Wouldn’t that be something? I spend all of this time training for this, training to be the best Shifter I can be, training to be part of the elite – and my chance is robbed from me because of something completely out of my control. That would be something, wouldn’t it?
And as he stood there in the shower, hot water pelting down over him, washing away every ache and pain from the day, he grimaced.
He had the suspicion that those kind of things happened all too often, and all too often, they happened to him.
Brooke found herself walking down the staircase, looking at the huge glass windows over the front door as she descended. The mood was somber: not just because of the weather, but because of where she was. She’d spent the entire day locked in her room. Her mom had tried to talk to her but Brooke had acted like she was asleep each time.
Finally, when she knew she couldn’t ignore her mother any longer, she climbed out of bed and headed downstairs, one slow step at a time.
She heard voices from the kitchen as she moved downstairs. She paused for a moment and recognizing her parents talking before she entered the massive room. For everything Brooke could say about her mother and her obsession with high class, she couldn’t deny that she loved to cook. Brooke had never caught anyone else in the kitchen cooking, and that meant something to Brooke.
“The Chief’s hurt real badly, Donna,” her father was saying. They were standing with their backs to Brooke. Her father was at the sink, washing his hands, her mother was at the stove, stirring something that Brooke begrudgingly admitted smelled delicious. “There was a chemical fire in a smelting factory. He took a group of guys in and things went bad.” He slumped at those words.
Her mom reached a hand out and rubbed his back. “Is he going to survive?”
“He’s been touch and go since it happened this morning. One of the vats full of liquid metal collapsed. Some freak accident. If he would have been standing five feet closer he wouldn’t have had a chance. He got lucky enough to be far away when it happened, but that’s not saying much.
“And Donna, here’s the kicker. The vat had liquid silver in it,” her father said. Her mother gasped and put a hand to her face. Behind them, Brooke grimaced.
At that moment, her father turned around and their eyes locked. His deep golden ones, her light brown ones. They sized each other up and down for a moment, then both smiled and crossed the room and pulled each other into a deep hug.
“Brooke! My baby girl! Your mother told me the good news!”
“I wouldn’t go that far, Dad,” she told him, though now that he was home, she felt a bit better. She’d always been closer to her father than her mother, and she knew it hurt her mother to know that. She’d wanted to raise a girl, a spitting image of herself, and Brooke grinned just thinking about the amount of times she’d gone in to work with her father or wanted to be with him instead of going shopping, or getting her nails done, or anything her mother had ever wanted.
He was her step-father, of course – but she couldn’t remember a time where he hadn’t been there. He’d stepped in after her real father, who she’d never met, had left her mother only a few months after Brooke had been born. He wasn’t her biological father – but that didn’t matter to her. The only things she’d missed out on were his strange, golden eyes that had captivated and mystified her when she was younger – but that was okay. She knew what her stepfather was – not that he’d ever came out and told her outright. She wasn’t stupid, but it didn’t bother her.
“Yeah, maybe not,” he said. “But I’m still glad to have you home, whether you want to be or not.”
“I know,” she told him. “It’ll only be until I get a job. I’m going to start looking tomorrow.”
“No rush. Take as long as you need to get your feet back underneath you. And when you do get a job, you can take us out to a nice dinner and tell us all about it.”
“I’d like that, Dad.”
“Me too, honey.”
Her mother walked by with a raised eyebrow, holding a massive pot of some kind of chili and said, “Dinner’s ready.”
Brooke could tell that it bothered her that she’d spent the entire day hiding from her mom but had come out and talked to her dad like nothing had changed, but she didn’t say anything. She followed her mother into the dining room, her dad right behind her carrying bowls and a plate of bread.
“So, the Chief is hurt?” she asked, helping herself to some food that she hoped would warm her up. Not that it wasn’t warm in the mansion – but the mood outside was cold enough.
“A freak accident. They don’t know if he’s going to survive.”
Brooke grimaced. She’d met the Chief before. He seemed like a good man, though truth be told, it had only been at one of the dinners she’d hated going to so often.
“What does silver have to do with it?” Brooke asked. She suspected it had something to do with those strange golden eyes the Chief had as well – though she was unsure.
“It was in the mixture. Makes it more volatile,” he said offhandedly, grabbing a chunk of bread and chewing thoughtfully. Brooke felt as if her father was avoiding the question and giving her an answer that was a lie.
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with him being a Shifter, would it?” she asked, avoiding his gaze. Without waiting to see what looks she was getting from her parents, she continued, “I know all of those guys that work there are Shifters. I’ve known for years. I’m not stupid.”
She finally looked up when she stopped hearing the sounds of her parents eating.
“Well, that’s settled,” her father finally said. “Do you want –”
“To talk about it?” Brooke asked, taking a bite. “Nope. I know all there is to know. I’ve known for years, you know. But it doesn’t bother me.”
“Okay,” her father said. “Well, I’m glad that’s taken care of.”
“So what’s the silver actually do?”
“We’re weak to it. I’m sure you know we can heal better than most. But it neutralizes that, and then some. So the Chief might not pull through.”
“That’s terrible.”
