“How’s the flight attendant, McCabe?” This from Lisa Beth Duncan. Both were paramedics on Quint and Midi 7 night shift. This group had asked Jack to cook another meal soon after the first, which he usually didn’t do. But they wanted to talk about an issue they’d had with a person who subbed in the house often. Firefighters using him as a sounding board for daily issues was what he wanted to happen because of his visits, so he’d agreed.
McCabe, the handsome black man, grinned at his HCFD partner. “You won’t believe the stories she has about the passengers. Last night, a woman got on the plane with a stack of magazines a foot high.”
“To read?”
“Nope. When the plane hit a bumpy patch, they heard a tearing sound from seat 9B. Lacey checked it out and saw the woman had ripped apart an entire magazine.” His warm brown eyes sparkled. “Every time they hit a bump, she tore more magazines.”
The firefighters laughed. At the stove, stirring cheese into the fettuccine Alfredo he’d made, Jack focused on the banter instead of the debacle he’d had an hour ago with Tess. He wouldn’t think about that until later, when he could see her. If she didn’t come to him, he planned to march right over to the Malvaso house and confront her.
“Hey, Doc, how would you analyze the woman’s actions?”
“Everybody has a coping mechanism, but that’s a new one to me.”
McCabe chuckled. “It was mess to clean up.”
“Better than if she barfed,” one of the group said.
“Dinner’s on,” he said, playing the dad role. “No talk about barfing.”
While they lined up, Jack stood back and tried to enjoy their enthusiasm for his meal. But his mind didn’t cooperate—he still could see Tess, hurt and shocked, sitting on that exam table, at the door, leaving him for good, she’d said. Man, he’d blown it by focusing on Danny and not her. He also suspected hers was a knee-jerk reaction, and she hadn’t meant what she said about them calling it quits.
“What you thinking, Doc?” Grady O’Connor asked. He seemed to be doing well in his new role as an officer.
Jack watched Grady; the guy was such a happily married man. Jack wished he could ask him for advice about Tess. But of course being the fire department shrink precluded that kind of camaraderie. “Daydreaming.”
After they were seated and diving into the rich, creamy macaroni and crusty Italian bread, they made small talk. Discussion of problems would wait until after the food.
Halfway through the meal, the PA crackled over the speaker. “Quint and Midi 7, Rescue 7, fire on Baker Street. Go into service.”
The group stilled. “What the hell?” Lisa Beth said. “A house doesn’t get calls when Jack cooks for them.”
O’Connor was already up. “No matter. Let’s go.”
They raced to the bay. Jack stared at the half-eaten meals. Just what his rotten day needed. Still—there never had been even one call during his visits, as Lisa Beth said. He knew his luck had to run out, but he didn’t like the feel of things tonight. So he went to the bay, and after the rigs catapulted out, he followed them in his own car to the scene. When he reached it, he felt foolish. For thinking there was a problem. For thinking they needed him here. He recalled Tess’s accusation…
Yeah, that savior complex sure came out with your kids… You think you have to save everybody, even me. You don’t.
But because he was still unnerved, he stayed. He watched the three-alarm fire spit and flare, belch dark gray smoke and gobble up the wood. Behind him, Engine 4—Jane’s crew—and Ladder 15—swerved in just behind the Midi.
A sea of firefighters hopped off the rigs, the cacophony of the trucks and shouts from men deafening. Then the fire chief pulled up. Jack’s premonition didn’t seem so odd to him now. Noah came to serious fires. “Hey, Chief. This a big one?”
“Yeah, the building’s connected to a series of row houses. Which means if we don’t contain the fire in one, it’ll spread to the others. I called in even more trucks than this.” He angled his head to Incident Command. “I’m going to go check in with Malvaso.” Jack hadn’t realized Mitch was the BC in charge.
Sticking his hands in his pockets, Jack watched the action, his concern growing. Sometimes a fire had a nasty, mean feel. This one was one of those. His pulse sped up.
Because they were paramedics, as well as firefighters, McCabe and Duncan waited in front of the building for victims to come out, or to see if they’d be called in.
Another guy from the Quint got behind Grady O’Connor on the hose, and they started inside.
House 15 guys hauled ladders to the front, back and sides.
Jack recognized all this as usual stuff as he headed to Incident Command. He’d not quite reached it when he heard, Pop, pop, pop.
Stymied, he glanced at the house. Had something exploded in there?
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.
McCabe jumped on Lisa Beth. They both went down.
Mitch pitched forward to his knees.
Noah Callahan lurched to stand behind him.
