Love is a Fire

by Lyssa Layne

  Nick, Andy, and his nieces had just finished planting the last flowers. This year, both Nick and Andy were wearing pink boas to plant the pink pansies per Alayna’s request since her dad wasn’t there to do it. Abby carried a tray of lemonade outside for the gardeners. She walked over to Nick to hand him a glass.

  “The yard looks great. Thank you.”

  Nick kissed her cheek. “Did you expect any less?”

  She laughed. “Of course not, and the pink boas make it even better. How’s Katy doing?”

  “Great, she’s still running every day.” He smiled as he pictured her running with Little Ryan in the stroller. “Ab, she’s amazing, the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I was worried about you when your mom passed…”

  He nodded thinking back to New Year’s. He wasn’t proud of that night in one sense, but in another, things couldn’t have turned out better.

  “It would’ve been worse if I didn’t have Katy.”

  Abby rubbed his arm. “I know her dad was a firefighter, but how’s she handling being married to one?”

  “She has a crazy work schedule so it doesn’t bother her too much. Plus, now that she’s pregnant, if I’m not home, then Jesse’s there with her.”

  Abby shook her head. “I wasn’t asking if she could handle the lonely nights. I was asking how she felt about her husband putting his life on the line every day.”

  He shrugged. “I think she’s apprehensive about it with everything that happened with her father, but I promised her nothing like that would happen to me.”

  Abby sucked in her breath and exclaimed, “You what???”

  Nick looked at her, confused.

  “Nick, you can’t do that! Think about what Ryan did: every day he left for a tour, he promised to bring flowers home. For five years, I had fresh flowers in a vase on the table when he got home. It’s been twelve now…” Abby paused as tears rolled down her cheeks. “He didn’t keep his promise.”

  Nick realized what an idiot he’d been as he held a sobbing Abby against his chest.

  ***

  Katy let out a long, enjoyable “aaahhh” that was met with a low, thick laugh.

  “Feel good?”

  She nodded and exclaimed, “Amazing!”

  Jesse dug his thumbs into the soles of her feet and she moaned again. He chuckled as he shook his head. Nick was covering at Ladder 28 so Jesse was playing house with Katy.

  Katy lifted her head as she opened her one eye and said, “Hey, you stand for a twelve hour shift while when you’re in your second trimester and let me know how your feet feel.”

  Jesse squeezed her feet tighter. “I’m not saying anything. I’ll do whatever makes the Queen happy.”

  Katy smirked. “I’m the Queen, huh? How’s the search for your own queen going?”

  Jesse shrugged as he continued to massage her feet, moving his hands to her calves. Her raspy moan affected him this time, sending his pulse racing. It surprised him, although it really shouldn’t have. He kept working his hands, trying to ignore his reaction. He gave a noncommittal shrug and muttered, “Eh.”

  Katy raised her eyebrows. “How hard have you looked?”

  “When do I have time between work and the Garritys?” He was teasing, but it seemed like lately that’s all he did, work then hang out with either Nick or Katy, not that he minded.

  Katy stuck out her bottom lip, playfully sulking. As Jesse saw her do this, his excitement grew. Instinctively, Jesse leaned forward toward her full, pouty lips, but he stopped himself. His index finger ran over her bottom lip softly. He saw the bewildered look on Katy’s face, but she didn’t stop him or move away.

  Jesse shrugged as he answered, “Who knows? Maybe I’ve already met her.

  15 CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Smoke billowed out of a three-story house in a quaint neighborhood just outside of Brooklyn. Engine 58 was the first crew to arrive on the scene. Nick counted the number of windows as he pulled on his oxygen tank, making sure he knew all of the exit options. He tapped Jesse’s shoulder and led them into the burning building.

  Dispatch notified them to use extra caution as this house was owned by a well-known drug dealer. They were walking into the house blind, not knowing what chemicals they were dealing with. It was a firefighter’s nightmare, but the men forged on, understanding it was their job to put out the blaze and ensure the safety of anyone inside the house.

