Chapter 23 - Rhea
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Rhea
After the community event, I was exhausted, and I headed home looking forward to a good long night’s sleep. Unfortunately for me, Beck coming onboard, the upcoming festival, and general insomnia kept me awake.
I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling for what felt like hours before I finally gave up. I checked my phone; it was just past midnight. At least I didn’t have to work the next morning, but I still didn’t feel like just sitting around in my house waiting for the sandman to eventually show up.
Maybe the guys could use some company, I thought as I got up and grabbed my robe from the hook behind my bedroom door. Beck had conveniently installed it for me; one of the many improvements they’d already made to the house.
I hadn’t heard any sirens yet, so I didn’t think they were very busy. Maybe they’d tell me that I couldn’t hang out with them at work, but it was worth a shot.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the moonlight in the bathroom mirror. “Okay… Maybe we won't go like this.”
It was possible that there were other firefighters around in the station, and I was only in my robe and pjs. Not to mention the sheer state of my hair. I wasn’t going to go through too much effort, but I decided to at least get dressed and tie my hair up so I wasn’t a complete train wreck.
Of course, I wasn’t going to get dressed as if I were going to a fancy dress ball, either. I grabbed some jeans and a loose-fitting shirt, and pulled my hair up into a messy bun. The outfit was complete with a set of gray sneakers that I’d bought with my employee discount about a year earlier.
“Good,” I said to my reflection when I gave myself one last look in the mirror. It didn’t look like I tried too hard, or like I didn’t try at all. Hopefully it wasn’t for nothing.
I made my way downstairs and outside. As usual, all of the station’s lights were on.
It made me wonder how the guys ever got any sleep, and it also added another layer of explanation to why my house had been so cheap.
Luckily, I had since decided to invest in blackout curtains for my bedroom window.
I strolled across my yard and then across the station’s grass. I wasn’t entirely sure how to announce my arrival. Was there a door somewhere I was supposed to knock on, or would my usual method of just going right to the engine bay work well enough?
What if they’re asleep? I thought, but still kept walking. It’s fine. They’re all on-call tonight. They’ll be awake.
I wasn’t sure about that. I knew Beck had mentioned naps while on-call before, but maybe I’d be lucky this time.
The engine bay was surprisingly quiet, but I could hear voices deeper in the station. I was about to yell out the guys’ names when I realized I was being a bit silly. Instead, I shot a text to them in a group chat, and waited.
Three notifications quickly came back to me, and I heard movement. Then, Calder appeared in the door leading into the station itself.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his face filled with concern. “Are you hurt?”
“Uh, no,” I laughed awkwardly, realizing “please come downstairs” might have been read differently than I meant it.
Beck and Ash both appeared behind Calder, looking as if they’d seen a ghost.
“Is she alright?” Beck asked, while Ash simply continued to scowl worriedly.
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “Listen, I didn’t mean to sound like I had an emergency. I just… I couldn’t sleep, and I thought I could hang out with you guys for a while.”
“Oh,” Beck breathed. “We thought you were in trouble or something.”
“Had us worried,” Ash added with a shake of his head.
“Seriously, shouldn’t scare us like that,” Calder finished off. “But since you’re here, come on up. It’s firehouse dinner night.”
“And I was just about to beat the chief in our poker game,” Beck added, but both Ash and Calder shot him a look that said they did not believe him. “You’ll see.”
I followed them through to the foyer and up a set of metal stairs, which made me want to laugh. For some reason, I’d always thought they both slid down and climbed up the pole; I’d never considered that they might simply use stairs like us commoners.
Upstairs, a bunch of men had gathered on several couches, sitting around an old coffee table playing cards.
Most of the men were older, with a few that seemed closer to Calder, Beck, and Ash in age.
But I had to admit that the three of them were by far the best looking; though I might have been biased in that regard.
“Guys, this is Rhea, our new neighbor,” Calder announced, and the rest of the team looked up. Luckily, no one whistled or mentioned our unique situation, even though I was pretty sure they could have figured it out. “Rhea, this is the team.”
“Nice to meet you all,” I said with a little bow and a smile.
“Sloppy joe?” Beck offered from beside me. “We still have some left over.”
“I’m good,” I laughed. “But if you have a soda or water or coffee…”
“On it,” Ash announced, while Calder led me to an open spot on one of the couches.
“Where were we, Chief?” Beck asked as he sat down beside me, with Calder on the other side. One seat over, they left a spot for Ash when he came back. “Oh, yeah; you were about to fold under the strength of my bluff.”
The chief raised one quiet, stern eyebrow. “Unlikely. You’re welcome to try your luck.”
Beck triumphantly flipped his cards. “Three of a kind.”
The chief didn’t speak for a moment, glancing from one man to the other. It seemed as if he had truly been defeated. But, when he flipped his cards, Beck gasped.
“Full house,” the chief announced. “I suppose you’ll be taking that admin overtime after all.”
“No!” Beck complained, stretching the word out. “You must’ve cheated. Swapped out a card while we were gone.”
“Accusing the chief of fraud?” one of the older men said. “Your generation is brave.”
