Smoke (12 page)

Now that I think about it, it was what she said that convinced me she was into you more than me.”

“Are you going to tell me what she said?”

“She asked a lot of questions women ask before getting involved with a man.

Then she said she was looking forward to getting to know you since we are boys. Why would she need to know you because we’re friends?”

Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Could be you told her we spend a lot of time together.”

“She’s acting like Gwen when she and Kevin split before they got married. Gwen worked really hard to keep her distance from Kevin knowing good and well she wanted him back.”

A grin crossed his face. “So you think she wants me?”

“Would I be trying to get you back with her if I didn’t? She probably had a similar situation in the past burn her.”

“I know she’s had a few failed relationships. But, she doesn’t know me well enough to lump me in with those guys.”

“Think about it, Jon. A broken heart can make a person do dumb shit. We don’t know what happened in her life to make her iffy about men, but you have to show her you’re different.”

“I’m sure I blew any credibility by sleeping with her on the first date.” He pointed a finger at Anthony. “She heard you and Nick call me a womanizer.”

“She had to realize the source it was coming from. Look, man, I know you’re going to find a way to be with Gabrielle; I hear it in your voice. When you make up in your mind how you’re going to do that, don’t let her head-snapping or lip-smacking attitude block your efforts.”

“I can’t see her doing that.”

Anthony nodded his head, bucking his eyes. “Oh but she will! All black women have that trait and it’s what makes them unique and so damn sexy. But when you tame that trait, you know you have a woman that will love you forever.”

Jonathan grinned straightening his back against the wooden chair. “You almost had me fooled for a minute. Anthony, I’m not in love with Gabrielle and I’m not thinking of ways to be with her. Anyhow, what do you know about taming a woman?

You can’t even remember sleeping with Melanie.”

Pouring a mug of coffee Anthony gulped down the hot liquid. “I’m serious. I’d bet my paycheck when you meet with Gabrielle, you will find a reason to have to keep her around longer than to do a simple watch exchange. And, when you two get back together, I want to know your secret.”

“Obviously you’re still under the influence of the tequila.” Jonathan’s cellphone rang. Before answering it, he gave Anthony a jovial smirk, “Anthony, my secret wouldn’t work for you anyway.”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“You can’t imitate me and all this,” he smirked.

Anthony got up from the table taking his coffee and slapping Jonathan on the back. “Evidently I can’t, partner.”

Jonathan shook his head returning to his call. “Hello.”

“Hi Jonathan, it’s me, Amira.”

“Hey, Amira; how are you, darling’?”

“I’m okay. I got your number from my mom; I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“No you’re not. Is everything all right or did you just want to talk to your favorite fireman?”

“I had a question to ask and mom said it should come from me and not her.”

He leaned his elbows on the table. “Well I’ll try my best to answer it. What do you want to ask me?”

“Um, my school is having career day and I want you to be the person I bring.”

“Wow, I’m flattered. But, your mom has a great job, wouldn’t you rather use her?”

“I wanted my friends to meet a real hero. Some of them don’t believe you rescued me and
we are friends.”

Jonathan’s head dropped from the disappointment filling the little girl’s voice.

“We’ll have to prove them wrong. What day do you need me?”

“Friday morning at 10:00 and in the gym when it’s over, we will have snacks for all the
guests.”

“I will be there and thank you, Amira. Your classmates will see I’m not just a fireman but also your friend.”

“Thank you, Jonathan.”

“Not a problem, sweetheart; I’ll see you Friday morning,” he said clicking off the phone.

“Jon boy, here you go.” Nick slid a piece of paper across the table to him.

“What is this?”

“Sarah’s number. I thought you might want to call her before Friday. Ya know, get to know her a little instead of jumping in with cold feet.”

He folded the paper and stuffed it in his pocket. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it, Nick. I got another commitment on Friday.”

Nick’s jaws filled with air as his eyes narrowed. “You dump out on this and we’re done, Jon. I’ve had enough of your bullshit and you treating me like a second-class citizen.”

