America's Bravest (35 page)

The chart consisted of introductory material
in two columns. He began to read.

“‘The definition of a terrorist attack is
defined by the FBI as an unlawful act of force or violence against
a person or property with the intent to coerce or intimidate a
government or people for political and social purposes.’” Ian
sighed. “In the past, the objective was to bring attention to a
political or social cause. Today, the objective is to kill.”

Gasps from a few people who probably hadn’t
trained with Ian before and weren’t used to his candid language. “I
know that’s stark, but it’s reality. And they’d just as soon kill
America’s Bravest because we’re highly visible due to our activity
at Ground Zero.”

Dead silence.

“Aw, shit, don’t go all quiet on me when I
mention 9/11. I’m in this thing”—he pounded the arm of the
wheelchair— “because of them, but I’m helping to stop them, too. I
don’t have a thin skin about it”—here he gave a big smile—“though I
used to.”

Next, he defined the difference between
IED’s—improvised explosive devices—and bombs. “Basically, an IED is
more homemade and could be stuffed into a bag, pipe, bottle, can,
backpack, package, or fifty-five gallon drum. They’re easy to make
and you’re more likely to encounter
them.”

“So, how do we protect ourselves?” a woman
Tony didn’t know asked.

“I’ve got the information here.” Ian put up
another slide.

Tony slipped his copy out of the folder in
front of him so he could read along and take notes. He followed as
Ian read the list aloud.

1. When the truck arrives, park it in a safe
location and stay there until you get instruction from Incident
Command. The rig should be upwind and shielded if possible.

2. Turn off cells and radios—as these can trigger
explosive devices.

3. Don’t listen to politicians, even the mayor or
building owners, who tell you to go in the building, approach a
vehicle etc., until the fire officer gives orders.

4. Know it could be a dirty bomb. Stay upwind of the
device in case it explodes, wear protective defensive gear used by
Hazmat, don’t expose yourself for too long to the contamination if
it explodes and, if it does, get far away if you can.

5. If there are no lives in danger, let the fire
burn. Water or foam can spread the contamination faster than
letting it burn itself out.

Ian rolled in front of the screen again. “I
imagine you have a lot of points to make.”

A lively discussion ensued.

“My wife will flip if she hears about us
dealing with this kind of thing.”

“Honestly, Chief, don’t you think this is
above and beyond the call of duty?”

“I know I didn’t sign up for this.”

A few more comments resonated. Ian let them
go and then made a few remarks. “I agree with all of you about the
continual extension of a firefighter’s duty. But it is what it is.
You’re gonna have to live with it. Like a lot of things.”

Grumbles this time.

“What else?” Ian asked.

“Will protective equipment be standard on all
trucks?” This from Grady O’Connor, who was smart and
thoughtful.

“I’ll let Battalion Chief Erikson answer.
What’s going on in that area, Cal?”

From a seat in the corner, Erikson shook his
head. “We’ve petitioned to get the suits on all trucks. But you
know what’s going on in the state budgets these days.
Cutback
is our new mantra. I wouldn’t plan on them anytime
soon.”

“Especially with Allen on our backs.” This
from Felicia. “Parker the Piranha would have a field day if we
spent money on suits we didn’t use often.”

Very unflattering remarks about the news
reporter who’d made their lives hell were made all around. Tony
didn’t like what Allen was doing to them, but he hated the way
everybody dissed her in public.

The session wound down at lunchtime when Ian
closed the morning. Sydney leaned over and said, “I brought a
picnic. Want to go outside with me and eat?”

Training days were usually opportunities for
smoke eaters from different houses to mingle. They rarely ate with
their own groups. But Tony didn’t feel like pretending everything
was okay or answering questions about his family.

Besides, he really cared about Sydney. She
was only twenty-four but she was very wise in the ways of the world
because of her difficult past. He also guessed she wanted to talk
to him.

They made their way out of the room and
stopped in the Academy cafeteria where Syd had stored some cold
stuff. After she grabbed it, they headed outside.

