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Since I understood that hotshot firefighters didn’t have what could be called a regular schedule, I didn’t think much of it when I hadn’t heard from Cooper in over a week. Since I was taking care of Humpty, Cooper’s apartment was locked. I thought nothing of it.
Until I was at work and Wes came walking in to the vet clinic. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
Wes leaned over to kiss Tiffany and straightened. He held up a cat carrier. “Dropping off this little kitten to get spayed. She should be on the schedule under the rescue program. Why so surprised?” he asked with a grin.
“I thought your crew was out dealing with a fire?”
“Yeah, we were. We got back yesterday. Haven’t you seen Cooper?”
“Uh, no.” Panic rose inside. “His truck’s not in the parking area behind our building, and…” I felt so flustered I couldn’t even finish my sentence.
Wes whipped his phone out quickly and tapped the screen before lifting it to his ear. After a moment, he lowered it. “Weird, Cooper’s not answering. Let me check with Maisie. She’ll know.”
Maybe things were a little off with Cooper and me after our last conversation, but it didn’t make sense that he didn’t check on Humpty when he returned.
A moment later, I could hear Maisie answering. “Uh-huh,” Wes was saying. “Oh, that explains it. Okay, I’ll let Farrah know.”
“I guess he had a migraine when we landed yesterday. I knew he had a headache, but I wasn't tracking him since we have twenty-five on the crew. Maisie said he looked bad enough that she asked Beck to give him a ride home. According to her, Beck even walked him up to his apartment and made sure he went in. I’m thinking maybe you should check on him when you get home tonight. I’ve never had a migraine, but I’ve heard they can be a special kind of hell,” Wes explained.
Distracted with worry, I nodded, walking back to the break room as Tiffany checked in with Wes about the cat. A few minutes later, I had sent Cooper a text and tried to call him twice.
Alice appeared in the break area. “Are you ready to do some prep for that spay surgery?”
When I looked up, my concern must’ve been obvious. “Whoa, are you okay?” Alice walked into the room.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out.
“Hey, hey,” she said in a soft and soothing tone. “Breathe.”
“Cooper got home yesterday.”
Alice cocked her head to the side, nodding slowly. “Uh, yeah, so did Jonah.”
“But I didn’t know. And something’s wrong. I guess he had a migraine. But it’s not like him not to check with me when he gets back. I’m taking care of Humpty, and Cooper would want to check on him. I didn’t see his truck, so I didn’t think anything of it. Nobody’s heard from him today, and he’s not answering texts or calls.”
“You should go check on him,” she ordered, steering me toward the hallway.
“But —”
Alice clasped me by the shoulders, her grip firm and steadying. “I love having your help, but I can handle this. I can do the prep for this surgery in my sleep. It’s a spay operation, something I’ve done more than any other procedure. I’ll get started and take care of it on my own. Until we hired you, that’s what I did. You go check on Cooper. I’m sure he’s probably just sleeping it off. You can see how he’s doing, and then you can relax.”
“Okay, okay,” I said, nodding jerkily.
I grabbed my purse and jacket. Just as I was about to walk out of the break room, she added, “After you know he’s okay, maybe you could think about your feelings for him.”
I spun around, my mouth falling open. “I’m just worried!”
“Of course. I’m just saying there are levels of worry. You look like you’re about to have a meltdown.”
Too flustered to respond, all I could do was shake my head and leave.
I couldn’t drive fast enough from the vet clinic to my apartment, practically skidding to a stop in the back parking area with my tires squealing a little as I threw my car in to park and rushed up the stairs. When I got to Cooper’s door, I realized I didn’t actually have a key to his place. I reached for the doorknob, turning it to discover it was unlocked. I was just about to walk right in when I realized I should probably knock first. Maybe he was home.
When there was no response after three attempts at knocking, I turned the knob quietly and let myself in. I tiptoed through his apartment. All the lights were out, and Cooper’s jacket was on the floor below where he normally hung it on a row of hooks on the wall. He must’ve dropped it. His boots were beside it, laying haphazardly.
“Cooper,” I called softly.
A hush greeted me. I called his name again, a little louder this time. I slipped off my shoes and walked quietly across the living room to his bedroom door. I touched it lightly with my fingertips where it was resting ajar.
