Fire Escape

by J. R. Tate

  “Okay, well Mikey just got home. I’m gonna let you go. Okay, we’ll talk later.” She put her cell phone down beside all of her notes and gave him a quick kiss. “Hey handsome. You look frazzled. Long day?”

  He smoothed his hair on his forehead and sipped on the water. “Nothing you wanna hear about. It involves your good friend Gregg.”

  Eva chewed on the cap of her pen, her look apprehensive. “What?”

  “Nothing. Like I said, you don’t wanna hear about it.”

  “What makes you say that? I asked how your day went.”

  “The look on your face already tells me what I need to know.” He leaned forward, taking another look at her notes. “I don’t want to fight. I’m just not getting along with him. I’ll leave it at that.”

  “What is the look on my face telling you exactly?”

  Michael licked his lips and tried to choose his words carefully. “That you think I’m being jealous and that I’m not giving him a chance. So I won’t waste my time telling you something you likely won’t believe anyway. What you got written down all right here?” He tried to change the subject, knowing he failed desperately.

  “Nice transition there, Mikey. If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were trying to get off topic.” She ran her hand over the notebook. “Just some stuff we have coming up soon. Got a doctor appointment on Monday for an OB meet and greet. I made sure it was on a day we were both off.” Her face grew serious, and she grabbed his hand. “After we get this all confirmed by the doctor and get a due date, we need to think about telling our family. And work.” She tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her pony tail behind her ear. “Oh God, I don’t know how they’re all gonna take it.”

  “My Ma will take it just fine. She’s been waiting on being a grandma for a long time. As for your dad and work, I have no clue.”

  Eva scribbled on the paper and he could tell she was nervous. “Let’s just say I come from a very traditional Catholic family.”

  “We’re Catholic too,” Michael replied, hoping it’d make her feel better.

  “But you said your mom will be okay with it. My parents are still pissed that we’re even living together. I’m not sure what to expect. And work… we’ll have to check with Captain Rooker and everything.”

  Michael squeezed her hand. “Don’t get too overwhelmed. It’ll be okay. I’m not sure what work will say, but take it one step at a time. They’ll work with you. I’m sure you know that no matter what, first priority is the baby. If that means desk duty or light duty, even though you don’t want that, it’s for the little one.”

  She nodded in agreement. “One step at a time. And you’re being a lot calmer than I thought you’d be in regard to my father.”

  “Believe me, babe, I’m quaking in my boots. I’m just good at hiding it.”

  “You should be. You’re the one who did this to me.”

  She laughed and pulled him in for another kiss. She tasted so good, and Michael couldn’t pull away. His hands trailed down to her lower back and up to her sides, brushing along her rib cage and up to her chest.

  “And I’d do it to you again without hesitation. Your dad doesn’t scare me that bad,” he said in between kisses, becoming aroused within seconds of their embrace. Forcing himself to pull away, he asked, “How exactly does sex work with you being pregnant? I know it’s okay and all, but how do you feel about it?” He felt stupid for asking, but he had never been through this.

  “I’ve actually read about it. Just depends on the day I guess. Some women are hornier than others.”

  “What about you? I don’t care about other women.” He grinned, pulling closer to her again, trying to go in for another kiss, but she moved away.

  “Since I was sick the other day, not so much. My boobs are sore, if I move a certain way I get nauseous, and I just feel blah. I wish I could explain it for you, but I just can’t put it into words.”

  Michael ducked his head. “I guess I better get used to the horrible world of blue balls again.”

  Eva placed her hands on his knees, kissing him on the forehead. “You never know. Some women become very sexual after a while. Stay tuned, I may be one of them, since you know, I was like that before I got pregnant.”

  “We can only hope.”

  “So, all joking aside. You’re good with the doctor’s appointment on Monday?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied, his nerves on edge again.

  “And after we get official confirmation from him, we’ll tell our families?”