“And to make matters worse, everything is shaken up at the Forest,” he said as they all ate. Between bites, he elaborated. “If the Chief doesn’t pull through, there’s no one to step in to take his place.”
“McCready? He’s been there almost since the beginning,” her mother said.
“He’s a good man – and a damn good firefighter – but he’s not fight to be their leader. He’s Sergeant, but they treat him more like their friend than a superior. He works well with the recruits, though.”
“But Chief’s going to pull through, right?” Brooke asked.
“I hope so.”
“And if he does, what then? He’ll step back in and everything will be fine, won’t it?”
“I’m not sure,” her father said, putting down his spoon. “The higher ups – the men that run all of our departments, not just the Forest – they think a change of leadership might be the best move. This doesn’t leave the room, but they’ve been wanting to do this for some time now. This is the perfect time to do it, they say.”
“That’s horrible,” Brooke said. Even her mother looked a little bit disappointed.
“Politics,” her father said with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Reg, who are they going to replace him with? Do they have any ideas?”
He leaned back and said, “Right now, they want me to step in. At least temporarily. You know how long it’s been since they’ve accepted new recruits? Four years. It doesn’t look good for morale. It doesn’t look good for people that want to apply. The amount of young, fresh blood applying each year is dropping with every new season. And can you blame them? No one’s getting accepted. They know they’ll have better chances applying anywhere else – hell, even a regular crew. They won’t get the fame, and they won’t get to work with the elite, but no one is anymore, so what’s it matter?”
�
�You?” her mother asked. “They want you to step in? That’s… that’s amazing.”
Brooke could see all of the gears spinning in her mother’s head.
It can’t be enough that he’s higher up on the food chain than any of those guys. He used to be a regular guy, and then he worked his way up over the years. He gets paid more and he doesn’t have to do anything dangerous.
But the Forest – that’s where the eyes are.
“If you can turn that unit around…” her mother kept going. Even her father was scowling now. “Reg, this is it. This is your chance.”
“I don’t want to have another chance, Donna. I’m happy exactly where I’m at. I’ve worked my way up to command. I put in the hours, the hard work. Do you remember just how dangerous the job was? How they took advantage of us, because they were the best? Do you remember those hard nights where you didn’t know if I would be coming home to you? I don’t want that any more. I just want to live a nice, quiet life.”
Brooke got up and excused herself, grinning the entire time. She was more alike with her father – even though he wasn’t blood – than she would ever be with her mother. He had said the exact things she had been thinking.
In the kitchen, she rinsed out her bowl and put it in the dishwasher. She stood there for a few moments just thinking.
My life may not be the best right now – but at least I’m not in the same position that Dad’s in. They’ve put him between a rock and a hard place – he’ll have to do something he doesn’t want to, but I’m sure he’ll do it. He can’t say no, can he?
He was only a few years short of retirement. He couldn’t say no to stepping back into the line of duty, no matter how much he didn’t want to.
I just hope he’s okay.
Because while her mom saw it as another stepping stone – and Brooke knew that her mom loved her dad more than life herself – Brooke saw it as a dangerous detour.
Because if her mother didn’t remember the long nights without her father there, Brooke certainly did. She remembered him getting called out at all hours of the night – as he was reading her a bedtime story, after they’d fallen asleep on the couch watching scary movies at Halloween, even just the closing of a door as he left when she couldn’t sleep – and she remembered just how scared she’d always been, scared that he wouldn’t be coming back.
And now, even though she was all grown up, no longer a little girl scared in her bedroom – Brooke felt scared for her father. She was back home and he was back to doing what he promised her family that he’d never do again.
It looks like we’ve both broken our promises, then.
With that final thought, Brooke walked back into the dining room, wished her parents goodnight, and headed back up to her room she hadn’t stayed in for years. She went to her private bathroom, brushed her teeth, and changed into some comfortable clothes.
And then she climbed into her bed, truly climbed in for the first time in so long that she couldn’t remember, and tried to fall asleep.
Sleep didn’t come for a long, long time. She laid there, thinking about what her future held, not just for herself, but for her father, as well. She thought about being home and how much she didn’t like it. She thought about how sometimes, her mother could be so cruel and shortsighted.
She thought of a lot of things, but eventually, Brooke drifted off into an uneventful sleep, the sleet pounding incessantly at the windows.
Sam was early the next day – and in his uniform.
“You want breakfast, rook?” one of the other men asked. He extended a hand. “Tom Buckner. Most everyone calls me Buck, though.”
“Sam Carver.”
“Carv,” the other man said, shaking Sam’s. “Nice to meet you. I know it’s kind of tough to find your place around here. Especially as a rookie.”
“Yeah, you guys are kind of an elite group to crack. I wonder if I’ll fit in around here.”
“You will, Carv,” Buckner assured him. “I was there once.”
They were walking through the fire station, Sam taking in all of the sights.
“You were a rookie once? Hard to believe any of you guys were ever in my position.”
“Last man accepted four years ago. It’ll be nice to get some new blood around here, I can assure you of that. McCready said you did well yesterday out on the court. Said some of the guys didn’t perform so hot. It’s not about how long you make it, not exactly. It’s about how you handle yourself out there and he said you did well.”
