Fire Escape - Book Three: Troubled Heroes Series (An Action Thriller) (16 page)

             
“Let’s go inside and have some tea. I’ve gotta catch up with Miss Eva here. Seems like I haven’t seen her in forever.”

             
Michael forced a smile, pushing back the depressing thoughts he had been experiencing. When she poured the tea, all he could think about was how some hard whiskey would accent it perfectly. The brown color of the beverage was a constant reminder of the drink he’d rather be having. Gulping it down fast, he tried to fight off the craving that seemed to be coming on stronger and more constant than it had in a long while.

             
“So, how are you guys doing?”

             
Michael watched as Eva and his mom chatted away as if nothing was wrong. He admired the fact that she could act like there wasn’t a care in the world. He dazed off, his mind fading into a random day dream about the weeks leading up to his dad’s death. Right before he had passed was the best time of Michael’s life. He had taken him and Casey to a Mets game and was making plans to help restore an old muscle car they had bought cheap at an auction. He longed to go back to that time when things were too perfect.

             
“Mikey? You wanna tell her our news?”

             
Eva’s question pulled him back to reality and he felt his cheeks warm up. Shifting in his chair, he drank down the remainder of the tea and chewed on a couple of ice cubes.

             
“I guess we better. That’s why we came, isn’t it?” When Eva didn’t break in, he cleared his throat. “Ma, Eva’s pregnant.” He didn’t know what else to say. Those few words said enough, and he waited to gauge her reaction.

             
It took her a second to digest what he had said, but when the news finally hit her, her eyes lit up and she laughed. “You’re pregnant?”

             
“Yes ma’am, I am. We just found out ourselves. We’re only telling a few people right now, but you were top of our list.”

             
“That’s just wonderful! I’ve always wondered when my boys were gonna make me a grandmother!”

             
She reached over and hugged Eva, and when she went to hug Michael, he pulled away and walked out to the back porch. He just didn’t feel like celebrating. Eva getting pregnant was the best thing to ever happen to him, but right now was just not the time to break out the cigars. Someone out there was falsely accusing him of being at the scene of the fires and it was killing him on the inside. He felt trapped. He felt lost. He wanted answers and his name cleared immediately.

             
He heard the screen door creak and turned to see his mother. He could only wonder what profound words of advice she’d hand him.

             
“You okay, son?”

             
He shrugged and stared out into the yard.

             
“You don’t have to tell me what’s bugging you, but if it’s worry about this little one that will be here soon, you know damn well you’ll be a great father.”

             
“Will I?” It wasn’t his main worry, but it was something that had been on his mind.

             
She checked on some of her potted plants on the porch, sticking her fingers down into the dirt. “I have all the confidence in the world in you.”

             
If she only knew the half of it. How would her confidence be if she knew the accusations being thrown his way? He hoped she’d never hear about it.

             
“What do I do for a living, Ma?”

             
She looked at him like he was crazy. “What are you getting at, Michael?”

             
“I’m a firefighter, right?”

             
“Yes, you are.”

             
“Just like dad, right?”

             
“Yes, you’re a lot like your father. Michael…”  she reached for his arm but he pulled away.

             
Walking back toward the house, he turned to face her. “Last time I checked, dad died when I was young. He left me here with you and Casey and all of this bullshit we’ve gone through since. I’m an alcoholic, Casey is a coke head, and you’ve had to work your ass off to get us out of trouble.” He shook his head and threw his hand up in the air. “Just so you know, Ma, I’m in some trouble again. Tell me how that’s being a good father to this child that isn’t even here yet?”

             
“Michael, I didn’t know…” She stepped toward him. “What’s going on?”

             
“You’ll find out soon, I’m sure.” He opened the door, pausing before he went inside. “I haven’t thanked you enough for everything you’ve done. And I’m sorry that I got so angry today. I just can’t do this right now.”

He pulled her in for a tight hug and then let the door slam behind him. Grabbing his coat, he couldn’t make eye contact with Eva as they headed back to the subway. He wasn’t guilty of what the detectives were questioning him about, but the fact that he was in yet another situation to cause both his mom and Eva stress was bad on his part. Trouble seemed to find him. The only difference now was that he had so many others involved, including a baby on the way. The guilt was killing him. He needed to make the negative stuff go away for good.

Chapter Eleven

              Eva lay in bed that night, wide awake. She felt Michael next to her, tossing and turning, talking some in his sleep, and feeling restless. He hadn’t spoken much to her the rest of the day and it killed her. He was so angry and lost. Her biggest fear was his sobriety. They had been friends for years and whenever something major had happened, he seemed to turn back to alcohol as a coping mechanism. She didn’t know what she would do if he relapsed. Of course, she’d offer him the support he needed, but what would that mean for the future of their family?

             
Turning on her side, she ran her hand down her stomach, thinking about the tiny life they had created inside of her. Everything she had read had said that the baby could feel every bit of stress the mother had. She needed to be careful. Things were so delicate at this stage. She wondered about the genetics of the baby. Would it have the McGinnis addictive tendencies? Would it be a boy or a girl? If it were a boy, would he be as cute as Mikey? Or if it were a girl, would it be her mini me? The thought made her smile, but as if someone were changing the channel in her mind, she went right back to thinking about their current troubles.

             
Kicking her legs off the side of the bed, she grabbed her cell phone on the nightstand and walked to the living room. It was three AM, but she needed someone to talk to. Mikey had closed up in his own bubble and she felt like she was about to go crazy with all of the pent up thoughts screaming inside of her.

             
Scrolling through her contact list, she paused at Gregg Walsh’s name. Hesitant for a split second, she pushed it and waited as the other end rang.

             
“Hello?” His groggy voice answered, and she felt bad for waking him.