  “Yep. You got it all under control, Eva. I just hope your dad doesn’t put me in my grave before my time.”

  “Whatever happens, just remember, he’ll get over it when he sees the baby. It’ll be fine.”

  Michael walked into the living room and turned the TV on. He had to get away from the baby talk, even for just a little bit, especially if he wanted to get any kind of sleep. Eva followed, sitting next to him on the couch. He channel surfed for a bit, and stopped when he came across some breaking news about a four alarm warehouse fire that had just been contained about thirty minutes ago. Watching intently, he tried to make out what neighborhood it was in. The location had not been disclosed.

  A lump formed in his throat. It looked a lot like the warehouse fires Viper had set up to trap him and Casey.

  “That’s just like the one that killed Daryl,” he said, keeping his eyes on the TV.

  “NYPD and FDNY are still on scene, and detectives are saying this will be investigated thoroughly. Though they can’t give an official word on cause of fire, words of arson are being tossed around,” the reporter said.

  “Unbelievable,” Michael whispered, sitting back.

  “How can you tell it’s like what Viper did just by what you’re seeing on TV? Don’t they have to get inside and see the burn pattern and stuff?” Eva asked.

  “It’s just me jumping to conclusions. Same kind of building and everything, but I don’t know any better than the next guy unless I was down there. And of course, the media is gonna throw around arson and conspiracy even if the detectives didn’t really say it. You know, all about ratings.”

  “Yeah… How about you turn it off? Same news, different day.” She grabbed the remote from his hand. “I need to get out of this apartment. Let’s go do something.”

  Mikey took the remote from her, his eyes engrossed to the TV. A chill shot down his spine. It was like a bad memory, coming back to the surface, reaching out and grabbing him. It was probably just another random warehouse fire. They were as common as anything else in a city that size.

  He finally turned the TV off. “What do you suggest we go do?”

  ***

  The waiting room was full of tons of women. Michael hesitated as they entered the doctor’s office. It was like the twilight zone, especially when they all turned to look at them, some grumpy and impatient, some minding their own business, and some just existing. He wanted to back up and wait outside, but Eva’s arm around his was the reminder that he had to be at her side every step of the way. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be there – it was just an unknown dimension that made his palms sweaty and his heart race.

  The receptionist appeared as if she wanted to be anywhere else but right there. She didn’t even try to pretend to be happy to serve them.

  “Your name?”

  “Eva Crisante.”

  “Which doctor are you seeing today, ma’am?” The woman looked down at a clipboard full of paperwork, her tone flat.

  She pulled out her appointment card. “Dr. Salas.”

  Finally making eye contact, the receptionist pushed the clipboard at them, followed by a pen. “Fill out all of this and bring it back to me. If they call you back before you’re done, just take it with you and give it to the nurse.”

  Eva glanced over at Michael and back to her. He could tell she was on the verge to say something smart ass, but kept it under wraps as they went and sat down in the only two vacant
chairs left in the waiting room. Eva pulled out her insurance information and went to work and Michael found himself observing others around him.

  One woman across from them watched the TV that had some random daytime soap opera going. She rubbed her hands over her huge belly, shifting her weight constantly to get comfortable. Another woman was rocking a toddler in her arms, appearing to be near the end of her pregnancy. The child screamed as she tried to comfort him. Catching eye contact with her, Michael pulled his hat bill low and looked at the floor.

  Was this what they were in for? He felt sick to his stomach. Coming to the doctor was never a fun task, but with the overcrowded waiting area and crass receptionist, he was ready to leave the place like it was on fire.

  Nudging Eva, he said, “I sure hope your doctor treats you better than that witch did.”

  “Shh,” Eva giggled. “I swear, they ask so many questions on this stuff. Last menstrual period. Last date of intercourse. I bet you remember that one, huh?” She nudged him back.

  “All I know is it has been too long.” Michael checked his watch. It was ten minutes past their appointment time.

