a voice comes from behind us. We turn to find Captain Padilla walking up to where we’re standing by the truck. “Nice to see you again, Jesse. Just wish it was under better circumstances.”
“You got that right,” I say, shaking my head.
Jesse has Klaus’s leash in hand again and is looking anxiously at Padilla. “Have you found him a forever family?” he asks. “Are you here to take him away?”
Padilla arches an eyebrow at him. “Nooo…” she says, dragging the word out. “I’m here about the massive fire some asshole set. What you do you mean, take him away?”
I know my husband well enough by now to tell he’s exhausted and not thinking straight. “To take him to a family with a real home?”
She frowns and glances between me and Jesse. “After that display of heroinism? Are you kidding me? I thought because I hadn’t heard from you, you’d completely foster failed. I haven’t even been looking for a new home for him.”
Jesse’s jaw drops and he shoots me a watery look. “What do you think—?”
“I’m not even going to let you finish that question,” I say in exasperation. “Of course he’s staying, baby.” I glance back at my smoldering apartment building. At least the fire seems to finally be calming down. “Staying where, I’m not sure, but—oof!”
Jesse crashes into me with a fierce hug. “Thank you,” he sobs against my chest.
I melt a little and kiss the top of his smokey smelling hair. “We’re a family, sweetheart. That means forever in my book.” He takes a shuddery breath and looks up and me with such joy it makes me want to marry him all over again.
“Well, that’s that sorted then,” Padilla says, slightly too loudly, suggesting she’d rather we’d knock off the lovely-dovey stuff in front of her. “I’m, um, really sorry about your place, you know…”
She makes an explosion noise and expands her fingers while grimacing in the direction of the charred building behind us.
“So that’s why you’re here,” I say. “Because we think it was arson.”
“You do?” Jesse asks, his eyes wide.
“We do,” Padilla says grimly. “Plenty of evidence already that someone syphoned gas out of a couple of cars to create a flammable trail that they then lit it with a few Molotov cocktails.” She shakes her head. “Whoever it was, they were angry and sloppy. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll catch them.”
“Um,” Jesse says in such a tone, it makes both me and Padilla raise our eyebrows at him. “I don’t want to create drama or anything, but I might have a suspect for you.”
Padilla blinks at him. “Uh, hell yeah. Yes, please and thank you.”
Jesse looks guiltily at me, and for just a second, I worry.
But only a second.
“So remember how Emerson showed up at my work?”
Rage sweeps through me. “No,” I rasp.
Jesse gives me a one-armed shrug. “Somehow, he found our address. I don’t know if he’s been following me or what, but I should probably file a report about that at the very least.”
“Uh, yeah, you should,” Padilla says with a raised eyebrow. “I’m sorry, who is this guy?”
“A crazy fan from my AA meetings,” Jesse says, sounding bone tired. “So I don’t know his last name. But he arrived on our doorstep with a bottle of whiskey wanting to be friends.”
My rage turns to something even more violent and white hot in the blink of an eye, but Jesse squeezes my arm through my coat.
“I got mad at him and made him leave. It was fine.” He glances back at the scorched apartment building. “For me, anyway. But…he was really upset, Captain. And you said this was a crime of passion possibly involving alcohol fueled grenades…”
“Say no more,” Padilla interrupts. “I’m on it. I’m going to need an official witness statement from you ASAP. But I have a feeling that these guys aren’t going to let me hog your attention any longer.”
She waves us off and I turn around. Although Sawyer and Teddy are still manning the hoses, the rest of the One-Thirteen firefighters are calling us to them. Even Gene looks mildly interested as he hangs out the window of the truck.
“Is this him?” Lochlan asks as we approach, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. “The infamous husband?”
Lili smacks his chest and rolls her eyes. “Their apartment just got smoked, dude. Besides,” she adds with a smirk as she flicks an eyebrow at Jesse. “I already told you this was him and how right I was all along, and you definitely owe me a hundred.”
“I don’t think we agreed on a hun—”
She snaps her fingers in front of his face. “One. Hundred. American. Dollars.”
He glares at her. “Well, obviously I don’t have it on me right now.”
“Hi, Jesse,” Teddy yells from where he’s still wrangling the hose on full power. “Welcome to the One-Thirteen. Don’t worry, they met my boyfriend in a disaster as well.”
“Oh my god, Foster,” Lili cries in pretend shock. “Do you have a boyfriend? We didn’t know!”
Despite still angling the hose like a pro, Teddy manages to give her the finger.
“Okay, okay,” I tell them, wrapping my arms around Jesse protectively.
Now that we’re all safe and the situation is under control, I can relax again.
“Yes. Everyone, this is my husband, Jesse Silverman. Jesse, these are the assholes I have to work with. But so long as you don’t feed them after midnight, they’re not so bad. ”
Sawyer gasps from where he’s manning the other hose. “Lieutenant! Did you just make a pop culture reference?”
“And insult us at the same time?” Anton adds.
“Aww,” Lili coos. “Our little Rico is all grown up and making jokes.”
“Hey!” Del calls out from the triage area, looking annoyed. “If you’ve got time to be standing around gossiping, you’ve got time to hand out emergency blankets and bottles of water, right?” He glances at Jesse and gives him a genuine smile. “Hey, dude. Welcome to the family.”
“You heard the man!” Yara screams, popping up out of nowhere by Del’s side. “Get to work!” Then she grins and waves excitedly. “Hi, Jesse! We’ve heard great things! Sorry about your apartment. Okay, chat soon!”
With that, the squad disperses, leaving us with Captain Valentine, who comes and squeezes both mine and Jesse’s shoulders. “You guys have had a hell of a night. Lieutenant, I’m ordering you to take the rest of the night off. You need to be with your family.”
I shake my head and exhale heavily. “You’ll get no argument from me, Captain. I guess we should find a pet friendly motel. And maybe a twenty-four-hour grocery store.”
It really hits me in that moment. Until the building is cleared as crime scene and we can see if anything is salvageable, the only things that Jesse and I own are what he’s wearing and what I have back at the station.
Fuck.
“I can recommend some excellent glamor pods,” Teddy calls over to us from where he and Sawyer are still manning the hoses.
“Actually, I think I have a solution,” Jesse says cryptically before waving at Teddy. “But thank you so much.”
“Just let me know if you change your mind,” Teddy replies with a grin.
“You boys need a lift?” Padilla asks, reappearing with superb timing.
I puff out my cheeks and look between her, then Jesse and Klaus. “I think that would be incredible, Captain. Could you drop us back at the firehouse?”
“Consider it done,” she says with a wink.
I hug Jesse to my side and take one last look at the place that’s been my home for the past several years. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel anything. I’m angry, sad, grateful, and everything in between.
But most of all, it strikes me that the timing seems poetic. If Jesse and I were looking for a sign that we’re starting a new chapter in our lives, I don’t think it gets much clearer than this.
No matter what happens, so long as we’re together, I know we’ll be okay.