“How’s she doing?” Another voice echoed—one that was like a growl when he spoke, and I knew who it belonged to before I saw his face.
Micah—oh my god. That’s the other guy I saw that day. He’s a firefighter too…
“She’s good.” Brody slapped Micah on the back. “You saved another one.”
“All I did was make sure the fire was out.” Micah smile and nodded. “The sprinklers did most of the work for us.”
“Good thing they were working.” Brody nodded and turned his head back towards me. “Okay, they’re going to load you in the ambulance now, but don’t worry—I’ll be right behind you.”
I felt a mixture of embarrassment and agony as the stretcher was loaded into the ambulance. My head definitely hurt, but I didn’t seem to have any real injuries. The paramedics got me in position and then the doors slammed. As I stared at the ceiling, my mind flashed back to the moment from five years ago, when I saw Brody and Micah with the girl they were sharing. I had no idea who Micah was then, but it appeared that he was one of the firefighters who worked with Beth’s father.
So many times over the years I had thought back to what I witnessed. Sometimes I even dreamed about it—except I was the girl on the bed instead of a secret observer. What I saw had been a shock to my system at eighteen, but after spending four years at college, it wasn’t the most bizarre thing I had seen in my life. I was no longer an inexperienced virgin like I was that day, but none of the guys that had wandered into life professing true love had compared to Brody. Even after all those years, with my head pounding and my thoughts jumbled, he still made my heart flutter when I looked at him.
I’m not some lovesick eighteen year old girl anymore. I can’t get tangled up in those desires again.
Brody
“We can wrap up here if you want to head to the hospital.” Micah looked over at me as the ambulance pulled away.
“Thanks, man.” I nodded and sighed. “My daughter would never forgive me if something happened to her best friend.”
“You sure that’s all it is?” Micah smirked and lifted an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?” My face twisted into a perplexed stare.
“Come on, man. She’s hot as fuck.” His smirk spread into a grin.
“No.” I shook my head quickly. “I’ve known her since she was a kid.”
“She’s definitely not a kid anymore.” Micah pulled off his helmet and wiped his brow. “Maybe I should stop by the hospital and play the hero card.”
“Don’t be a jerk.” I scoffed and slapped his shoulder with the back of my hand. “Surely your bed isn’t so cold that you need to hit on girls you pull out of burning buildings.”
“Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time—you know that as well as I do.” He chuckled and shrugged. “I don’t remember you giving me a speech about morality that day.”
“That was different and you know it.” I shook my head and sighed. “Plus, she wasn’t one of my daughter’s friends.”
“Yeah, this girl seems like she might be a little more of a challenge than a stripper.” Micah turned back towards the truck. “All right, get out of here, man. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Micah and I had been close friends since he was a rookie at the fire department. I was getting over my divorce and he was a bachelor that liked to party. A lot of those parties ended up at his apartment, and sometimes, we only had one woman to share. A couple of times we brought the party to my house when Beth wasn’t home, but it was rare. We definitely had a lot of fun. I just couldn’t keep up with him. My work kept me away from home enough as it was and my ex-wife didn’t do much unless it was her weekend with our daughter. Beth had turned out all right, even if I wasn’t entirely happy she decided to get married before she finished college. I just hoped they waited a few years to have kids, because I wasn’t ready to be called grandpa. I wanted to at least see forty before that happened.
The price of having a kid when you’re fifteen and stupid, but I wouldn’t trade her for the world.
I had to grow up quick when Beth’s mother told me she was pregnant. The first few years were rough, and it was clear that my ex-wife wasn’t ready for that challenge. We did our best to make the best of our situation, but our teenage lust didn’t last. Once the reality of raising a daughter became our life, we drifted apart. We stayed together for a few years, mostly for Beth’s sake, but that wasn’t strong enough to keep our family together forever. And now, dating was far too complicated and I didn’t think I would be able to trust another woman after my divorce. I was way too protective to trust them around Beth. Picking up random girls, even if it meant sharing them with Micah, was the easiest route to satisfying those carnal desires.
I got a ride back to the station, told my chief that I needed to check on a friend, and changed into street clothes. By the time I got to the hospital, Wendy had already been checked out by the emergency room staff. They did a CT scan and confirmed that she didn’t have anything more than a contusion on her head, some bruises from the fall, and a sli
ght burn on her hand. A few days of rest and relaxation was recommended, just to be safe. She was lucky. The sprinklers at the restaurant handled the fire before it could spread out of control, and she didn’t inhale very much smoke. I had certainly seen worse, and I was thankful that my second call to Beth was one letting her know that Wendy was going to be okay. Beth was already packing a bag to come home, and there was no way I could talk her out of it, even if there was no real emergency that required her presence. After making the call to Beth, I signed in at the desk and headed to Wendy’s room.
“Seriously, I’m okay. I just want to go home.” I heard Wendy’s voice as I got to the door.
“The doctor just wants you to stay for a few hours and make sure the swelling on your head doesn’t get any worse.” The nurse sounded impatient. “We’re not keeping you overnight. Just lay back and relax.”
“You should listen to what she says.” I smiled as I walked into her room.
“Hey, Mr.—Brody.” Wendy looked over at me and forced a slight smile.
“Hopefully you can talk some sense into her.” The nurse turned towards me and shook her head as she walked out of the room.