by Sarah Markel
In several long strides, Lorelei managed to reach the window where she stopped only long enough to raise her foot and put it through the thin glass pane. Using Marcus’ weight for momentum, she pushed them both through the glass and into the overgrowth that surrounded the front of the house.
***
“Pump,” Chief Andrews said, addressing Tim as he reached the truck at a fast clip, “gear up. Everyone on the front line, now. We’ve got men in there; I want them out here yesterday.”
Tim and the others snapped to attention, each scrambling to get to their assigned posts. Even the Ladder crew hustled to their truck to ready themselves.
“Medic,” Andrews said, turning toward the ambulance crew, “be ready, I want both the Captain and the boy in the bus as soon as we have them out, copy?”
Three heads nodded once, before turning to rush back to their vehicle.
“Rah-Rah,” Chief Andrews’ hand shot out and wrapped around Aspen’s bicep as the woman moved past him to return to the front line. Meeting the young woman’s tear-filled eyes, he cleared his throat and did his best to soften his stance.
“Aspen, we’ll get her out. We never leave a man behind.”
Aspen’s chin quivered and she swallowed the tears that wanted to drain down her cheeks. “I know,” she said, her voice nearly inaudible in the hubbub, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Sir.” Aspen gently extracted her arm and gripped the axe with both hands, “I have a job to do.”
“Blaise!”
Aspen and Chief Andrews turned to look at Tim, who was pointing at the house. Two heads whipped toward the structure, and Chief Andrews’ lightning-fast reflexes were the only thing that kept Aspen from hitting the ground when her knees buckled.
Regaining her composure took less than a second and Aspen pushed away from the Chief to sprint toward her wife. Although it had only been roughly seven minutes since Lorelei’s call to evacuate the building, to Aspen, it seemed like an eternity.
Fear, anguish, pain, sadness, and loss warred so strongly within the young woman that her mind didn’t know how to process them. Her body began to react to the emotions; bile rose in her throat, her throat tightened, tears formed in her eyes, her heart thudded erratically in her chest, but it seemed that each of those actions failed to come to completion.
The bile didn’t erupt. She could still breathe and swallow. The tears didn’t fall, and her heart didn’t stop beating. What did happen, though, was an all-encompassing desire to beat the Fates at their own game.
The Fates had brought Lorelei into her life when she needed her the most, and Aspen would be damned if she was going to let them take her away. Seeing Lorelei now as she sprinted across the scene toward her, Aspen felt a burst of pride that gave her feet wings.
“Lorelei!” she cried, forcing herself to stop before she plowed into her wife.
Lorelei’s eyes lifted to find Aspen’s and a tired smirk played at the corner of her lips. “It’s good to see you, too, Rah-Rah,” she said, her voice deep and raspy.
“Clear the way!”
Aspen bit her tongue as she was unceremoniously jostled aside so the medics could attend to her wife and fellow firefighter. She watched intently as Marcus’ limp body was carefully removed from Lorelei’s shoulders and gasped softly when she noticed the blood smeared across the top of her coat.
“It was black powder,” Lorelei rasped when the Chief reached her, “I counted five, five-pound bags and two, ten-pound bags. There was probably more, but I didn’t have time.”
Chief Andrews nodded and motioned for Lorelei to sit down. He got on his radio, relaying her information to the rest of the crew working to put out the fire.
Lorelei groaned loudly and eased herself onto the ground, shrugging off the attempts of the Medics to help. “I got it,” she growled, glaring at Brandy Higgins; a particularly handsy medic that had not been quiet about her attraction to the redhead.
Once she was situated, Lorelei removed her gloves and reached a hand out to her wife. Aspen removed her own gloves and threaded their fingers together, dropping onto her knees at her wife’s side. Together, Aspen and Lorelei watched silently as Marcus was loaded into the ambulance and driven away.
Chief Andrews ran a hand through his salt-and-heavy-pepper hair, his attention divided between the fire suppression efforts and the attention his Captain was receiving. “Aspen,” he said, addressing the blonde, “Do you think you can convince her to go to the ER?”
He knew he could compel the redhead to seek treatment, as per department protocol, but he also knew it would just cause friction between them if he pulled rank.