Pop-pop-pop-pop.
The fire chief jerked backward and fell flat on his back. Oh, my God, Jack thought as he dove behind the truck.
Somebody was shooting at firefighters.
o0o
Sirens sounded in the distance. Jack crouched behind the truck. Mitch and Noah lay flat out on the ground, so the vehicle protected them, too. Jack prayed neither tried to crawl away and reveal himself. The shooting had stopped only seconds ago. He listened for it to start up again. Nothing. The sirens got louder. After a few grace minutes, he made his way on his hands and knees over to Mitch.
His best friend’s eyes were wide and his breathing shallow. “Ch-check Noah,” Mitch croaked out. “He got hit when he pushed me down.”
“How badly are you hurt?”
“A shoulder wound. Tend to him.” He clutched at Jack’s arm. “Please, Doc. He shielded me.”
Sirens screeched now. One by one, cop cars slammed to a halt inside the fire ground. Behind them the big white ambulances arrived.
Amidst the noise and activity, Jack reached Noah.
The chief was out cold. A gaping wound near his heart bled profusely. Whipping off his shirt, Jack balled it up and pressed it onto Noah’s chest.
Mitch called out, “Is he alive?”
Noah’s breathing was shallow. “Yeah.”
“How bad is it?”
“He’s unconscious, so I don’t know.” Jack felt Noah’s neck. The chief’s pulse was thready.
Kneeling between his two friends, Jack watched the police surround the area and fan out. But there was no more shooting. Jack stayed down and kept the cloth on Noah’s chest, waiting for the medics to come.
o0o
“All clear, all clear!” Jack heard the message, but he didn’t know how much later it was. Maybe just minutes. Noah lay still as death, and Mitch moaned. The person who’d called out added, “The son of a bitch is dead.”
Ambulances hurtled into the fire ground. Several medics piled out. One cupped his hands and ordered, “Make your position known if you or someone near you is hurt.”
Jack stumbled to his feet. “Over here. Two victims. It’s serious.”
Others shouted, then more. And more.
Two medics hustled to Incident Command. They bent over Noah, and Jack turned back to Mitch. He was sweaty and pale. Jack reached for his hand.
“Who else is hurt?” Mitch rasped out, gripping him.
“I don’t know.”
“Go see.”
Another attendant came up to Mitch, so Jack stood back and surveyed the scene. Groups had formed around the bodies of the wounded—or worse. His gut told him they weren’t getting out of this without fatalities. He hurried to one group. A paramedic worked on Jackson McCabe, who lay on his back, unmoving. “How is he?”
The medic looked up, his eyes bleak. “Not good, Doc. He’s one of our own.”
Placing his hand on the guy’s shoulder, Jack squeezed. It was about all he could do in the way of comfort.
Lisa Beth, seated on the ground, watching, stared at her partner blankly. Jack crossed the few feet and crouched in front of her. She looked up at him, shook her head. Tears coursed silently down her cheeks, and he pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Lisa Beth.”
“He…he pushed me down and covered me with his body.”
Jack held on to her until some members of Group 7 found her. Then he stood and crossed to three other people on the ground. One lay spread-eagled, his helmet off, his legs at an impossible angle. “Mary, Mother of God!”
Beside Jack, a medic whispered, “I can’t believe it.”
Someone else said, “I thought Senate went to the Academy.”
“Cramer’s only been a battalion chief for a month,” a woman bending over another body whispered.
They were dead, Jack realized. They were all dead.
o0o
Tess and Danny had talked for over two hours, and it wasn’t until she got in the house did she note that no one had come home yet. The first floor was dark inside, so she switched on a foyer light and headed to the kitchen. She checked the clock. It was nearing nine. Where was everybody? Frowning, she poured herself some red wine and sipped it. The spicy Malbec went down smooth. She went upstairs to Zach’s room, kicked off her shoes and lay on the bed, thinking about the young recruit and how she’d contributed to his angst.
Down deep, Danny Mauro was a normal kid, a talented one. His behavior in class had been rooted in the fact that he wanted to go to college, but he’d turned down a full scholarship to fulfill his father’s wishes. The story rolled around in her mind.
Eventually, thoughts of Danny were replaced by thoughts of Jack and what had happened to their relationship in that EMS office. They’d said awful things to each other, words that couldn’t be taken back. The notion made her eyes mist. Damage had been done. He’d asked her to come over, though, and she’d said no. Should she go now? Deciding to finish her wine first, she switched on the TV to catch the news.