  “Anything longer than twenty four hours without sex is too long for you.”

  He ignored her comment, trying to not make eye contact with any of the other women. He wondered where the men were. There was another one in the far corner, pretty much appearing to be in the same situation he was in.

  “Why the hell do they make an appointment if they can’t keep it?”

  Eva stood up and walked the paperwork back to the girl. Sitting back down, she pulled her hair back out of her face. “You’re just being cranky.” She took his hand in hers. “How big do you think I’m gonna get before all is said and done?”

  Before he could answer, a nurse came out into the lobby and called them back. Michael’s apprehensiveness made Eva flash him a glare that he never wanted to see again. Following them back, he stood out of the way as they took her weight and height, and all of the other vitals that were done during a visit. The nurse was more pleasant than the front desk staff.

  “I’m Vivian. I’ll be your nurse today. I’m going to draw some blood for the pregnancy test, just to confirm what you pretty much already know. This test won’t come back instantly, but we’ll go ahead and take a urine sample as well. Looking over your paperwork, your last period was about seven weeks ago?”

  Eva nodded. “Yes. And I run like a Swiss clock.”

  “Any pregnancy symptoms?” Vivian sat at the computer and typed as Eva answered her.

  “Definitely. Sore boobs, bloating, and lots of morning sickness. I’m tired all of the time. My sex drive has gone away, and before this I was very sexual.”

  Michael felt uncomfortable with the questions, so he sat away from the exam table in the corner. He needed to get used to it. They had around seven more months of this and then his child would be here. He was already getting nervous. He had to get a handle on it.

  “You use birth control?”

  “No. I never did need it due to being regular.”

  “So when having intercourse, you didn’t use contraceptives?”

  Michael wondered why they needed to know that. She was pregnant. If they did or didn't use condoms, obviously it didn't matter. He felt his cheeks heat up and was thankful the nurse wasn’t focusing on him.

  “We use condoms here and there, but the past few months we haven’t been as careful. Look where we are now.” She ran her hands over her face as if she were about to cry.

  “I’m assuming this is the father?” Vivian asked, looking at Michael.

  “Yes, that’s Michael, my fiancé.”

  “Good to meet you, Michael. I’m going to go run the urine and blood over to the lab. We should have the results from the one test in a few minutes.”

  Michael stood up and paced back and forth in front of the exam table. “Beyond awkward.”

  Eva grabbed his arm. “Stop pacing. What’s so awkward? Everyone being seen in this clinic today isn’t here for being an innocent prude. They are professionals. They know how a baby is made. And if I remember correctly, it was a blast.”

  Michael felt a small smile creep up on his lips. “Hard to remember. Like I said, it’s been so long!”

  Eva slugged his arm. “Not funny, Mr. McGinnis. You better sit back down in that chair before Vivian gets back.”

  Michael leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Sorry I’m being grumpy. I’m glad I came with you. Just takes some getting used to.”

  “I’m used to your crankiness. It’s nothing new!”

  Vivian knocked and came back in with some paperwork in hand. She was grinning from ear to ear. “Your urine test confirms pregnancy. We send the blood test off for final confirmation, but you are very pregnant, Miss Crisante. Congratulations! Do you have any questions so far?”

  Even though Michael knew she was pregnant, actually hearing it from a health care provider was overwhelming, but an extreme feeling of happiness and satisfaction rushed over him. They had official word. Eva was pregnant. In a few short months their world would be spun upside down.

  “Well, this is new to both of us. It’s our first child. What comes next?”

  Vivian turned away from the computer and set the paperwork aside. “Well, we’ll schedule you for an OB physical in a week. That’s when you’ll meet your doctor.” She looked back at the computer screen. “From the notes here, it says you’ll be seeing Dr. Salas. He’s been doing this for a long time and is very efficient. He’ll get more of an idea of how far along you are and when your probable due date will be. We’ll get you started on some prenatal vitamins as well.”