             
“Hey Gregg, it’s Eva. I’m sorry for waking you.”

             
“No, no, Eva, you didn’t wake me.”

             
She smiled and kicked her legs up on the coffee table. “You’re a horrible liar.”

             
“It’s fine, I promise. Is everything okay?”

             
Eva looked down the dark hallway to their bedroom. She didn’t hear Michael and kept her voice low so she wouldn’t wake him. “I’m sure you’ve heard about those fires on the news? You know, the warehouse fires?”

             
“Yeah, of course. It’s the talk around the station. Why?”

             
Her instincts screamed at her to keep quiet, but she had to tell someone. He had been a good friend when Michael was in Texas. His support and advice were helpful during that time. She felt she could trust him. “Some detectives came by and talked to Mikey and me about it.”

             
“What? Are you serious? Why?”

             
She let out a deep breath. “Someone said they saw him at the fires. I’m not sure why. I just… I just needed someone to talk to about it.”

             
“How’s he taking it?”

             
“Not good, Gregg. Not good. You know how his temper is. You work with him all the time.”

             
“Tell me about it. I don’t think I’m his favorite person right now.”

             
The hall light flashed on, brightening up the dim room. Mikey emerged from the hallway, one eye shut, the other squinting.

             
“Eva, it’s three thirty. What the…”

             
“I’m sorry Mikey, did I wake you?”

             
“Eva, I’m gonna go.” She heard Gregg on the line hang the phone up, and she ended the call and set her phone on the table.

             
“Who was that?” he asked, pointing down to the phone.

             
“It was Gregg Walsh. I couldn’t sleep and he’s a friend. I just needed to talk to someone and I thought you were asleep.”

             
Michael’s eyes fully opened and his eyebrow arched. “You’re kidding me, right?”

             
“No, I’m not. Now’s not the time to act jealous about it. There’s nothing between us.” She stood up and started toward the hallway, but Mikey blocked access down it.

             
“I’m not acting jealous.”

             
“No? Then why is it such a damn act of congress when I talk to him?” She pushed through him and walked to the bedroom, feeling him right behind her.

             
“Listen to me, Eva.”

             
Turning on her heel, she looked him right in the eye. He appeared different. She had never seen him with such concern on his face, not even compared to when Casey was having the issues with Viper.

             
“I’m not jealous. Gregg is dangerous. There’s been some things happening at the firehouse that are a cause for concern.”

             
“What things? Explain, Mikey…”

             
He sat down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, appearing as a man defeated. “He knows about Viper. Not just normal details anyone could’ve told him. He knows the nickname Viper called me. He brought it up out of nowhere. And when we had that fire yesterday, he split the team up, leaving me alone in a burning apartment. I’m talking shit that should’ve never happened. Not even a probie mistake.”

             
Eva joined him on the bed, interlocking her arm with his. He felt so tense. “I’m sorry, Mikey… I had no idea.”

             
Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he said, “I’ve told you. I’m telling you. Be careful with him. I’m not sure how to take him, but from the moment I started working with him, I just knew something was wrong. I know he was there for you when I was gone, but think about it. Just think about it every interaction.”

             
Eva didn’t say anything in response. Mikey had always been pretty good at reading people. He was her lover, her best friend, and now the father of the baby she carried. She had to stick by his side and trust his every word. If he told her to be careful around Gregg, that’s what she was going to do. Gregg appeared to be helpful, but she had never taken into consideration the fact that he could’ve been taking advantage of their situation. It angered her to think that she had let her guard down. She would never let that happen again.

***

              Mikey never really got back to sleep after he and Eva had talked. Finally giving up on rest, he found Eva in the kitchen, frying up some bacon and eggs. The smell made his stomach growl, but his nerves sent him a quick reminder that he wasn’t hungry. Hugging her from behind, he buried his face in her hair.

             
“It’s all gonna be okay.”

             
Eva put the spatula down and turned to face him, leaning in to his embrace. “I’m sorry I called him last night. I don’t know what I was thinking. If you say he’s suspicious, then I’ll be cautious.”

             
Michael kissed her on the cheek and sat at the table. “Aside from all of that, we need to figure out your situation on the ambulance.”

             
She pulled out several strips of bacon and turned the stove off, placing the finished meal in front of him. He would have to choke it down for her sake.

             
“What do you mean?” She wiped her greasy fingers on a napkin and poured each of them some orange juice and coffee.

             
“Sit down. Don’t worry about all this. Thanks for cooking. Now enjoy it.”

             
Eva didn’t dig into the food, still waiting on him to continue.

             
“You do a lot of lifting. A lot of big patients on gurneys and what not. You really think that it would be smart to continue to do that? You’ve already had a pretty rough pregnancy.”

             
She hugged her robe around herself and finally took a bite of a fried egg. “And what do you suggest I do instead?”

             
“Work at the desk until you have the baby.”

             
Pushing her plate away, she wiped her mouth and stood up. “You’d never be okay with becoming a paper pusher. Why is it so easy to suggest I do it?”

             
Michael instantly regretted bringing it up to her. It needed to be talked about. Her vacation would be over soon and they would have to go back to Captain Rooker with a plan. Following her into the living room, he chose his words wisely.

             
“Eva, I’m not the one having the baby. And it’s not like it’s forever. Have the baby, take your six weeks maternity leave, and then get back on the ambulance.” He grabbed her hand. “I think the department might have some sort of policy on how long a woman can stay on the truck anyway.”

             
She gripped his hand hard. “I see what you’re saying, Mikey. I know it’s the best thing to do for the baby. Not just the lifting. I come into contact with some of the nastiest crap. I guess the health of the baby would be in jeopardy from contracting something too.”

             
“Good point.”