Breaking News flashed in big white letters across the bottom of the screen. A sober-faced anchor from a local channel stared out at the camera. His eyes were grim as he said, “If you’re just joining us, there’s been a shooting in downtown Hidden Cove.”
Megan! Oh no! But wait, she was with Sabby. Still, Tess had gotten to know others in the police department who could have been hurt.
“We’re going live now to Baker Street, where our team is on the scene.” A female reporter appeared on screen. “Julie, what’s going on?”
The woman’s face was pale and her lips thinned. “We’ve had no official word about the incident. And we can’t get near the area because it’s cordoned off as a crime scene. But we saw ambulances race by.” She swallowed hard. “All we know for sure is from the 911 call we monitored. Some firefighters are down. We don’t know the extent of the injuries or if there are any fatalities.”
The glass Tess was holding dropped onto the bed, the wine soaking the spread. She bounded up and yanked her phone out of her pocket. Oh, God, she’d tied it up with the 911 thing she’d punched in because of Danny.
Hurriedly, she clicked into her voice mail. Zach had called more than once. She listened to the first message. “Honey, it’s Zach. There’s been a shooting. So far, we know that Mitch and Noah were at the fire. Ladder 15, Engine 4 and the Quint and Midi 7, Rescue Squad 7 night shift were called.”
Jack had said, “I’m going to cook for Quint and Midi 7 night shift. Come over to my place later.
Her heart galloping in her chest, Tess punched in Zach’s number.
He answered with, “Tess?”
“Oh, God, Zach. Any more news?”
“No. We still don’t know who was shot”—his voice cracked—“or worse.”
Tess gripped the edge of the night table and bit her lip. She wouldn’t burden Zach by falling apart. She mumbled soothing words, then said, “Jack was cooking for House 7 tonight.”
“They never get calls when he cooks, so there’s no reason to think he went to the scene.”
And he was hoping to meet her. Oh, God, maybe he didn’t follow them to the call. “Where are you? I want to be with you.”
“Jenn, Meggie and I are as close as we can get to the scene. An ambo is leaving now. Damn, it just stopped. Wait a sec.”
She heard the running of a motor and, over it, someone call out, “Zach, one of the victims is Mitch. We’ve got him. You guys can get in if you want.”
The phone went dead. And Tess was left alone to wonder what had happened to her beloved cousin and the rest of her firefighter brotherhood.
o0o
Forcing himself to blank his mind and ignore the wrenching in his heart, Jack sat once again with the Malvaso family, Eve Callahan and Ian Woodward at Memorial Hospital. They were in one of the rooms designated for the families of the victims of the shooting. Others waited in spaces next door, down the hall or in the hospital lobby.
“Fuck it,” Zach said. “I can’t believe three of ours died. It reminds me of Sinco.”
Years ago, a warehouse had caught on fire, and ten people had died. The loss reverberated through the department for years and had literally changed Zach’s life.
“Rightfully so, Zach,” Jack answered. “This tragedy is as horrific.”
Jack scanned the group. Connie and Jenn were holding hands. From their trip in with the ambulance, the Malvasos knew Mitch was stable. Grady, who hadn’t been hurt, was grief stricken and Connie’s husband talked softly to him. Sabina had also come in with Will and sat stoically, as did the former police chief, who was Noah’s best friend. Jack noticed they held hands.
Megan had gone to the ladies’ room, to cry probably, as Tess had that day Sabina was in danger. Briefly, he thought of Tess, then pushed her out of his mind. No time for regretting his own fuckups.
Just then, though, she walked through the door. Her face was ashen. She headed right to Zach. Both he and Casey stood, and Zach grabbed her. Jack was within hearing distance of the conversation, but he was out of her range of vision. “Mitch is wounded but stable, honey.”
“Thank God. It took me an hour to get here. I made the mistake of calling a cab, then there was an accident…” She trailed off.
“There’s more, honey.” Zach swallowed hard. “Three of our people are dead.”
Her face drained of any color it had left. “Jack?”
“What? Oh, no. He’s fine.” Still listening in, Jack heard his friend tell Tess the morbid news—who had died.
She pinched her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. “Were others hurt?”
“Noah Callahan. It’s pretty bad.”
Knowing he had to see her, Jack joined them. “You okay? You’re still in your work clothes.”
She turned and, right there in front of everybody, she threw herself into his arms. It should have meant more than it did, but he was numb by now. Still, he clasped her to him.
“I thought… I knew you went to House 7.” She gripped his neck tighter. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
When she drew back, Zach touched her arm. “He was at the fire scene, too.”