“You’re welcome to attempt another round,” the chief taunted. “If you’re willing to wager a few more hours.”
“Then I nominate a champion,” Beck answered, turning to me. “Rhea, would you do me the honor of beating the chief at poker?”
I laughed. “I haven’t played in years.”
“Okay, then maybe we do a practice round,” Calder said. “Everyone buys in, we see who stays standing by the river. You in, Rhea?”
“You bet,” I said, leaning forward in my seat as Ash approached to hand me my soda. “You never know. I could be a secret poker genius.”
Ash seemed a bit grumpy that he didn’t get a spot right next to me, but he did accept his defeat and took the open seat next to Calder. Everyone in the room sat closer as Calder picked up all of the cards and started shuffling.
“Shuffle properly this time,” Beck said. “No sneaking the chief the good cards. You should get promoted based on merit.”
“You’re just sour because you don’t know how to read a poker face,” Calder answered with a sly grin.
“Oooh,” some of the team sung, and a quick round of laughter followed.
I liked seeing the guys in their safe space like this. I could feel the sense of brotherhood in the air, the camaraderie that carried them through their most difficult calls. I was a little bit jealous of that bond. It was something that I didn’t think I’d ever experience myself.
“Right, let’s get down to business,” Calder eventually announced as he started passing out cards. Everyone peered at their cards with a level of stealth you’d swear was a matter of national security. Beck attempted a quick glance at my cards, but a stern look made him turn away.
I didn’t have much; a pair of threes. I was pretty sure that I was supposed to fold almost right away, but I decided that I’d see it through.
“What’s she betting?” One of the guys asked. “She can’t exactly put in more hours.”
“They can,” the chief said, looking at Beck, Ash, and Calder in turn. “She can bet hours for them. They can share when they lose.”
“I’m in,” Calder and Ash said at the same time. Beck seemed a bit more hesitant, which made me wonder how many hours he’d already lost that evening.
“No pressure,” he smiled at me nervously. “You do know how poker works, right?”
“Kind of,” I answered teasingly, and his eyes widened.
“We’re doomed.”
To my surprise, I actually won the first round, and the chief had to take an hour of overtime each from Ash, Beck and Calder. Unfortunately, that set the expectations a little high, and I lost everything I’d earned over the next few rounds.
No one seemed especially upset about it.
The atmosphere was still light and fun, and all of the men continued to joke and poke fun at each other.
I wondered how often they got together like this, given how intense their job could be.
I figured that, usually, most of them would be either on duty, asleep, or at home.
I was pretty impressed that they’d managed to carve out time for teambuilding like this.
“Right, that’s enough,” Beck finally said after he lost yet another round and clapped his knees. “I’m going to be drowning in admin for the rest of my life if I keep going like this.”
“Aww, you’re giving up?” Someone teased. “Maybe the next one you clean up shop!”
“That’s how gambling addictions start,” Calder pointed out, and it was hard to figure out whether he was being serious or not. “Rhea, how about a round of foosball?”
“Sounds fun,” I said, hopping to my feet. “Ash and I versus you and Beck.”
Calder and Beck both seemed like they were about to pout, but they got up along with Ash and led me over to the foosball tables anyway. This was a game I was actually good at, but I didn’t mention it. I wanted it to be a surprise when I absolutely annihilated them.
“No cheating,” Beck warned, peering at Ash beside me. “I’m watching you in particular.”
“One time I did something by accident, and now he won’t let me live it down,” Ash said to me, shaking his head as if he were disappointed. “I simply continue to hope that one day, he’ll forgive me.”
“Never,” Beck said, though I could hear the joking tone in his voice.
We took our positions, and I got my head in the game. I already had my strategy planned out; all Ash had to do was follow my lead.
But unfortunately, fate was not going to let them see my foosball greatness that night.
As we were preparing for kick-off, sirens began to scream and red lights flashed overhead, filling the whole room with an eerie atmosphere. I jumped and my heart rate immediately spiked. Nobody else reacted in that way; instead, the guys all sighed.
“Call,” Calder yelled above the noise, already halfway across the room as he did so. Most of the team stayed seated, aside from two guys who followed Calder.
“Come on,” Beck said to me, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me along after him.
Ash hurried after us, too, while I was still trying to process what was going on.
We reached the pole, where I was assisted onto it by Beck and Ash without a chance to question whether or not I should be sliding down like that.
It was surprisingly smooth sailing on the way down, but I was glad that I was wearing jeans and not a dress.
Ash and Beck were already running after Calder to the gear room as soon as we landed. I followed awkwardly, unsure of what I was supposed to do. Most likely, I would simply have to go home and try to sleep again.
“Let her come,” I heard Beck say as I watched them pull on their bulky outfits. “Chief won’t be mad at a ride-along if we do it right.”
“You can’t be serious,” Calder answered as he clicked his suspenders into place. “It’s dangerous, Beck.”
“She’ll stay out of the way,” Ash insisted, and I was surprised that he was on Beck’s side on this one. “Anything goes wrong, all three of us will be there. I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.”
“Fine,” Calder growled, his voice a little muffled. “But you two are babysitting. I have to lead the call.”