“She’ll go, Chief,” Aspen said confidently, brushing a dirty, limp clump of red hair off her wife’s forehead, “otherwise she’ll wish she’d been the unconscious one.”
Lorelei opened her mouth to protest weakly, but the words died on her lips when she saw the flames reflected in her wife’s eyes. Tilting her head so Brandy could take a look at the side of her face, Lorelei simply groaned in acceptance.
Chief Andrews grinned, the movement fleeting as he schooled his features back into a professional mask. After a quick reminder to keep him updated, the Chief hurried off to help get the suppression efforts back under control.
“Sweetheart,” Aspen said, her voice gentle and teasing, “there are much easier ways of making a firefighter’s last night memorable.”
Lorelei tried not to laugh, wincing at the sharp pain in her lungs when she failed. “You know me, babe,” she wheezed, earning a pointed frown from Brandy, “I like to be flashy.”
Aspen shook her head. “Maybe you should try a little less flash,” she quipped, “you almost went out with a bang.”
Lorelei didn’t miss the subtle tremor of tears in her wife’s voice or the fear and truth in her words. If Lorelei hadn’t been so attentive to her surroundings, she and Marcus may not have been so lucky.
Lorelei straightened, ignoring the protest that the sudden, deliberate movement brought forth from tired muscles. She reached out with steady hands and cupped Aspen’s cheeks, gently urging her wife closer until their brows met.
“Aspen,” she said, her voice clear and firm, despite the rawness of her lungs and throat, “I would never do anything to put myself, or anyone else, in danger. I hope you trust that.”
Aspen swallowed against tears that were becoming harder and harder to keep back. “I know, honey,” she said, her voice barely a whisper past trembling lips, “I’m just so happy you’re safe.”
Lorelei wrapped sore, protesting arms around Aspen and held her tight as her wife cried. Brandy smiled fondly at the couple, giving them a moment to compose themselves while she finished her assessment notes.
“Ahem,” she interrupted loudly as she slung her gear over her shoulder, “This is touching and all, it really is, but you just got blown up. Maybe you should, oh, I don’t know, go make sure all your organs are in the right place or something?”
Lorelei barked out a laugh, pulling away from Aspen to clutch her sides when she did. “Not funny, Higgins,” she rasped.
Brandy simply shrugged and offered Lorelei a hand up. “I thought it was pretty funny. Besides, isn’t it way past Rah-Rah’s bedtime? It’s a school night,” she added with a playful wink to Aspen.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Lorelei groaned as Aspen and Brandy fairly pulled her to her feet, “Let’s get to the ER, so we can go home. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
Chapter 6
“How are you feeling, Boom-Boom?” Cordy asked as she led a group of women through the backyard and onto Lorelei’s porch.
“Fuck you, LT,” Lorelei groaned, grimacing when she opened her eyes and spied Cordy’s entourage, “Sorry, didn’t know I was on the Tour of Homes today. I feel like I’ve been blown up.”
“You look like you’ve been blown up, Mija,” Dr. Lita Vasquez said, her voice dripping with sympathy as she placed a gift bag beside Lorelei’s porch swing, “But, I’m glad to see you lounging on your p
orch instead of on a slab in the morgue.”
“I don’t have a choice but to lounge,” Lorelei replied, trying not to whimper as she slowly eased herself into a sitting position. Cordy, Lita, and Max all moved forward as one, carefully helping their friend get comfortable.
“What did the doctor say?” Max asked, setting another bag beside Lita’s.
Lorelei winced as she stretched her sore legs out in front of her. “Two cracked ribs, bruised lungs, assorted scrapes and bruises; the worst of it is this stupid cut.”
Cordy, Max, Lita, and the others; Max’s wife Dani, and their associates Oakley and Stormie Carter-Frost, all hissed when Lorelei turned her head and lifted her chin.
Along the left side of Lorelei’s jaw was a two-inch row of tidy black stitches. When the blast knocked her into the wrought-iron railing, Lorelei’s helmet had taken the brunt of the impact. But, as she and Marcus’ momentum propelled them through the baluster, the metal gave way, catching Lorelei’s face.