“You were in the shooting?”
“Yeah, I was with Mitch and Noah at Incident Command.”
She grasped his hand. “Thank God you weren’t hit, too.”
“He helped Noah,” Zach told her. “Mitch only has a shoulder wound, but Noah got hit in the chest. Jack staunched the flow of blood with his shirt until help could get there.”
“This is so unreal.” He watched her scan the area. “Poor Eve and Ian.”
Jack fisted his hands so hard, they hurt. “I know. They’ve had so much to deal with in their lives.” He glanced over at them. “I think I’ll go talk to them.”
They sat like mannequins, Eve on a chair, Ian in front of her, holding her hand. “Can I get either of you anything? Coffee? Water?”
Eve, unable to talk, shook her head. Ian said, “No thanks.”
Taking a seat next to Eve, not saying anything, Jack waited with them until the doctor came out. Eve bolted up.
Even the doctor was pale. “Noah’s still alive. But he’s unconscious, and that worries us.”
“What does that mean?” Eve asked.
“It’ll be touch-and-go, Mrs. Callahan, when we operate. The bullet went right through him, but it nicked an artery. We have to fix it ASAP.”
Ian gripped her hand. “Right now?”
The doctor nodded. “He’s being prepped as we speak. I have to go, but I’ll send out updates.” He squeezed Eve’s arm and nodded to Ian, then walked away.
Eve burst into tears. Ian tugged her onto his lap. Jack saw Ian’s eyes fill, too. Jack didn’t offer platitudes. They were firefighters and knew death could come at any time.
To give them their privacy, Jack walked over to the other side of the room. He’d never felt more helpless in his life.
o0o
The news of Noah’s condition shocked everyone. As Tess watched the scene unfold between Ian and his sister, she was almost leveled by their sadness.
Zach, who’d gone to check on Sabina, came back to her. “The doctor says we can go in and see Mitch.”
“You first,” she told him. “I want to talk to Jack.”
When the family left, Tess crossed to the window where he stood facing out, his shoulders stiff, his head down. As if in sympathy, the sky had filled with ominous gray clouds. “Jack?”
He turned.
“I’m so sorry about what’s happened.”
“Me, too. I have to go meet with the families of the three people who died.” He swallowed hard. “One was Tom Senate.”
His face got so bleak she wanted to hold him. But something stopped her. He had a remoteness about him. Suddenly, she realized it was his coping mechanism. She wouldn’t try to breach his defenses.
“I hope I can be strong for them. He has a wife, son and daughter.”
“Why wouldn’t you be? You’re skilled in these situations.”
The grief in his eyes deepened. “I—if I hadn’t—it’s my… Never mind. I have to go.”
“We’ll talk later.”
“Maybe.”
Staring after him, she tried to decipher what he was saying. It was about Tom Senate. Ah, now she remembered. He was the line firefighter who had signed up for Academy teaching, but Tess had taken his place. Was he mad at her for that? No, this wasn’t about her. Oh hell! Could it be guilt?
“Tess, I came out to get you.” Her cousin frowned. “You okay?”
“Zach,” she said grabbing his hand. “I think Jack feels responsible for Tom Senate’s death.”
“What? Why?”
“He quit the Academy because of Jack’s class. If he hadn’t…”
“That’s ridiculous, but you’re right. That’s exactly how Harrison would feel.” He glanced around. “Where is he?”
“He went to console the families of the deceased.”
“Shit. He’ll suffer through this alone.”
Shaking her head, Tess stood straighter. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“Let’s go see Mitch. He’ll have some suggestions about dealing with Jack.”
Zach slid his arm around her. He felt solid and strong, and she needed that now. Together, they walked down the corridor to see Mitch, but Tess’s mind was still on the hurting doctor.
o0o
The next morning, Jack stood by the window, staring out again, this time in his office. Contrary to yesterday, the sun beat down harshly on the buildings nearby and on the pavement of the road that ran by the Academy. Cars whizzed by. The outdoors was too busy and bright, too cheery for what the immediate future held. He’d hardly slept because he was dreading the day to come. From previous experience, he knew he’d be bombarded with people who wanted talk about the three deaths, the seven injuries and the fact that even though Noah’s surgery had gone well, he was still unconscious. The chief could die, Jack knew, and that notion clenched his heart like a jagged vise, so much so, he pressed his chest with his hand to stop the pain.
Then there would be the recruits to deal with. Their training couldn’t continue as normal today. He didn’t know what Olive was planning, but it probably included him. He whispered, Please, God, give me the strength. And forgive me.