The day was still warm for September, so they
set out food on a picnic table under a tree. The sun shone, but
didn’t beat down on them and a breeze filtered through the
trees.

“When’d you have time to do this?” he asked,
noting the spread of cheeses, crusty bread, salads and
lemonade.

She shrugged. “Daisy finally slept, but I
couldn’t. I stayed up, got some things together and baked.” She
held up a plastic bag. “Chocolate chips.”

They dug in. After a few mouthfuls, Tony
asked, “So you got a problem you need to talk about, kid?”

Downing some lemonade, she set her glass on
the table and zeroed in on him with an intense gaze. “No, but you
do.”

“What do you mean,
bonita?”

She smiled at the affectionate term he often
used for her. She had no sisters or brothers and seemed to like
it.

“Tony, it’s me. Syd. The one you got through
several messes. You need to let me in as an adult in our
relationship. You don’t have to take care of me all the time. I
wanna know why you look like you’ve lost your best friend these
last weeks.”

Suddenly the cheese he’d been eating tasted
like cardboard. He set it down and drew in a heavy breath. “Because
I have, in a sense. Sophia and I are separated. I kept the
situation from all of you because Sophia wanted privacy, but
truthfully, I’m tired of pretending everything’s all right.”

Genuine concern filled her light brown eyes.
She reached across the table to touch his arm. “I’m so sorry. And
also shocked. You have—”

“The ideal marriage. I know, everybody thinks
that.” He pounded his fist on the table. “And in some ways, that’s
caused our issues.”

“I don’t understand.”

He found himself spilling everything except
the intimate details of what his life had become.

“Man, that’s a big secret to keep.” She raked
a hand through her short dark hair. “I’m glad you told me.”

“Why? It won’t help our situation.”

“True, I can’t give you advice, because I’ve
never been married. But you need to unload. And give yourself a
break from all this. You can spend time with Daisy and me and Mama
if you get lonely. As a matter of fact, why don’t you come to
dinner tonight?”

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

“And I know I’m not as old as you,
concho,
but for what it’s worth, don’t try to become
someone you’re not for another person. I did it, Tony, and it only
causes heartache.”

“Daisy’s father? You hardly ever talk about
him.”

“Yeah. My relationship with him was a
disaster.”

All Tony knew about the circumstances of her
pregnancy was that the guy had been married. When they became
close, Syd had asked him and Sophia not to probe into that dark
period in her life.

“Then I’m glad you’re out of the
relationship.”

They talked some more about Sophia’s concerns
and then Sydney checked her watch. “I gotta call Mama to see how
the baby is. I’ll meet you inside.”

“I’ll clean this up. Go ahead.”

Tony finished packing their leftovers and
headed back into the building. After he put the remains of their
lunch in the fridge, he went looking for a bulletin board he’d
noticed, where Academy business was posted. He found it at the end
of the hall, next to Jack Harrison’s office. The guy was coming out
as Tony reached it. Tall, muscular, with a full head of dark hair,
the forty-something psychologist smiled at him. “Hi, Tony.”

He wondered how Harrison remembered people’s
names. They’d met, of course, but it had been a while ago and they
hadn’t seen each other much around the department.

“Hey, Jack.”

“How’s it going?”

“Great.”

He nodded to the bulletin board. “Looking for
anything special?”

“Nope. Passing time until our training
starts.”

The man shrugged a shoulder. “If you need
anything, let me know.”

Jesús
, did the guy have ESP? “Will
do.”

Studying the board, Tony scanned information
about Academy training, an indoor volleyball league that was
forming, support groups offered, recent department news, and then
he came upon Job Opportunities. There were four positions open for
trainers to join the Academy staff.

He remembered Sophia’s tearful plea…

Why can’t you work at the Academy
training firefighters? At least you’d be safe and you’d still be in
the field. Besides, you always said that if you weren’t a
firefighter, you’d be a teacher.

Huh! Was it fate that brought him here, or
had he unconsciously been looking for positions available? He could
do this. Take one of those jobs and get his family back. But it
almost broke his heart to think about giving up firefighting.

oOo

Sophia glanced at Tony as they approached the
huge modern structure that belonged to Brock Carrington. In the
light from several outdoor lamps, her husband smiled tentatively.
God, she hated the tension between them.