  They’d cleared the third floor when Jesse looked at Nick through his mask and said, “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Nick nodded in agreement, a house full of explosive chemicals was no place he wanted to be. As Nick followed Jesse back down the stairs a pungent smell hit his nose and he grabbed his friend’s arm. Their eyes locked and they both knew exactly what it was. The smell of rotten eggs inside a drug dealer’s house meant one thing—this was a meth lab. It also meant that it could explode at any time. The men quickened their pace, shouting over the radio for the rest of their crew to get out.

  “10-80, 10-80! Get the hell out of here, boys!” Jesse yelled the code for hazardous materials into his radio, alerting the rest of the squad to their discovery.

  Nick and Jesse were twenty feet from the front door and less than ten from the kitchen where the highly concentrated smell was wafting from. Jesse was a few steps ahead of Nick and didn’t hear the cry for help. Nick turned and saw a woman coughing and yelling at him from the kitchen floor. Nick looked back at Jesse, but he was already outside. He yelled at Jesse to get his attention, but he knew it was useless with their masks on and the distance between them.

  Without hesitating, adrenaline rushed through his body as Nick ran into the death trap knowing it was against protocol. This was the part of the job he loved. The thrill of the fire and the excitement of the unknown.

  He scooped up the woman and carried her limp body outside to safety. No sooner had his feet hit the sidewalk than an explosion shook the whole neighborhood forcing Nick and the woman to the ground. The blast sent them halfway across the lawn. He lay on his back, his ears ringing from the barrage and his whole body aching from his landing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman he’d carried out beside him. Her hair covered her face and he was unable to tell if she breathing.

  Nick scrambled to throw off his gloves and helmet. He didn’t even notice the gash above his eye as he brushed her midnight black hair out of her eyes. He saw no movement in her face as he moved his fingers to her neck to check for a pulse. It was faint, but she had one. As he glanced over her body and did what first-aid he could, he realized she was probably an addict herself. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and locked with his.

  Nick smiled and softly said, “Hey there, beautiful.” He knew from experience how important it was to keep victims calm. She struggled to return the gesture but was too weak to speak or raise her hand.

  Nick gently touched her cheek, trying to relax her. “Rest up, help will be here soon.”

  Within seconds of him saying that, the paramedics arrived and took over. As they strapped her to a gurney, she muttered, “You saved me.” Nick watched the doors slam shut as she was loaded into the rig to be taken to the hospital without having a chance to respond.

  ***

  Jesse glared at Nick as he sat across from him in the fire truck. Nick could feel his friend’s laser-like stare, but he refused to look at him. Finally, Jesse broke the silence.

  “That was real fuckin’ stupid, Garrity.”

  Nick didn’t look at him, he already knew what he was going to say so he kept staring out the window. Jesse leaned forward and grabbed Nick’s shirt in his fist, forcing him to look at him.

  “You can’t be the hero every time. You know you should have waited for backup.”

  What Jesse said was true. He shouldn’t have gone into that kitchen without Jesse covering him. He knew procedure, but he couldn’t leave the woman lying there. If he had, she would have been right in the center of the explosion. Jesse shook his
head as he leaned back in his seat.

  “All you wanted was to find Mrs. Right, get married, and start a family. Well, you’ve got it.” Jesse chuckled bitterly and said, almost taunting him, “And you almost threw it all away on a meth head. I’m sure your wife will love to hear that.”

  Nick shot Jesse a death look, but his best friend was right. He was thinking like a firefighter, not like a husband and father. He crumpled into his seat, knowing he’d messed up in more ways than one.

  ***

  The fire truck pulled up in front of St. Luke’s. Murph turned around to face the men sitting behind him, informing them of the routine medical check that was required by the department after being exposed to the dangerous chemicals that had been in the house.

  Nick passed his check-up and the gash above his eye was stitched up by an intern. He wandered the halls of St. Luke’s trying to locate the woman he’d pulled out of the house. Tiffany rounded the corner and walked to the nurse’s station. Nick called out to her.

  “Tiff!”

  She turned around and frowned.

  “You look like hell, Nick.”

