America's Bravest (55 page)

His son shrugged a shoulder. “Yeah, sure,
come along if you want.”

And Cal’s heart expanded in his chest. At one
freaking offer to go for ice cream.

How pathetic.

But he’d take what he could get.

oOo

Five uniformed firefighters sat around a
scarred oak table in a huge kitchen with industrial-size appliances
and a black-and-white linoleum floor, trying to look casual. But
Parker knew their behavior was an act. She’d like to have been
privy to what they’d said when the chief told them of his decision
to let her get a close-up of the routine of the fire
department.

Their shift started at seven in the morning
and went until five so she showed up punctually and was met at the
door by a sober-looking chief. “Good morning.” His gaze dropped to
her plain black capris, sensible shoes and simple, flowered, pink
shirt. “I’m glad you dressed casually for the day.”

She nodded. She’d left her hair down but
brought a tie to pull it back when needed. He’d led her back here
to meet the group, some of whom she’d never seen in person. Erikson
introduced each of them. Tony Ramirez, thirty-four, who’d been a
firefighter since he was eighteen and was about to have a brand new
baby, stood. “Hello, Ms. Allen. Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes, thanks. Black.”

A pretty woman, Sydney Sands, single mom and
very young to be on this elite squad, also stood. “Here, take my
seat.”

Parker acquiesced. Sands walked over to the
coffeepot and said something to Ramirez. Meanwhile, Brody O’Malley,
who with his brother had been heartthrobs in their departments
until, rumor had it, they met their women, nodded to her.
“Morning.”

Felicia White stared down at a newspaper and
ignored Parker.

The captain, Gabe Malvaso, leaned forward.
“Welcome to our house, Ms. Allen. As you might guess, this isn’t
the most comfortable thing for all of us.”

Erikson, who’d gotten his own coffee and
stayed on the other side of the room, shifted on his feet.

“However, we’re willing to give you a chance
to see who we really are in hopes of changing your mind about
us.”

“Thanks for your honesty, Captain.”

“Want some more?” White asked, finally
looking up.

“Why not?” Parker said, but thought,
Here
it comes.

“I think you’re going to put your own spin on
everything we do. Know, Ms. Allen, that I’ll fight you tooth and
nail like I’ve been doing if you do portray us in a biased
light.”

“Fair warning. And, Lieutenant White, know
that I, too, will be honest and uncompromising about what I see
around here.”

Stepping forward, Erikson approached the
table. “Well, now that that’s all out of the way, let me say we’ve
decided you should participate in our daily routine. Even the
mundane. So here it is.” He handed her a schedule. “This is
basically what we do when we don’t have calls. Obviously, a run
supersedes any of what’s on there.”

She glanced down. The schedule read, “Arrive
at 7 a.m., check the rig, start the equipment, housework at 7:30,
physical exercise at 9. Lunch at noon, training at 1. Day ends
about 5.”

The chief added, “More than likely, some of
these things won’t happen. We’ll be out on calls.”

“I understand. I’ll participate as much as I
can.”

“We have two other groups on with us. Quint
and Midi 7. They’re out on a call.”

“Already?”

“Fire doesn’t work on a time frame.”

Gabe stood. “Here are the housework details.
O’Malley’s on toilet duty.”

“Oh, goody.”

“The Quint and Midi crew will take care of
the upstairs bunkroom when they get back, unless somebody finishes
early and wants to do it for them.”

Grumbles all around.

“White, clean the common room. Ramirez and
Sands, kitchen duty. Ms. Allen, would you like to help them?”

“Sure, I can clean. I can’t cook,
though.”

“Neither can Sands,” Ramirez teased.

“I try. Besides” —here she did a little dance
step—“I have other talents.”

The crew dispersed. Ramirez asked, “What do
you want to do, Syd?”

“The refrigerator needs a good cleaning. I’ll
tackle that. Why don’t you empty the dishwasher and take care of
the countertops.”

Ramirez faced Parker. “Would you like to
sweep and mop?”

“Sure. Where are the supplies?”

As Parker glided the broom over the floor,
she listened to the low drone of a radio in the corner, playing
some rock music. The linoleum wasn’t dirty, just needed sweeping.
She said as much to the two others.

“Yeah, but it’s custom,” Ramirez explained.
“Every morning it gets mopped. We’re kind of neat freaks.”