Aspen had nearly fainted when she realized that the blood on her wife’s face didn’t belong to Marcus, and when she’d seen the full extent of the damage in the bright lighting of the ER, it was all Lorelei could do to keep Aspen from losing her mind.
“I’m surprised Aspen left you alone,” Dani said, stepping forward to offer Lorelei a quick, gentle hug. The others followed suit, hugging their friend carefully to soothe their own fear at having heard what had happened the night before.
“I’m not alone,” Lorelei said, once Stormie and Oakley had hugged her and moved to lean against the railing with the others.
“Aspen stayed home?” Stormie asked, confused. Cordy had told them that Lorelei had practically threatened the young blonde with a police escort if she didn’t go to school that morning.
“No,” Cordy answered with a smirk, “Lorelei’s been playing patient with my wife.”
A collective “Ohhh” resounded from the group, just as Jenica stepped out onto the porch with a small paper cup and a bottle of water.
“Ah,” she said with a look of amused annoyance at the Lieutenant, “I see the vultures are circling. At least let me medicate her first.”
Lorelei gratefully accepted the medications and chased them with half the water bottle. There was nothing the doctor could do for her irritated throat, but the ice-cold water helped immensely.
“So, what’s the joke of the moment?” Jenica asked, kissing Cordy quickly in greeting, “Explosions? Fires? Crash dummies?”
“You,” Oakley provided, grinning unrepentantly at her childhood friend, “Cordy said you’ve been playing nurse with Lorelei all morning.”
Jenica narrowed her eyes at the Lieutenant but simply shrugged as she moved behind the porch swing to fuss with the pillow behind Lorelei’s back.
“She’s been a model patient today,” Jenica said, her voice dripping with sexual undertones as she looked over Lorelei’s head and made eye contact with her wife. “I’m sure with my,” Jenica drew a hand slowly down Lorelei’s shoulder, simultaneously measuring the size of a worrisome bruise and intentionally taunting Cordy as she spoke, “dedicated attention, she’ll be good as new in no time.”
“I, um, I want to be the patient next,” Max said, earning a slap from her wife and a death glare from Cordy. Jenica winked at Max and pulled a pad from her pocket to make a note of the increased size of the bruise.
“You can have her,” Lorelei said, smiling her thanks when Jenica patted her hand and moved over to stand next to her wife, “I’d rather Aspen be my nurse. At least she is willing to wear the cute outfit in the closet.”
Riotous laughter sounded from the group, lifting Lorelei’s spirits. She wasn’t depressed, but she was lonely and missing her wife. School wasn’t out for another forty-five minutes, but cheerleading practice would keep Aspen away for at least another two and a half hours. Lorelei wasn’t looking forward to spending any part of that time by herself.
“Sorry, toa ahi,” Jenica said, knowing Lorelei liked the way firefighter sounded in her native tongue, “I couldn’t fit in Aspen’s outfits if I tried.”
“I bet she’d wear it for me,” Cordy said, puffing out her chest in Lorelei’s direction, “She wears all kinds of things for me.”
“Oh, I’ll wear it for you,” Jenica agreed, tracing one manicured fingernail down the front of Cordy’s button-down blouse, “as soon as you agree to be a ho for Halloween.”
Cordy’s jaw dropped and there was a moment of absolute silence before the porch erupted with laughter and taunting.
“Come on Cordy, you’d make a great ho!” Stormie and Dani taunted.
“Agree and be a ho like the rest of us!” Max and Lita urged.
“She’s not going to do it,” Oakley scoffed, draping an arm around Stormie’s waist, “You know Cordy’s just going to chicken out and wear her old patrol uniform like she always does. She’s going to leave the rest of us to do this thing by ourselves.”
“What the hell are you all talking about?” Cordy demanded haughtily. She hated that everyone seemed to be in on the conversation, except her.
Oakley raised a pale eyebrow in disbelief. “Seriously?” she asked, glancing around at the others before returning her attention to the Lieutenant.
“What?” Cordy asked, suddenly feeling like she was missing something. She could feel the weight of everyone’s gaze on her and it made her uncomfortable.