  Nick glanced down and realized she was right. Normally, he’d take a shower after the kind of call they’d been on, but they hadn’t been back to the station yet. His hair was slicked back and black soot covered his face and arms.

  He shrugged as he answered, “Yeah, we just finished up a call. I was wondering if you could tell me how one of the victims is doing.”

  Tiffany narrowed her eyes. “I can’t give out that information and you know it,” she snapped.

  Nick sighed. “Right, right…HIPPA. Okay, well, if I describe her to you, could you tell me what room she’s in and I’ll check on her myself?”

  Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Fine, but hurry up my ER is full and I’ve got to move patients into rooms before more traumas come in.”

  Nick grinned and kissed her cheek in appreciation, leaving a smudge of black residue on her face.

  “Thanks, Tiff. She would’ve come in on a Brooklyn rig, long black hair, maybe in her thirties—”

  Tiffany wiped at the mark Nick left on her face and interrupted him.

  “Meth head? Yeah, she’s in the morgue.”

  Nick’s face fell as Tiffany walked away. He hated when his rescues didn’t make it, but he hated himself even more for making the risky decision he had.

  ***

  Nick’s brain told his feet to walk, but he was only thinking about the lady who lay in the morgue. Her words echoed in his ears. “You saved me.” He played their interaction over and over in his head, not seeing Jeremiah approaching. The two men passed each other and Nick snapped back to reality when he caught the end of Jeremiah’s comment.

  “…not the first to knock her up.”

  Nick turned on his heels to face the other man.

  “Excuse me?”

  Jeremiah stopped and faced him smirking.

  “I said, you’re not the first to knock her up.”

  Nick shook his head and turned to walk away, not knowing what the idiot doctor meant, but deciding to ignore it until Jeremiah spoke again.

  “It’s just a shame that she’s pregnant now. It’s an awful time in Katy’s life to have a baby, with her research grant and finishing up her residency, not to mention the kid will have your genes.”

  Nick took three steps toward the cocky doctor and with almost no effort, he pinned Jeremiah to the wall, pressing his forearm against his throat. Jeremiah gasped for air, but Nick didn’t relent as he snarled at him through clenched teeth.

  “Don’t…ever…speak of my wife…like that again. Do you understand?”

  Jeremiah, still struggling to breathe, didn’t acknowledge Nick’s words. Nick shoved his arm tighter against the doctor’s throat. Jeremiah was wide-eyed as he tried to wiggle out of Nick’s grip struggling to find his next breath. Nick was about to repeat himself when Katy’s voice filled the hallway.

  “Nick! Let him go!”

  She ran toward the two men, grabbing Nick’s arm, and pulling him off her ex-fiancé. As Nick let go, Jeremiah clutched his reddened neck and contorted his shoulders to relieve the pain. Katy dropped Nick’s arm and rushed to Jeremiah’s aid. She glared at her husband and pointed down the hallway.

  “Go…” Nick started to object, but Katy repeated herself. “Go, Nick. Leave.”

  Katy put her arm around Jeremiah’s shoulders and guided him down the hallway. Nick watched the two former lovers walking away from him and wondered if this day could get any worse.

  ***

  Katy got out of her car and closed the door behind her. She spotted Jesse waiting for her outside the firehouse. After she found Nick choking Jeremiah in the hallway, she texted Jesse to find out what was going on. Jesse filled her in on what happened at the meth house. She couldn’t believe the story Jesse told her. How could Nick purposely risk his life like that? To be honest though, she wasn’t surprised and that’s what scared her most.

  As her car door slammed shut, Jesse jogged across the street to meet her. Before he could greet her, Katy threw herself against him, sobbing into his chest. Taken aback by her throes, Jesse stood there, unsure of what to do. Finally he put his arms around her and held her tightly as she released her emotions. When she calmed down and let go of him, they leaned against her car. She nodded toward the station.

  “Is he in there?”

  Jesse shook his head and answered, “No. He was reprimanded for not following protocol. When the Chief found out about his run-in with Jeremiah, he sent him home.”