Reaching over, she tugged on his shirt.
“You’re so handsome tonight.” He wore a dark gray shirt, light gray
blazer and charcoal pants. Sophia’s black dress with silver accents
went well with his outfit.

“I like dressing up. Most firefighters do. I
think because we live in grime.”

Well, there’s a way out of that one
,
she wanted to say but didn’t because she’d spoil the evening and
she’d been looking forward to tonight as a respite from what they’d
been going through.

Thankfully, the door opened. Brock’s wife,
Susan, stood before them in a chic jewel-toned periwinkle dress.
Her blond hair was perfectly coiffed, and her blue eyes stood out
in a remarkably unlined face. “Sophia, hello,” the woman said
warmly. “I’m so glad you could come. Brock would have been very
disappointed if you didn’t.”

“Good to see you, too.” Tony moved restlessly
next to her.

“This is my husband. Tony, Susan
Carrington.”

“Nice to meet you.” She perused them. “What
an attractive couple you make.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Please, call me Susan.”

“What time is Brock getting here?” Sophia
asked.

“In a half hour.” She stepped aside and
invited them into a foyer made of marble, glass and chrome. A huge,
probably real, crystal chandelier descended gracefully from a high
ceiling. “Come back and get a drink.”

About fifty people were in the rear of the
house, mingling in a great room that opened to a porch, which gave
way to a deck. A warm breeze drifted inside. Sophia scanned the
guests; she recognized about half of them, as they were from the
hospital. Brock was involved in a lot of charity work, held
positions on the board of directors at various agencies and
belonged to a golf club, so he had many friends and
acquaintances.

Susan showed them to the bar and Tony ordered
them both Cosmopolitans, which they drank when they were out for a
night.

“Some digs,” he said without rancor. One of
the many things she loved about her husband was the absence of any
kind of jealousy in his makeup. Sophia herself could covet this
kind of house if she let herself.

“It’s beautiful.”

A group of nurses approached them, her
sister, Isabel, among them. “Hey guys, nice to see you.” She kissed
Tony’s cheek. “Especially you, handsome. You’re never home when I
come over.”

He shot Sophia a
she-doesn’t-know?
look. Subtly, Sophia shook her head.

“Duty calls.” He slugged back some of the
drink.

“Can you believe Brock’s forty?” Izzy
continued. “Honestly, he’s so young looking.”

“Oh, yeah, forty’s old,” another nurse, in
her fifties, commented. “Just wait.”

Tony was pulled aside by someone he knew, and
Isabel studied Sophia’s face. “Hey, girlfriend. Is everything all
right?”

Suddenly, she wanted to confide in her
sister. “Not exactly. Maybe we can get together sometime.”

“Sure, honey. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

They made small talk with the rest of the
crowd from work until the guest of honor arrived. Brock was
surprised and pleased by his lovely wife’s party. He mingled and
eventually made his way to Sophia. She was out on the patio getting
some air, and Tony had found a guy he knew from church, so he was
off somewhere. Brock approached her. “There you are.”

She turned. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.” Leaning over, he kissed her cheek.
At her startled response, he said, “A birthday kiss, right?”

“Oh, sure. You, um, have a lovely house.”

“Do we? Sometimes I don’t even notice. Comes
from growing up with money.”

“Hmm.”

“I hope that wasn’t crass. I know you didn’t
have much when you were younger, and I have to say I really admire
what you’ve done on your own, without help.”

“Oh, I had help. Tony and I made our way
together.”

Brock scanned the others around them. “He
didn’t come tonight?”

“He’s here, mingling.”

Glancing behind and to the side, he pulled
her farther away from the crowd. “We haven’t had a chance to talk
about what happened three days ago in the lounge.”

She tossed back her hair. “When I had a
meltdown? Please, let’s forget it.”

“No, I don’t want to. You had a full-blown
panic attack. What’s going on?”