Chapter Ten
Ω Bronx Ω
After working out, I take a dip into the cold plunge we have here. I love this thing. I really need to get one for my house so I can do it while I’m not on shift.
I see SUV lights pull up to the bay, and my heart skips a beat.
It’s Chief Knight. Oh no. I thought I at least had some time before he came after me.
I don’t even have my phone with me. Blakely didn’t try to call me, did she?
She wouldn’t send her dad here. She would come here herself. I have to believe that.
Sure enough, Chief Knight storms in about thirty seconds later. His eyes land right on me. “You.”
“Me.” I really am not in a position to be taunting him.
Chief Knight walks closer to me and crosses his arms. He’s dressed like it’s the middle of the day and not like I just woke him up at three in the morning on his day off.
“You call me at three in the morning asking where my daughter is. She's at home. Did you even think to go there and check before calling me? Or are you just that stupid?” Chief Knight growls.
I can practically feel his hatred for me dripping off of him. My timer starts to go off signalling I need to get out of this cold plunge. I lift myself up before stepping out of the tub.
“I’m on shift,” I explain.
“Don’t care.”
“Would you really have wanted to receive a call about how I abandoned my duties because I wanted to go to a girl's house to check on her?” I ask him, trying my best to hide my smirk.
He’s practically shaking. I used to love making him mad when I was younger. Now? I still enjoy it, but I know he has every resource to make my career life horrible.
Chief Knight just stares at me like he can’t decide what he wants to do to me.
“Well, I would prefer for you not to be asking about her whereabouts at three in the morning. So you are that much of an idiot to call me, of all people, to find where she’s at.
” Chief Knight shakes his head in disappointment.
“You’d think that you would’ve matured when you went through the process to become a paramedic.
But you’re still that same ol’ kid from high school trying to sneak around behind my back like I wouldn’t find out. ”
I smile sheepishly. I didn’t know that he knew about me sneaking into his house. Blakely just has this way about calming me down. Her presence just gives me a sense of safety. No one else has ever been able to give that to me.
“She told me that she was going out to dinner, and she’d text me when she got home… We were out on a couple of calls so I didn’t get a chance to check in, but I noticed she never texted me to let me know she got home safely. I texted her a few times but didn’t get anything back,” I tell him.
If I thought that I would’ve been able to get there and back in time, I would’ve gone to her house myself.
Chief Knight groans before rubbing the side of his face.
“If it was going to turn out that you were calling her for some late night booty call, I was going to come here…” He walks closer to me and grips my shoulder painfully tight.
Chief Knight isn’t small by any means. He towers over me, and I’m six foot four.
“...and remind you what the unspoken rule is between first responders.”
I nod silently. “Family members are off limits.” I know this rule.
I’ve been told this many times. By the firefighters. By the other paramedics. By the cops. Anyone who has given me advice always made sure to tell me.
Family members of other first responders are off limits.
“I know, sir,” I tell him before taking a step away from him.
He knows he makes me uncomfortable. I don’t try to hide it.
“Good. Don’t call me again about my daughter.” Chief Knight lets my shoulder go finally and turns to leave.
I head to get changed into dry clothes. I roll my shoulders and crack my neck. Blakely is safe. She’s at home. She’s in bed.
I feel better knowing that. I can go to bed now.
That’s what I keep telling myself anyway. Instead of going to bed, I get changed and sit in the living room. I pull up Blakely’s book on my phone again and stare at it for a second.
She doesn’t need to know that I bought it. I don’t have to tell her. I could buy a few copies and leave them at those little free book things. There has to be one or two of them in town. Something.
I’m only going to buy five. I’ll leave it at that, and if she finds out, she finds out. It’s going to be fine.
I’m barely able to place the order before the bells go off, and we’re on our next call of the shift.