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“We’d fly into Logan Airport in Boston. Now we can either stay in Boston or Cape Cod. Your choice.”
“I want to see as much as possible. So, maybe Boston?”
“Boston it is.” Kent wrote another note. “We definitely have to eat New England clam chowder while we’re there.”
“Chowdah,” Palmer corrected.
“Excuse me?” Kent laughed.
She shrugged. “People in Boston drop their r’s. I thought I’d try it out.”
“I like it. What’s next?”
Palmer picked up one book and began flipping through. Kent did the same thing. They spent the rest of the morning making notes about places they wanted to see and places they wanted to eat.
Palmer and Kent’s List
Eat chowdah in Boston, per Palmer
Eat pizza in Chicago
Try frozen custard in New York City
Get coffee in each city
FIFTEEN
Word spread quickly between the department, the fire stations, and the hospital. People called Kent a hero. They patted him on his back, told their own stories of places they had visited, and offered to help fund the trip he was about to take with Palmer. This last point caught him off guard, as he hadn’t expected that sort of kindness.
He declined, of course, and thanked them for their generosity. He didn’t see himself as a hero, but a friend to Palmer. It wasn’t like she had a dying wish and he was her savior. She had six months or less to live, and he was going to make sure she lived her last days to the fullest. If she had family, they would’ve done the same thing. At least, that’s what he told himself. For him, this wasn’t out of the ordinary. It was in his nature to be giving.
Their shift had ended, and everyone had said goodbye to Kent. They wished him well and asked for postcards, and Reeva asked for souvenirs. She said she didn’t care what he brought back, as long as it was something cool, unique, and special to the place they visited. Palmer and Kent talked about keepsakes, the pros and cons of them.
“They’ll be good for you, Kent.” That was all Palmer said on the matter.
Kent went into the locker room to finish packing his things. He found Damian in there. He sat on the bench and stared at the ground. In the past couple of weeks, since Kent had asked for the sabbatical, the tension had been thick between them. Damian was upset, and rightly so.
Damian was a drawback of leaving. When Kent returned, it was unlikely he and Damian, still fully employed, would be partners. That hurt Kent, and Damian as well. They’d been partners since they’d started, and they had a great relationship. They worked well together and could sense what the other was about to do beforehand. Kent definitely didn’t want his partner to be stuck with someone who was uptight or unfriendly, and he didn’t want that when he came back to work.
It was unlike Damian to linger after his shift ended. He usually wanted to get home and start his two days off. Kent went to his locker and pulled out the extra set of clothes he kept there and the many bags of snacks Kent liked to munch. He set those on the table in the locker room for anyone who wanted them. It made sense for Kent to take them home, but over the past week, he had cleaned out as much of his cupboards and refrigerator as he could to prepare so the subletter could move in.
The tension between Kent and Damian was palpable. They had lost their rhythm. Their cohesiveness. Kent chalked it up to him being distracted. He couldn’t blame Damian for anything. He was the perfect partner, and whoever ended up with him would be damn lucky.
Damian sighed, and Kent looked at his back. “When are you leaving?” Damian asked.
“We fly out tonight,” Kent said.
Damian turned. “What are you going to do if she gets sick? Has a seizure or a stroke? Then what?”
Kent held his breath for a moment and then relaxed. He’d been through these questions and more with Dr. Hughes. They’d agreed on weekly telehealth check-ins, and in the event Palmer needed medical care, Kent was to call Dr. Hughes at once so she could consult with whoever saw Palmer.
“I’m not doing this by the seat of my pants, Damian. Palmer and I have spoken with her neuro.”
“Still doesn’t answer my question.”
Kent slammed his locker door, and then immediately regretted it. He shouldn’t be angry at Damian, not over something like this. He was asking valid questions, but he also made Kent feel like he hadn’t done his due diligence. Was there a risk? Yes, and it was mountainous.
“I’m prepared to take care of her, Damian.”
“Should she even fly?”
Another question Kent and Palmer had posed to Dr. Hughes. “Yes, she can fly. Dr. Hughes prescribed anticonvulsants and corticosteroids for her. Many people in her condition fly to see specialists all the time. We’re prepared.”