No, no. He wouldn’t think about himself now.
A knock sounded on the door. “Come in.” He turned expecting to find Olive. For a brief moment, when he saw Tess, his whole body lightened. He wanted to hug her close to him and never let go. Instead, he said evenly, “Tess?”
“Hi. I came to fill you in on our plans for the recruits today.”
He was glad she was all business. Firefighters had to be disciplined and get beyond their emotions, like she was doing right now. “Tell me.”
Coming closer, she stopped far enough away that he couldn’t smell her lotion or see the little pulse in her neck. “First, we’re going to take them outside on a long jog. They can work off some of their anxiety and sadness that way.”
“Good idea.”
“After the run, we’re serving coffee and donuts, and Olive will talk to them about risks firefighters face every day. It’ll be hard, but safety, or lack thereof, has to be brought out into the light after yesterday.”
“You should let them ask any questions they have afterward.”
Her hands fisted at her sides. “We’re planning to.”
“Do you want me there for all this?”
She gave him a sad smile. “We thought you’d be too busy with the rest of the department. We can handle the kids on our own.”
“I’ll come to the beginning of the meeting. Let me know when you get back from the jog.”
“Will do.”
“And thanks for planning all that. I will be swamped today.”
“I know, which is why we’re going to have this talk.” Turning, she went to the door and locked it.
Looked like her firefighter reserve had a crack. This time, she came in very close. He backed up, like a coward. “I know you now, Jack. I know what you’re feeling.”
“Yeah, well, Tess, it’s dangerous to think you know everything.” His bitter, bitter tone shocked him.
“What are you referring to, exactly?”
“That wasn’t meant as a criticism of you.”
“No, it was of yourself.”
Hopelessness filling him, he looked away.
“I figured it out last night when you didn’t return any of my calls. You think you’re responsible for Tom Senate’s death.”
He stared at her silently. Hearing it said aloud cut him to the bone.
“You’re not,” she told him. “But nobody’s going to convince you otherwise right now. I just want you to know we figured this out.”
“We?”
“I told the family.”
“Fuck it, Tess. They don’t need my problems now.”
“Mitch is home.”
He shook his head. “He’s gotta be worried sick about Noah.”
“We all are.”
“Then, go tend to them. And to the recruits who I also fucked up.” He hadn’t meant to say that aloud, but the notion plagued him, was in the forefront of his mind.
She folded her arms over her chest, which meant she wasn’t leaving. “What are you saying?”
“I failed with them, too, and look where it got Mauro. I was so sure the Recruit Concerns class was a good idea. But it wasn’t. Has anyone seen him?”
“Not today.” The expression on her face was odd—softer, he guessed.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“I talked to him yesterday. Things aren’t as bad as you think. But we can discuss him later.” She lifted her arms to hug him.
“Don’t, Tess.”
“Take some comfort from me,” she whispered softly.
“I don’t want comfort.”
“Jack…”
“Please, Tess, don’t make this about me, or me and you.” His voice rose a notch. “There’s a lot of hurting people out there, scared people. We have to take care of them.”
“Fine.” She stepped back. “I’ll let you put your guilt aside, for now, but you’ll talk about it eventually.”
“We’ll see.” He looked down at her and was astounded at the love in her face. He almost reached out to her, but he held back. He had to be stoic. “Now go take care of the recruits, and yourself, too.”
“Same goes for you, Jack.”
o0o
The jog had turned into a run. It was too hot for all out running, but the instructors allowed the recruits to set the pace. Back at the Academy, they headed into the classroom, most dripping with sweat. Fatigue etched itself out on each of their faces, and Tess was sure nobody got much sleep last night.
Olive, who hadn’t even conducted roll call, addressed them. “No need to change into your uniforms. Get your donuts and coffee. We’re taking it easy for the rest of today.”
Questioning looks abounded. Of course. The instructors had been rigid about routines. Too rigid? Tess, too, was questioning her role in everything, like Jack. Only she wasn’t beating up on herself for mistakes she might have made.
While the kids gathered around the coffee urn, murmuring among themselves, Danny Mauro approached her and Olive. Tess hadn’t told anybody about what’d happened last night between her and the kid.
“Mauro.” Olive’s voice gravelly. There was no bite in her words.
“Chief. Captain.” He focused on Olive. “I know what I did yesterday has to be dealt with. I apologize for my actions. But maybe you should just concentrate on helping the other recruits today.”