  Katy started to talk, but tears got caught in her throat. She turned up her hands in defeat, unable to speak again. Jesse wrapped his arm over her shoulders. She took a deep breath and started again.

  “Jeremiah wouldn’t tell me what happened or why Nick…” She couldn’t bring herself to speak about the image that was burned into her memory.

  Jesse shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I haven’t talked to him, he’s not picking up his phone.”

  Katy held up her phone. “He’s texted me a few times, but I haven’t responded. I’m sure Jeremiah was running his mouth, but…Jesse, I’ve never seen this side of Nick before…I…I’m scared.”

  Their marriage had happened so quickly, everything was a whirlwind. They hadn’t taken the time to really get to know one another which was evidenced at the St. Patrick’s Day Ball with the run-in with Missey. But when she saw Nick choking Jeremiah at the hospital, she suddenly realized that she didn’t really know Nick Garrity at all. She had no idea what made him snap or why. What if he did that to her one day…or their son? The thought of their son, made her think about New Year’s, the only other time she’d seen a different side of him. She shook her head trying to forget how much anger she’d seen in Nick’s eyes.

  Jesse pulled her closer against him. “Don’t be scared. Like you said, I’m sure Jeremiah was mouthing off and Nick was defending you. He’s never hit a woman so you have nothing to be worried about.”

  Katy slid her arms around Jesse, the waterworks turning on again. He kissed her forehead. “Look, I’ll go with you to talk to him if it’ll make you feel better.”

  Katy nodded against his chest. Jesse sighed and held her tightly as she cried. His buddy was having one hell of a bad day.

  ***

  Jesse parked his truck in the driveway of Nick and Katy’s house. Katy stared at the house, not wanting to go inside. She looked in Jesse’s direction as he reached out to gently squeeze her hand.

  “Kate, you have nothing to worry about. Nick won’t hurt you.”

  Katy wanted to believe Jesse. She tried to swallow the lump that was growing in her throat. Then looked at him and said, “Wait for me, please.”

  Jesse nodded and Katy slipped out of the truck. She slowly walked down the sidewalk and pushed open the door. She stepped inside the dark house, but didn’t see or hear Nick. He had to be there though because his Yukon was parked outside. She walked into the living room and
made out a shadow on the couch.

  She called out quietly, “Nick?”

  There was movement in the room and Katy flipped on the light. Nick was hunched over, his elbows on his knees. As he turned around to face her, she could see a mix of emotions in his eyes. It made Katy’s heart hurt and she wanted to push away the fear she held.

  Nick spoke softly, “Katy, baby, I’m sorry. I messed up today, I shouldn’t have gone back into the house without cover. I know better. I wasn’t thinking about us or our family, I was only thinking like a firefighter.”

  She took a step toward him, wanting to reach out and hold him, but she knew she had to address the major issue at hand—Jeremiah.

  She responded with a question. “Why were your hands on Jeremiah?”

  Nick’s remorse turned to anger as he began talking, almost shouting. “I had to do it, he was running his mouth—”

  Katy held up her hand, cutting him off. “Nick, there’s never any reason to place your hands on another person like that!”

  Nick hung his head shamefully and nodded. The anger gone, he didn’t reply to her comment. Then in a hushed whisper, he said “Jeremiah said you were pregnant before.” Nick slowly looked up at her and waited for a response.

  Katy bit her lip as she took another step toward the couch. She had skeletons in her closet, too. It wasn’t that she was hiding her pregnancy with Jeremiah, it had been so long ago. She’d pushed it out of her mind, not wanting to remember the pain she felt when she lost the baby or how disappointed Jeremiah had been.

  “Nick, Jeremiah is a part of my life, and a big part of my past. You don’t have to be best friends. Hell, you don’t even have to like him. But you have to accept him.”

  Nick didn’t move as Katy spoke those words. They stood in silence, both feeling as an hour rather than a minute had passed. The front door opened and Nick glanced over his shoulder. Jesse stepped into the room and looked from one Garrity to the other. He locked eyes with Katy.