“Oh, he’s fine. I didn’t mean to worry you. He’s just despondent. I guess it could be any number of things. His sister-in-law, our dear Sandra, lost the baby—we’re all terribly sad about that, but most likely, he’s missing you. He eats very little and stares out the window all day.”
Was this a guilt trip? How could she be in two places at once? Of course she’d like to see him, but without being able to talk, their time together was kind of…not useless, but frustrating.
“What did you finally decide to tell his chief?” Kristine needed a minute to process what she’d been told, and she was curious. She’d feel terrible if he were fired, knowing how much the job meant to him. How much it meant to all of them.
Mrs. Fierro was quiet for a moment. At last, she said, “We really had to come up with something better than a religious experience. He’d never just take off without a phone call. We thought about saying he went to rehab, but those who know him would highly doubt that explanation.”
“So what did you finally go with?”
“This is going to sound stupid, but it seemed like the only way to explain his inability to communicate his own absence. We said he’s in a coma.”
Kristine gasped. “A what?”
Gabriella giggled. “I know. It’s not ideal. We’ll have to fake medical documents. The captain wanted to visit, but we talked him out of it. We said it would be a waste of his precious time, since Jayce wouldn’t even know he was there.”
“But according to some patients who’ve come out of it, they heard everything going on around them.”
“I know. We thought of that. We also said he was in New York. We figured he may have said something about visiting you there, and that would lend credibility to the story.”
Oh sure… Blame it on me.
“I guess I could come back to Boston after my three-day shift.”
“Oh! I didn’t realize you had returned to work. I thought you were just around the corner. Please, forget I said anything.”
“It’s pretty hard to forget something like that. I do love him, and I want him to be happy. I just don’t know how to make that happen right now.”What can I do? Bring him his favorite birdseed?
“Of course. That’s not something you need to worry about. It’s up to us, as his family, to look after him. I just thought if you knew… But no. Never mind.”
Kristine worried her lip. “Tell you what. Let him know that I’m packing. That might help him perk up. It might be a week or so before I can get back up there because my mother and I have to go through our things and donate or toss whatever we can live without. She’s coming down in a couple of days to start the process.”
“That’s wonderful! He’ll be very happy to hear that. So am I. We’re all rooting for you two.”
After Kristine and Gabriella said good-bye and hung up, Mahoney entered the large sleeping quarters.
“I, uh…heard something about packing? Are you going somewhere?”
Shit.Kristine had to think fast.What did I say that he could have overheard? My mother and I were purging and packing. And “he” would be glad to hear it. Yeah, that’s about it.
“My mother is getting married! Her fiancé is in Boston and can’t wait until we get her packed and moved to his place. She has a lot of stuff. We really need to go through it all. I’ll have to help since she’s still convalescing and everything…”Shut up, Kristine. You’re babbling.
“Oh. Well, congratulate her for me. I was afraid we were losing you too.”
“Too?”
“You know that I’m moving to the 7th Battalion, right? They need a lieutenant. That leaves a spot for you.”
“Oh, yeah.”Now what?She needed another distraction. “So, what else is new with you?”Lame.
“Nuthin’ much. The kid is graduating from high school.”
She wasn’t crazy about how he referred to his stepson, but she’d learned to mind her own business when it came to other firefighters and their families. “High school, huh? That’s great. Does he have any college plans?”
“Yup. Columbia. I may have to work overtime more often.”
The lieutenant rarely worked overtime, so she imagined that’s why he sounded less than thrilled.
“You must be close to getting your degree,” he prompted.