“Except O’Malley.” This from Sands.

The two of them laughed and went on with
their work.

“So, Sophia’s only got less than month,”
Sands said.

“Yeah. She’s really big.”

“She seems happy.”

“Especially now that I talked her into taking
her leave from the hospital early. She likes being home with the
other two.”

Companionable silence between them. Then, he
asked, “How’s Max?”

Parker shot a quick look at Sands. Her face
had lit up. “Good. He’s got Daisy today. He’s taking her and Amber
to the amusement park.”

“That’s nice. The little one adores
Amber.”

Parker had retrieved the mop, filled the
bucket and was about to slop water on the floor when the PA
crackled overhead. “Fire on Vine and First. Engine 4 and Rescue
Squad 7, go into service.”

The change in the atmosphere was dramatic.
All teasing and camaraderie gone, the two firefighters dropped
their sponges and strode out of the room. Sands looked back. “Come
on, Parker, it’s a call.”

Parker started to put the cleaning tools
away.

“No time for that. Leave everything.”

Following Sands out, she made it to the bay
in time to watch five firefighters go into action. Boots and pants
sat waiting by the rig. Five pairs of shoes were kicked off, even
that done in an orderly fashion. Once they stepped into their boots
and pants, they climbed onto the truck. She’d read in her research
this was called turnout gear because firefighters left it
turned out
to don quickly.

Erikson joined her and Malvaso. “You want to
come with me or on the truck?”

“Um…”

“On the truck,” Malvaso said. “Let her get a
real feel for a call.”

Taking her by the arm, Gabe led her to the
rig. She stepped up onto the low-riding foot rail and looked
inside. Everyone’s coat and face mask were in place behind them.
Malvaso gave her a little boost up. “In the back, next to
Sands.”

She climbed in and did up her seatbelt like
everybody else, though she’d been told they didn’t wear them. Hmm,
they were on their best behavior for her. Glancing at her watch,
she saw that it took about three minutes to get going. They headed
out of the bay and rounded the corner to the street. She slid over
against Sands, who gave her a quick smile. The horn blasted and
they put on the siren.

“The fire started in the basement of the
laundromat,” Malvaso called back to them as he read from a computer
printout. “It’s a huge place, and at this hour was full of
customers. Be prepared.”

The rig sped down a street busy with people
going to work. She noticed O’Malley drove carefully but quickly and
didn’t run any lights. Parker felt her heart beat at a clip and her
palms start to sweat. She was…excited.

In a few minutes, they arrived on the scene
and hopped out of the truck, coats and helmets on, masks over their
heads. They looked like warriors ready for battle.

Cal Erikson parked his department Jeep a few
feet over and exited with his computer. She watched the crew get
tools out of the back end of the rig, then stride to the chief. He
ignored her as he called up blueprints on the computer. After he
scanned them, he said to Malvaso, who she hadn’t noticed by his
side, “The fire’s here in the northeast corner. A dryer blew up.”
To another man, also there, he said, “Corwin, take in a hose.
Malvaso, follow them in with your guys. I think people are
trapped.”

Malvaso jogged away as did the other guy.
Erikson turned to her. “Questions?”

No longer was he the aloof, somewhat reticent
man she’d met twice. Now, his face was animated, his eyes gleaming
and his whole body alert. She found his demeanor oddly
appealing.

Shaking off the thought, she nodded to the
computer. “You have the blueprints of the entire city in
there?”

“Pretty much. When we don’t, it’s hell to
pay.”

“What are they doing inside?”

“Engine 17 will slap water on the fire. The
Rescue Squad goes in then to check for survivors.”

Her mouth dropped. “People could be dead
already?”

For a moment, he focused an intense green
gaze on her. “Yeah. They could be burned or die of smoke
inhalation. It doesn’t take long.”

Parker absorbed that fact as his gaze
transferred to the front door of the laundromat, and they both
watched for a few minutes. Finally, out came one of the Rescue rig
guys carrying a woman in his arms. Holy hell, each member of the
squad followed, carrying victims. When they were relieved by the
ambulance crew she hadn’t seen arrive, they went back in. Over the
chief’s radio, she heard, “Fire’s out, Chief.”

“How many more victims?”

“A few.”

He turned to her. “Go up closer. Watch the
crew.”

“Why?”

