He stopped to breathe.
“So, I called my dad and my brothers because I figured if there was ever going to be a time to speak up, it was when I’d nearly gotten blown into next week. I told them the man whosaved my life is gay, and he’s the best one of us. I’ve been a piece of shit about it, and I’m done with how this family talks. I also said I was done with the jokes and not to say that around me anymore.”
He stopped, and I don’t think it was because he wanted me to answer.
“And they… ” He made a face. “They went quiet. My dad went quiet. My older brother Jimmy went quiet. The youngest one, Ollie, literally just… handed the phone off, like the phone was a hot potato, like… ” He laughed, short, no humor in it. “And I haven’t heard back from any of them, and I don’t know what it means for like… Thanksgiving, Christmas, my place there. My mom is somewhere in the middle, I think, but my dad’s the loud one. And if Dad doesn’t say anything, nobody else is going to be the first. And… fuck. Fuck. I’m going to lose my family over this, and I?—”
He cut himself off and looked down at Sable. Sable looked back. Then he glanced up at me.
“Not your problem,” he said. “Sorry. You don’t need to hear all of this. You really don’t. I just… sorry.”
“I don’t like you very much,” I said after a pause. He didn’t flinch, only nodded, once.
“That’s fair.”
“Other people’s families are difficult, and I’m not the person who can help you with that. But… ” I waited a second. Sable shifted her weight. “If you aren’t mean to Dane anymore, I think I could maybe learn to like you.”
He huffed. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s… yeah.”
“Okay.”
We stood there for another beat. A car alarm two rows over cycled and stopped on its own.
“Have a good day, Tim.”
“Bye.”
I walked to my car. Sable walked by my side. I unlocked the passenger door first because Sable’s seat belt harness latched on that side. She jumped into the car, and I clipped her in. I put my hand on her ribcage and felt her breathing slow and steady, then rested my forehead briefly against the doorframe and breathed with her.
I drove home.
Chapter 14
Dane
Resting was goingto be tricky.
Morgan and Courtney arrived in the early evening, with takeout containers for dinner and as soon as I saw the black bags with the white wiener logo, my mouth began to water. Inky Pot made the best chili dogs in Rochester.
“I’d marry you both if I wasn’t already madly in love,” I said as I watched them for signs of surprise. None appeared. Morgan handed over a bag of deliciousness while Courtney drew the curtains more tightly. She’d taken a tumble last year on a call and had suffered a concussion, so she knew too well how aggravating sunlight could be. “Don’t you want to know who I’m in love with?”
“Chip,” they both said in unison. I paused while gently easing my chili dog and spicy fries from the bag.
“We’ve known ever since he brought in cupcakes,” Morgan said, taking a seat on the empty bed beside me as Courtney plunked her backside down in a chair. “You’re shit at hiding your feelings.”
Hmm. Was I?“Well, I do love him. I told Sully about us.”
That got an arched brow from Courtney. Morgan said nothing, just unwrapped dog one of what would be four if I knewhim. And I did know him well. “He’s going to turn it over to IA, and they’ll look into it.”
“You’ll be fine.” I glanced at Morgan. He nodded as if he had the wisdom of the ancients then took a massive bite of his dog. A bean rolled down the front of his duty shirt.
“I swear I can’t take you two anywhere. He can’t eat without making a mess of himself.” Courtney waved a napkin at Morgan. “And you can’t go to a simple cleanup without being blown into New Hampshire.” I chuckled. It hurt, but it also felt good. Dark humor kept us going at times. “You okay?” she asked after the runaway bean had been located then thrown into the trash by our lieutenant.
“I’m going to be fine. Couple of weeks off for my brain to heal. Should be back on duty before you can miss me.” I tore open a packet of mustard with my teeth and then coated my dog with it. “Any more information on the fire?”
“Not really. Fire Marshall’s still investigating the scene. Lots of superficial burns and contusions at the nearby EDs, but so far, no loss of lives reported.” Courtney looked up from her chili dog to pin me with her gaze. “We got a few seconds to duck into an alley before things blew up. Thanks for that. The other departments are probably going to contact you when you get home and… oh, I forgot.” She dug into the back pocket of her slacks and presented me with my phone. “Figured you’d like this so you can sext with Chip.”
“I’ll be on limited screen time,” I replied.