“Then I guess we’re done.” Leaving the table, Jonathan placed his coffee cup in the sink.

“So it’s like that! You can drop a friendship just like that?”

“I can when I don’t like how the friendship is going. We’ve been over this more than once, Nick, and I’m not in the mood to do it again. Man, if keeping our friendship was contingent on me getting with your girl’s sister and dumping Anthony, then we don’t have reason to continue talking about this because you know the outcome.”

Nick slammed his hands on the table. “There’s an opening at station 26; I think I’ll ask for a transfer. This way both you and Anthony can kiss my ass as I’m walking away.”

“Good luck with that. Station 26 is a solid unit and if you go there with your attitude and bullshit, I guarantee you won’t be a Cleveland Firefighter long.”

*****

Tired and exhausted, Gabrielle grabbed her backpack and headed to the parking lot. She promised herself this would be the last shift she would take for Laura unless it was a medical emergency involving her son. She smiled and waved to the security guard sitting at the desk reading the newspaper. “Goodnight, Kyle.”

“Goodnight, Gabrielle. Do you need an escort to your car?”

“I think I’ll be okay walking by myself.”

“Where are you parked?”

“I’m in the garage on the roof. I couldn’t find a closer spot when I got in this afternoon.”

He picked up his radio. “I can’t with good conscious let you walk that far alone this late. Let me call you an escort.”

She slung her backpack on the bench flopping down next to it. “Alright, just tell him to hurry; I’m tired.”

Waiting on Kyle to wake a guard to walk her to her car, she pulled Jonathan’s watch from her backpack. The gold and silver jeweled watch appeared to be an antique. Turning it over, she read the inscription written and signed by his grandfather.

She removed her purse digging inside for the cellphone. Tapping a short text message she hit send and put the phone away. The ball was in Jonathan’s court now. If he wanted the watch he could let her know.

Kyle zipped his jacket walking over to her. “I’ll walk you to your car, Gabrielle. I can’t seem to wake anyone.”

“I’m ready,” she replied getting her stuff.

The thirty minute drive to Mayfield Heights seemed to take forever. When she finally got home, Midnight circled her legs letting her know dinner was late. “I know; you’re hungry.” Feeding the chubby tabby that hadn’t missed a meal since she was a kitten, Gabrielle peeled an orange to starve off her own hunger.

Sitting at the table she tore sections of the orange apart placing them in her mouth one at a time. The house was quiet and lonely. She looked around the room thinking there was no one to greet her in the evenings or wait up for her when she worked late. No one would know if she had an accident on the way home from work or if she got abducted traveling between home and work. No one would know anything about her demise until the neighbors noticed the mail piling outside or the smell of rotting flesh coming from the house.

She went to the sink to drop the orange rinds down the garbage disposal.

Looking across the yard to her neighbor’s house, it showed how a real family lived.

The toys, outdoor furniture and cute matching doghouse; painted a cozy family portrait. Next door neighbors Marcy and Greg Steven’s were around the same age as she. They had two small children and played in the yard with them every weekend and on warm evenings, Greg would fire up the grill and the family would eat dinner outdoors together at the picnic table.

Gabrielle scanner her backyard; it was immaculate. The backyard consisted of a simple patio set with a simple barbecue pit, covered by a custom-made tarp to protect it from the weather. There were no toys or cute doghouses or anything to exhibit a person under the age of thirty occupied the home. She hardly entertained or had people over after the fiasco with Damien.

Gabrielle wiped down the granite countertop and cleaned around the numerous small appliances sitting atop it, before putting the sponge away. She was fantastic cook and thought about becoming a chef before going into the medical field. Every night she came home to feed herself; not a family or a man to eat the delicious meals she concocted; only herself. Jonathan was the first man she’d prepared food for since Damien, and would give anything to cook for him again. She stretched her arms against the sink dropping her head. “
Dammit, Damien—thanks to your lies, I can’t look at
any man and not think he isn’t living on the down low
.