“Rescue work takes a toll on them.”

Hearing the challenge in his voice, she
headed toward the people on the ground in front of the ambulance.
Ten victims lay sprawled on the blacktop. Sands trudged over with
another one draped over her shoulders and gently set down a
woman.

“My baby. Where’s my baby?”

Immediately, Sands dropped to her knee. “What
did you say?”

“I had him in a carrier. By the bench. Where
is he?”

“Jesus.” Sands bolted up, yanked down her
mask and flew back into the building. In a matter of minutes, she
exited carrying a little blue bundle. Another ambulance crew member
raced to her, grabbed the kid and got an oxygen mask on his
mouth.

Breathing hard, Sands bent over to get more
air, all the while keeping an eye on the baby.

Nothing.

Oh, God. Was Parker going to witness a
child’s death?

Still no sounds.

Then she heard a soft whimper.

Cheers went up, and Sands was hugged by
another firefighter Parker hadn’t met before. She finally let out
her own breath, her entire body deflating. Full of conflicting
emotions, she inched back from the scene. Her mind wasn’t working
right yet, so she didn’t want to be asked a question or have to
make a comment. She was still stunned by the miracle that had taken
place.

Cal had to hide a smile as he watched Parker
Allen survey the crew at lunchtime. Saves had an effect on
everybody, and she wasn’t immune. Thank the good Lord for what had
happened this morning and the subsequent rejoicing in the house. On
top of Squad 9’s successes, the Quint and Midi had done good work,
which Grady O’Connor was describing to the others. “Five people
were in the small apartment. Zach had to be held back to wait for
the all clear.” Suddenly his face reddened. He shot a worried look
at Cal.

Standing off to the side by the coffeepot,
Parker picked right up on it. “Zach Malvaso? Why?”

Cal intervened. He was nothing if not good at
diplomacy. “Some of us are more daring than others. Malvaso has a
hard time waiting when someone’s in trouble.”

Casey Malvaso’s head snapped up. “Before you
go off half-cocked, Allen, he doesn’t do stupid things. He’s just
braver than most.”

With the devil in his eyes, Zach chimed in.
“Hey, I’m here. You’re talking about me as if I’m not.”

“So it’s an admirable trait, Firefighter
Malvaso?” Parker asked.

Before he could answer, Felicia slapped her
hand on the table. “This is what I mean. You’re gonna skew
everything.”

Knowing not to suppress this crew, Cal let
the scene play out.

Parker tossed back her hair and straightened
her slender shoulders. “No, I’m not. For what it’s worth, what I
saw this morning was incredible.”

“But you’ll pick up on what O’Connor
said.”

“I’ll pick up on everything, Lieutenant.”

For some reason, Cal enjoyed watching
reporter go toe-to-toe with Licia.

“Chow’s on,” Ramirez called out from the
stove. “Cease fire. Truce. No fighting.” He said a little louder,
“I mean it.”

Brows furrowed, Parker looked to Cal.

“Ramirez is our resident peacemaker.”

As a group, they rose and crossed to the
counter where Tony and Sydney had assembled BLTs with macaroni
salad. The scent of the bacon made Cal’s mouth water. He waited for
everyone to serve themselves and had grabbed a plate when the PA
crackled. “Car accident on Mercury Avenue. Rescue 7, go into
service.”

“Fuck,” O’Malley said, throwing back his
chair.

Cal headed for the door but said to Parker
over his shoulder, “You can stay and eat.” God knew why he was
looking out for her.

“No,” Felicia stated harshly, “she can’t. Let
her go hungry, too. At least she doesn’t have to do anything.”

The challenge worked. Allen stood. “I’m
coming.”

Rolling his eyes to the heavens, he headed
out. This was shaping up to be a hell of a day.

oOo

Parker dragged herself into the firehouse at
four o’clock, her shirt dripping with sweat, her face grimy from
smoke that had poured out of one of the buildings, and her stomach
growling. She was so hungry she could barely stand so she leaned
against a wall in the bay and watched the people who had done the
work file in, quiet now. They looked almost beaten up. They’d gone
to three calls this afternoon, one right after another. A car
accident, where they had to rip off the roof of a Mitsubishi to
rescue two people, another fire, this time at a house, and they’d
assisted on a roof cave-in at a local restaurant, which sent five
people to the hospital.