  “This is really happening,” Eva’s voice quivered and Michael stood up to hold her hand. He hadn’t been much help during this visit. The least he could do was give her some support.

  “Was this not planned?”

  Eva shook her head as a few tears trailed down her face. Michael grabbed a tissue and handed it to her. Her pregnancy hormones were crazy, but it still pained him to see her on the emotional rollercoaster she had hopped on.

  “We never really thought about it. Never discussed kids all that much. We just got engaged. But here we are discussing due dates and prenatal vitamins. Two months ago I would’ve laughed if someone said I would’ve been here today.”

  “Well here you are. It truly is a blessing, planned or not. Do you need anything?” Vivian was so caring and Michael could tell she meant every word.

  “I think I’m okay. Do we just make the appointment with the receptionist?”

  “Yes ma’am. A week from today. I know it’s a lot to take in, but it’ll all slow down soon. Congratulations to both of you.”

  “Thanks,” Michael finally spoke, deeply appreciating the help Vivian provided.

  Michael held Eva’s hand all the way to the parking lot, letting out a deep breath at the smell of the cool, fresh air. “First appointment in the books.” Pulling her into a hug, he rested his chin on the top of her head. “I promise you, everything is going to be okay.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. “I know it will be. It’s just all happening so fast. I thought we’d be talking about cake and dresses and wedding plans. Now we have to get a bigger apartment and decide on nursery colors. Funny how life takes drastic detours sometimes.”

  Looking down at her, he kissed her on the forehead and laughed at her comment. “Story of my life, babe. Story of my life.”

  Chapter Nine

  Michael was glad to go to work the next day. Eva was emotional – that was nothing new. She was like that since he had known her, but now that she was pregnant, it was exponentially bigger than he had ever witnessed. Due to her psychological state, she had taken some vacation days to gather herself. With her blessing, he was allowed to tell people about the pregnancy, but honestly, he wasn’t sure how many he’d tell, or if he would at all. He didn’t want a lot of attention on himself and he had telling her folks on his mind. It was a constant
worry that he knew they’d have to overcome.

  It was the same story when he got to the station house. Gregg had beaten him there, his eerie facial expression making Michael’s skin crawl. He ignored the man who was suddenly becoming a hitch in his life. Making a beeline for the coffee, he nodded toward Lieu who was in his usual spot, ready to hand over whatever witty comments he had to throw at him.

  “Morning…” Michael said, gulping his coffee down a little too fast.

  “Morning there, McGinnis. Everything okay on the home front?”

  Sitting down, he ran his hand down the front of the newspaper. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  Lieu shrugged and arched his eyebrow. “I don’t know. Just that Eva took some personal time off and here you are at work. I figured couples tend to take vacations together. Are you smothering her?”

  “No, of course not. She just has a few things to take care of that she can’t get done while at work. You know, wedding stuff and all that girly crap. I don’t ask too many questions about it.”

  “Oh, so you guys set a date?”

  “No, not officially.” Michael felt as if he were digging a hole. He debated on telling Lieu the real truth, and though he trusted his superior with his life, he wasn’t sure if news of a baby could be kept under wraps, even with one of his best friends.

  “You look like you’ve got something else to say.”

  Michael picked the paper up and pretended to read it. In reality, he couldn’t focus long enough to even read the headlines. “No. That’s about it. No mystery here.”

  “Engine… ladder…”

  Michael was relieved to hear the page and shimmied down the pole to the truck. Continuing to ignore Gregg, he grabbed his turnouts and hopped into the engine, hoping to avoid another awkward exchange like they had had a few days before in route to a call.

  It was odd that Gregg hadn’t said anything to him. Even if his comments were sarcastic and backhanded, he usually spoke. Today, Michael could feel his stare burning a hole right through him. What the hell was this guy’s problem? Michael felt a knot in his stomach as they approached the scene of the fire.