Chapter 7 #2
Rock stepped out and the door swung closed, rocking back and forth on the hinge.
He took a seat on the bench and Kaleo leaned back against the wall.
They sat in silence for a bit and it was Rock who broke it with a sigh.
"How are things going today?"
Kaleo smiled at the other man's words. "Okay so far. I know we're going to need some training to fit me into the flow with the rest of you, but I'm a fast learner. I don't see any problems."
"That's good."
The words were simple, but the meaning of the silence that followed was profound.
"I'm not sure if I... if I did something? Or if I said something? But," Kaleo tipped his head back until the back of his head touched the wall, "I think the lieutenant isn't happy with me."
Rock drew in a breath through his nose and a few seconds later, he exhaled. "I'm guessing that you haven't heard about Seth, the man you're replacing."
Kaleo shook his head. "No." It had taken him a few seconds to realize that Rock probably couldn't see him well in the darkness. "I don't usually like to pry."
The bench rocked a little, and Kaleo saw that Rock was stretching his legs out in front. "It's not really a matter of prying. You should probably understand why the lieutenant is having some... difficulty today."
Kaleo listened to Rock as he began to speak.
"The man whose spot you're filling was Isaac's best friend."
Kaleo felt the weight of Rock's words.
He knew what it was like to get close to the other firefighters, even more so with a crew as tight as Rescue Crews tended to get.
On any given day, firefighters had to count on each other to have their backs.
Rescue Crews were put in more dangerous situations on the job so the trust that developed between the firefighters on crew was that much deeper.
"Did," Kaleo tried to pick his words carefully, "did he die on the job?"
Rock's voice hummed in his chest. "No."
Kaleo felt the bench move again and he lifted his head to look at the man sitting next to him.
Rock was facing him, and even though the lighting was barely more than a golden glow in the darkness, Kaleo had the distinct feeling that Rock's eyes were fixed on his face.
"I think you understand that what I'm about to tell you is something private that shouldn't be repeated to people outside of the firehouse."
Kaleo nodded. "I understand."
Rock folded his hands in his lap. "Seth had been injured on the job, more than once. He came back each time working harder and harder. You can appreciate how close Seth was to Isaac. Most people," Rock explained, "call him Faust."
Kaleo's mouth tipped up at one corner. "I'd love to hear the story behind that, too."
Rock softly laughed at that. "Do you know who Faust was in the story?"
He nodded. "The character made a deal with the devil for... wealth? Knowledge?"
"Something like that." Rock's voice held a tinge of amusement. "In this case, Faust is one lucky son-of-a-bitch on the job. There have been times he seems like he can walk right through fire."
Kaleo heard a sigh in the near-dark.
"If you ask him, it's definitely more of a curse than anything else. Really though, most of us think it's all crazy instinct on his part. It's hard to explain, but you'll see it over time."
Kaleo wanted to know more, but he didn't press Rock for more at the moment.
He was still thinking about the lieutenant's friend.
"Seth's injuries came with a price none of us saw. He... he got addicted to the pain killers he was on."
Kaleo heard the ache of loss in Rock's voice. He could only imagine how Faust felt.
"He tried to get help, but he couldn't shake the addiction. A detective roped him into helping with an investigation in exchange for amnesty, but... things didn't come out the way that anyone hoped for."
Rock cleared his throat and the sound of it was raw.
Like gravel in his throat.
Kaleo's eyes watered. "So, you've had floaters since then?"
Rock's head nodded, hiding and revealing the light from inside over and over. "He resisted bringing someone on permanently, but our Chief had to put his foot down. We need someone to fill the gap. We can do the job without but we're not at full strength the way we are."
Kaleo understood that. "It's not going to be easy for him. Making the change like this."
Rock leaned back and gently clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I had a feeling you'd see the issue."
"I've... I've never lost someone I worked with like this.
" Kaleo cleared his throat. "We've had people transfer in and out.
That happens to everyone." He tipped his head back and tried to blink away the tears.
It didn't quite work. "I can't imagine what everyone at this station house went through, but even more what Faust is going through. "
"If you need help making the transition here," Rock offered, "come and see me. Or any of the others. We all want to make sure you fit in. I think we've all been missing someone in Seth's seat. Looking for that... missing piece."
Kaleo's shoulders sagged a little at those words.
Shaking his head, he looked at Rock. "Those are big shoes," he drew in a breath and let it out. "I'll do my best to fill them, but... I just don't know if I can."
Rock stood up and stretched, his back bowing enough that Kaleo could see the man's salt 'n pepper hair in the light from the doorway. "I think you're the right guy for the crew, Kaleo."
While Kaleo couldn't see it exactly, he had a feeling that the other man was smiling.
He thought he could hear it in his voice.
"I heard they called you Duke back in Hawaii."
Kaleo smiled at that.
"Yeah. I don't know how it stuck, but it started at the beach.
We were heading back to the firehouse from a call when another call came in from the water recreation dock nearby in Hawaii Kai.
Our truck had a surfboard rack on the side for water rescues.
We got to the boat dock in record time thanks to everyone getting out of the way.
It turns out that the swimmer in distress had gone out for a leisurely swim to stretch his muscles and started to float, enjoying the easy rocking water in the harbor.
It's not a place to swim, but... sometimes you can't get people out of the water when they feel the need to get in it.
He was too far out to get in under his own steam and a boat that attempted to get close enough to get him out of the water had stirred up the water and the older man was struggling even more.
"I took the board out, cutting through the water until I got close enough to pull him up."
Kaleo felt the rush of the moment, retelling the story, but he also felt the ache in his muscles.
Taking the board had been the best call, but once the rush of adrenaline was over, it took pure human steam to get back in, but it was worth it and more to hear the older man look up at him.
"When we got back to the dock his wife and daughter were there, worried sick.
"The older man waved off their concern even though he was shaking with exhaustion. He told them he hadn't seen swimming like that since he'd seen Duke Kahanamoku swim when he was a kid."
Kaleo shook his head.
"It was a nice comparison, but I doubt I was anything like Duke even when he was older. Skill and talent like that? One in a lifetime. It was probably just the rush of gratitude that made me seem better than I was."
Rock waved for him to go inside. "The man saw what he saw. Gratitude probably added a little burnished color to the thoughts in his head, but in that moment, he saw what you were. A hero. Just like the hero in his childhood."
Kaleo stood up and rolled his shoulders to work out a little of the stiffness that had settled in from the cold wall that he'd been leaning against. It felt good to bring some warm blood through the cooler muscles of his back. "Thanks, Rock."
The older man chuckled. "No need for thanks, Duke." He clapped a hand on Kaleo's shoulder. "You'll fit in just fine."