Sam looked at him carefully. He hadn’t been expecting praise.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t get used to it, though. Praise is few and far between around here, at least for a while. But just keep doing good work, keep busting your ass, and things will pay off.”
They entered a small room similar to a cafeteria, except that the stove was right next to the long table. There were a couple of guys huddled around it. He recognized McCready and a few from the day before.
“Found one of the rooks, Mac,” Buckner said as he sat down at the table.
“And he got here early, and brought his uniform today,” McCready said with a smile. Sam couldn’t help but grin back. For a second, he felt like he was part of their group. And then the long haired guy said, “Well, ain’t he special!”
“Leave him be, Haley,” McCready told the man. “He did great yesterday out on the court.”
“All it is is running,” Haley said. “Everyone should do good out there. I think when I did it I more than doubled the other guy.”
“Good for you,” the guy cooking said. “I forgot you’re the best Shifter that’s ever graced the Forest.”
“Shut up,” Haley growled.
“That guy cooking and putting Haley in his place is Jim Ortega,” Buckner told Sam. “And, he’s damn good at both. Haley here, he’s a character. Can’t be nice to a single person. And over there, sitting next to Mac is Jeff Dixon. A great guy to have on your side. Likes to read a bit too much, though.”
Sam looked over to see the last guy, Dixon, peer over a book and nod towards Sam.
“Glad I could join you guys for breakfast,” Sam said.
“Even Haley?” Ortega asked and they all laughed, Sam included, while Haley scowled.
“Laugh it up,” Haley growled.
“There’s a few more guys sleeping in after yesterday’s outing,” Buckner said. “There’s Norris, Graham, O’Brien, and Mooney. Not sure where Peterson is, he should be here.”
“Mooney? Like a wolf?
“Best keep that to yourself, rook. He doesn’t like that,” Haley warned.
“Noted. Was, uh, anyone else hurt? Besides the Chief?”
McCready said, “O’Brien took some of that molten scrap to his arm. Burned him up real good but he’ll be fine once his body rejects the silver shards.”
“That’s good,” Sam said. Ortega brought over a gigantic pot of something and started scooping heaping piles onto the plates in front of them.
“Bacon, sausage, and eggs. It ain’t much, but it’ll get you through the morning.”
Haley had gotten up and grabbed ketchup and hot sauce. He doused his foot and begrudgingly handed it to Sam, who was closest. Sam gave his thanks, used some on his own, and then passed them down. They ate, and Sam had to admit for a mixture of sausage, eggs, and bacon, it was good. He hadn’t eaten except a half stale sandwich when he got home the night before and he dug in with gusto.
He listened to the men chat as more men came in. O’Brien showed up, stumbling and wiping his eyes blearily, one arm heavily bandaged. Buckner introduced him to Sam and they shook hands – O’Brien with his left, Sam awkwardly with his right. “Tanner O’Brien.”
A few more men came in, including Peterson – the biggest Shifter Sam had ever seen – and three recruits. He recognized one as Bush, the other as Smith, the Shifter who wouldn’t quit running the day before, and then one more that he learned was name Finch.
The last four had just gotte
n their plates when an alarm went off. The rookies – Sam included – jumped when it went off. The others didn’t even flinch. McCready leapt to his feet and ran to a phone along the wall. The other men quickly finished a few quick bites of food.
“Car crash out on the highway,” he said. “They’re saying it doesn’t look good.”
The men were all getting to their feet. Sam, Finch, Bush, and Finch all looked unsure of what to do.
McCready hesitated for the briefest of seconds, glancing at the clock.
“Buck and Ortega, I want you two to stay here,” he said. The men started to protest but he cut them off. “We’re already shorthanded after yesterday. If something were to happen to all of us, we would be in serious trouble.” More grumbles. “And don’t act like it can’t happen. You never know what’s going to happen out there.”
“Yeah,” Buck said. “You’re right. We’ll keep an eye on the rest of the recruits when they get here.”
“Let’s go,” McCready said. Peterson lumbered forward, seeming to almost reach the ceiling. O’Brien had gotten up but McCready said, “You’re in no shape to go. Get healed up first.” Haley was already at the door, excitement pouring from him. Sam could tell that this was a man that liked action. “And you four. You’re up.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Smith exclaimed, leaping to his feet. Sam hesitated for a moment – was he ready for something like this? But then he was up, as well, and then so too were Bush and Finch.
They followed the other men out of the kitchen and out to the bay. It all moved so fast. McCready was yelling orders, saying that they were only there to observe and not to interact under any circumstances.
McCready, Peterson, Dixon, and Haley had pulled on their uniforms in a flash. And then Peterson was behind the wheel of the firetruck, McCready riding shotgun. Dixon had disappeared and Haley was yelling, “Come on, rooks! Let’s get going!” and they were climbing in next to him. The four piled into the back seat facing backwards behind Peterson and McCready. Dixon was already sitting down, a book in his hands, and then Haley piled in after them and slammed the door.
Bear Heat: BBW Fireman Bear Shifter Romance (Firefighter Bears Book 1) Page 4