“We-Hope you’re joking,” Lorelei said, staring hard and pointedly at her friend.
“Joking about what?” Cordy huffed.
Groans rounded the group and Oakley shifted to the side to look past Cordy to Lorelei. “Looks like we’re going to have to remind the Lieutenant of our Halloween plans. You up for a pow-wow tonight?”
Lorelei stretched her neck and nodded, moving to push herself out of the swing. Jenica was by her side in an instant, gently helping her to her feet. “Sure,” she said with a groan of relief when she was upright and the pressure on her ribs eased, “why don’t you guys come over and have dinner with us? I’m sure Aspen won’t mind.”
Murmurs of agreement rounded the group. “Good,” Lorelei said as she slowly shuffled toward the sliding glass door, “I’m going inside, I don’t think my ass likes the porch swing anymore.”
The others followed her into the house, carrying their get-well-soon gifts inside to leave on the dining room table.
“Since this is a group dinner and discussion, I’m going to head home and get Amy,” Lita said. She waited until Lorelei was seated on the couch, before leaning down to hug her friend goodbye.
***
Aspen jogged up the street, her hip aching slightly as her gear bag bounced against it. Her mind had been on Lorelei all day, and now that her first day of school was behind her, she couldn’t wait to get home and take care of her wife.
Lorelei’s injuries, while minor according to the doctors, scared the hell out of her. Aspen had tried to talk her way out of going to school that morning; she’d even tried to be obstinate and flat-out refuse to go, but in the end, she’d agreed that missing the first day of school would just cause more trouble than it was worth with her mother.
Aspen didn’t really care what her mother thought; as far as Aspen was concerned, Talia Aldrich could take a very long dive into a shallow pool, but it was important to Lorelei that Aspen set a strong pace for the school year. Jenica’s offer to take a personal day from work to attend to Lorelei had comforted the young woman, relieving a fear she hadn’t wanted to voice.
Aspen didn’t want Lorelei to be alone the day after being blown up, and if she couldn’t be at her wife’s side, having a nurse that doubled as her best friend do it for her was the next best thing. As she reached the end of her block, Aspen smiled when she noted several cars parked in front of her house.
The gang’s all here, she thought fondly, they must be checking on her. Or picking on her. Aspen chuckled to herself as she slowed to a walk and her mind fired off all the possible jokes her friends could be
making at Lorelei’s expense. That was one of the things she loved about the group of older women that had so openly welcomed her and Lorelei into their fold; they didn’t treat either of them with kid-gloves.
Each of the women in this circle brought a different dynamic to the table, and Aspen was learning so much more from them than she could have ever hoped to learn from any of the people her mother would have wanted her to associate with. She adored each of them and was truly honored to call every one of them her friend.
“I see how it is,” Aspen said loudly as she let herself in the front door, “I’m slaving away at school all day, and you’re having a party at home with all our friends.” She dropped her gear bag by the door and patted her heart, sniffing dramatically as she looked directly at Lorelei. “I’m so hurt right now.”
“Hi, Aspen,” the group chorused as they chuckled, amused by the blonde’s theatrics.
“How was school?” Lorelei asked, extending her hand to her wife from her position on the couch. She hadn’t moved far from where she’d sat down a few hours earlier, except that now she was stretched out across the length of the couch with pillows keeping her back elevated at an angle.
Aspen moved around the front of the couch and took Lorelei’s hand, kneeling in front of her wife. Gently, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Lorelei’s in greeting. “School was fine. I was pretty distracted, thinking about how much I wanted to be home with you instead, but I managed to get through it. How was your day?” she asked, tenderly brushing a strand of hair off Lorelei’s forehead.
A resounding “Aww” echoed around the room, causing Lorelei to roll her eyes. “It was fine, babe,” she replied, caressing Aspen’s cheek with her free hand, “Jenica took very good care of me, and the others made sure to annoy the shit out of me. It was just like any other day.”
Objections and offended huffs sounded from their friends, but Aspen laughed. “I’m glad,” she said, looking around the room and meeting the eyes of her friends with a heartfelt smile, “Can’t have them getting all weird and pretending like they care, now can we?”