Turning off the kitchen light Midnight nearly tripped her racing into the next room. A quick shower and change into her pajamas, Gabrielle set the alarm clock and turned the volume high as it would go on her cellphone. She had to hear it ringing in case of an emergency at the hospital. A few fluffs of her pillow, she settled in for another restless sleep.

The cellphone ringing broke Gabrielle’s dream of happier times. Turning over in bed she fumbled for the phone to stop the annoying ring. In a raspy voice she answered, “Hello.” Sitting up quickly, she turned on the light. “I’m on my way.”

*****

tending to injured patients in the hallways because treatment rooms were filled to treat critically injured patients first. Gabrielle rushed to the desk where Millie was standing to check in. “Where do you need me?”

Millie grabbed her by the arm. “Come with me. I have two patients to intubate and need you to assist the anesthesiologist in OR 1. I have a call in for all techs and specialist to get here.”

“Millie, what happened?” She asked hurrying along to keep up with her

footsteps.

Millie grabbed a clipboard handing it to her. “There’s a fire at the steel mill in the Flats.”

Gabrielle’s blood ran cold and she didn’t want to know the answer but had to ask. “Millie, do we have any fatalities?”

“Yes, Gabrielle, but I don’t know how many; now get to OR and stop asking questions I don’t have the answers too.”

Entering the OR, Gabrielle waited for the anesthesiologist. A surgical nurse entered making sure the instruments the surgeon would need were in order. “Hi Gabrielle, I guess we’re in for a long night,” she said.

“Yes. Do you know who the patient is?”

“Yes, a firefighter. I hear it’s pretty bad too.”

Gabrielle’s legs instantly went weak and sweat beaded under the mesh surgical cap covering her head. Unable to stop her hands from shaking she prayed for strength.

When the doors opened bringing the patient inside, she snapped from her fog to assist the anesthesiologist.

Going over to the patient lying on the table she didn’t want to see his face. She so desperately didn’t want Jonathan to be lying on the table fighting for his life once again. Intentionally keeping her eyes away from his face as long as possible, she swallowed. Lowering her eyes, a low sigh escaped her lips. It wasn’t Jonathan but nonetheless a loved one with family waiting on word of his condition. She went to work on helping to save his life and hopefully to bring good news to his family.”

Three hours later Gabrielle exited the OR followed by the anesthesiologist. He patted her on the back. “You were excellent in there, Gabrielle.”

“Doctor Greene, I’m sorry I got a little queasy, but I don’t help often with surgeries.”

“I understand. Why don’t you take a break and calm your stomach.”

Stripping off the gown and cap, Gabrielle went to the stainless steel basin to wash up. Jonathan came to mind. She wondered if his unit was helping fight the industrial blaze mushrooming out of control according to the chat during surgery. She pushed thoughts from her mind of him lying hurt or possibly on the way to one of the other local hospitals treating the injured.

She shook her head; she’d dismissed any prospects of having a relationship with him and therefore did not have a right to worry about him. Her pager went off. “
You
gotta be kidding me
.” Drying off, she went to the emergency room for her next assignment.

*****

around them as they searched for trapped firefighters. The fire was being fought with water and foam but continued to spread rapidly across the acres of the steel mill. He tapped Anthony on the shoulder. “I see something on the top of that high platform,” he shouted.

“Right, I see it too!” Antony shouted back.

The closer they got to the firefighter dangling from the platform; they recognized who he was. “Damn!” Jonathan shouted running towards the structure. He followed Anthony up the metal steps reaching the platform that was connected to several other platforms that allowed workers to walk between the furnaces.

“I’m stuck,” Nick shouted.

“Hold on; let me see how bad you’re wedged in,” Anthony shouted as he

crossed over him to see if he could free his body wedged between the metal grates.

Looking to his left he noticed a door marked in bold red lettering
DANGER

EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS
.

Stooping down he worked to free Nick. “He’s in tight, Jon. We’re gonna need a K-6, a patient drag and a few more hands on deck.”

“I’ll radio the Chief.”

“While you got him on the wire have him send a crew to check on those