“Yesterday seems minor now, Danny.” Olive choked back emotion. “We’ll talk later this week.”
Danny glanced at Tess. “I won’t be here later this week. I came today because I think I might be able to help the others with what’s happened. No arrogance meant in that. Both my dad and my brothers have gone through deaths of guys on the line, and by osmosis, I have, too.”
“That’ll help, Danny.” Olive stared over his shoulder. “There’s Dr. Harrison. If you’ll excuse me…”
Tess didn’t look at Jack. She’d said her piece this morning. And she meant what she’d said. She’d give him space now, but what was between them was far from over. Instead, she gave Mauro what passed for a smile. “You doing okay, Danny?”
“After all this, I feel foolish for whining yesterday. For pouting all these weeks.”
“You’re entitled to your feelings. But I understand them, too. I feel bad for whining about my ankle.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
Cocking her head, she noted that despite his sorrow, his brown eyes were clear and his wide shoulders relaxed. She realized she’d never seen him this way. The burden he’d been carrying around for over a month had been a heavy weight on his shoulders and not the chip they’d all assumed he had. “Why won’t you be here at the end of the week?”
“I plan to tell my parents that firefighting isn’t for me.” He waved his hand to encompass the classroom. “They’ll probably think I’m a coward, that I’m just afraid now, but I’ll handle it.”
“Good for you. And thanks for coming in today.”
“Can I say one more thing?”
“Sure.”
“You helped me last night when I’d done nothing but try to alienate you. I’m not sure why, but I’ve learned from that. About forgiveness, for others and myself.”
“What a nice thing to say.” Tess squeezed his arm. And thought, I wish we could convince the doc about that.
After Danny went to sit down, Olive called the recruits to gather. Chairs were dragged into a semicircle around the instructors, the sound unnaturally loud. Only Quinn Frazier and Tess and Olive were in attendance. Tony was off with his crew, of course, because Jackson McCabe had been one of theirs. Jenkins knew the battalion chief who’d been killed. And Larissa was with the medics.
Olive squared her shoulders and scanned them all. “We’d like you to get your feelings about what happened last night out in the open. I’m hurting, too, a lot, as are the rest of your teachers, so let’s be kind to each other.”
Subtly, Jack leaned forward. “We know you’re scared, maybe questioning whether you even want to be a firefighter. But try to reserve judgment for a week or so. Big decisions shouldn’t be made in desperate times.”
“You’ve covered safety on the fire ground in class,” Olive said. “And you’ll be talking about it again, today. But it’s obvious that you are never really safe on the line.”
“Nobody’s safe.” This from Mauro.
Olive stirred, expecting trouble.
“Airplanes are sabotaged and crash. Kids are shot in big cities when they’re on the playground. The world is full of risks.”
Murphy nodded. “I agree. But firefighters walk into danger intentionally, so we’re more at risk.”
Cruz spoke up, too. “In the big scope of things, today isn’t any different from yesterday. We’ve known all along that firefighting is a dangerous job. Sure, we aren’t expecting to be shot at when we go to a fire, and I don’t feel safe out there, but I never did.”
“That’s an interesting point, Anita.” Jack’s voice was calm. “Does anyone want to share his or her feelings, other than fear, now?”
Mauro waved at Jack. “I would.” He glanced around. “First, I wanna apologize to all of you for how I behaved these last few weeks. You’ll know why I’ve been such a jerk soon. But, right now, I feel sorry for the families of the people who died or were injured. And for Chief Callahan.”
“Danny,” Tess said. “You told me your father and brothers have dealt with deaths in the line of duty. Want to tell us how they coped?”
“Mostly by being with other firefighters. You’d think they’d heal quicker by spending time with their wife and kids, but it wasn’t that way for them. They turned to each other. Dad said it was the only thing that helped. I know my brothers admitted more of their emotions to their colleagues than he ever would have to us.”
Olive brightened a bit. “I have an idea. Why don’t you all come over to my house? About four. After we’re done here, classes are canceled, and you should catch some sleep. But we’ll get together off campus and just be with each other.”
Every single one of them agreed to come.
Jack stood. “I’m headed out to be with the Callahans at the hospital.” He surveyed the class. “I’m proud of your maturity here. Thanks for rising to the occasion.”
Because she couldn’t leave, Tess said aloud, “Dr. Harrison?”
He shot her a surprised look. “Yes, Captain.”
“Remember what Mauro said. You should be with your colleagues, too.”
“Point taken.”
He walked out, and Tess turned back to the recruits. They needed her now, as did Jack, but only these kids knew it.