Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4) (12 page)

 She tightened her arms around his back and hugged him
closer to her chest. “I want us to stay in bed like this all day today.  Do you
think that’s possible?”

“Other than me crushing you,” he said rolling off of her.
He pulled the cover up around them, “I don’t see why we can’t.”

Chapter Fourteen

The violent thunderstorm had almost shut down the city. 
High winds, several tornados had been spotted and people scurrying to find
safety on higher ground had the fire department jumping from call to call.  The
calls ranged from minor flooding of streams to major rivers overflowing and
preventing residents from evacuating their homes.

Ryan walked into the emergency room dressed in full gear. 
He was hoping to speak to Megan.  He walked up to the desk. “Hi, is Megan
Tisdale around?”

The older woman sitting behind the desk was not dressed in
hospital scrubs but a business suit.  She looked up from the computer to
address him. “Yes, she’s here.  I’ll get her for you if you can wait one
second.”

“Sure, no problem,” he replied. He looked around the ER it
was as busy as the fire department.  He was there because they followed an
ambulance that didn’t have enough room to transport the victims of a car
accident.  They transported the victim that had non-life threatening injuries.

Megan emerged from a back room with an armful of medical
supplies. “Hey, what are you doing here,” she smiled.

“We transported a car accident victim.  Today is going to
be a busy one,” he said as he gave her a kiss on the lips.  The act drew
giggles from the nurses behind the desk.

Megan turned around and stuck out her tongue playfully at
the women. “Don’t you all just hate my husband is a hunky firefighter?”

The giggles were met with a few comments that had Ryan
blushing. “Anyhow,” he said removing the grin from his face. “I wanted to see
how you’re doing.”

She put the supplies on the desk. “I’m okay.  I haven’t
had time to think about much today, but I’m working through it.  She pulled
Ryan away from the desk and to a corner to talk. “My dad sent me a text.  It
was a little cryptic, but I’m assuming it meant he got my mother to sign the
divorce papers.” She removed the phone from her smock and showed it to him.

Ryan nodded and grinned. “Yup, that’s what it means.  That
also means she doesn’t know about Emin.  Baby, if you talk to her, just play it
cool.  We can’t let her know anything yet.”

Megan rolled her eyes upward. “She called me already.  She
wants to look at wedding dresses later this week. There is no way I’ll be able
to do that, Ryan.  She’ll see right through me.”

“You can do it.  Pick out a dress you like, and let her
buy it. We’ll take a cruise and renew our vows in a tropical paradise.  It’ll
be the rekindling of the flames of our love for each other.”

A slow grin spread across her face. “You are such a
romantic at heart.  While I’m choosing the dress for her to buy, she can also
pay for our second honeymoon.  For once she should pay for something with her
own money.  Will there be a way for Emin to recover his money?”

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know.  If they did
cash, it wouldn't be a way to prove he gave it to her unless he had her sign
something.”

“Cash would make it easier for Mom to hide the money from
Dad.  She could’ve opened up accounts with numerous banks to hide her stash.”

His radio went off. “Hey, I have to go.  I’ll call you
tonight when you get home.  Be careful driving okay?” He blew her a kiss and
trotted through the hallways of the hospital to meet up with his crew.  The
thought of renewing their vows was something he said as a joke, but now it was
something he wanted.

Their wedding was held in a church with only his brother
and sister in attendance for him.  Megan’s family filled the church and the
reception hall. Everyone was so happy for them but once the scandal hit, claws
and true colors came out.  Even when he was acquitted, the whispers were still
there when he attended family functions with her.  Finally, he quit going to
anything family related to ease the embarrassment of her having to explain.

He jumped on the squad and looked back at the hospital as
it faded from his view.  Yep, a few days away from the rat race will do both of
us some good, he thought to himself.

Later at the firehouse the calls had quieted as the storm
eased.  There was another round of storms in the forecast, but so far skies
remained cloudy but rainless.  Ryan drummed his fingers on the table annoyed.
“Come on, Nick, make a move.  You’ve been looking at the board like something
is going to change.”

“Damn, man, I was sleep!  This damn game is boring me to
death! How do you play chess and stay awake?” Nick fussed as he finally made a
move.

Ryan grinned. “It’s a mind game.  You have to wait out the
opponent. Sweat him until he makes the wrong move then go in for the kill.” He
did just that as he overpowered Nick’s move to claim the win. “See, that’s how
you do it.”

Nick got up from the table. “Whatever. It’s more exciting
watching my twins play with their food and my baby girl blow spit bubbles. 
Anyhow, how did you get interested in chess? Was that something the intelligent
teachers did in the teacher’s lounge?”

Ryan propped his feet on the edge of the table. “Yeah, we
did.  We also bitched about our sorry pay, bad ass kids and parents that didn’t
give a damn if their kids learned anything or not, but we did it with love.”

“Being a teacher is a thankless job.  But now you have the
best job in the world. You couldn’t pay me do anything else,” Nick said taking
a sip of water.

“Molding minds that are eager to learn gave me a good
feeling at the end of the day.  But, you’re right. This is where I belong and I
don’t see myself doing anything different.”

“Megan is okay with this now?  All her fears are gone?”

“She’ll always worry I’ll get hurt. With her being so busy
at the hospital, she doesn’t have time to dwell on it. Not to mention the other
shit that went down recently, me being a firefighter has taken two steps back
in line,” he said lacing his finger behind his head.

“What about counseling? Are you going to do that or say
fuck it and just live life now that that asshole is out of the picture.”

“She hasn’t mentioned it anymore. You know I’m hoping
she’ll let it go and we’ll work out our difference on our own. I’m thinking
about taking her on a romantic cruise.”

Nick laughed. “I did that and Lincoln came home pregnant. 
Those damn cruises make a man more potent; so be careful.”

“Must be the fresh sea air,” Ryan replied with a chuckle
of his own. “All kidding aside, Nick, I’m ready to be a dad.  I think the
timing is perfect for me and Megan to have a baby and get that house in the
suburbs.”

Nick pointed a finger in Ryan’s direction. “You’d be a
great dad, Ryan.  You’d be able to help your kid with homework and actually
understand that shit.”

“Hey,” he frowned.

“I’m kidding.  You and Megan will be great parents and I
hope it happens for you soon.”

“Not too soon. There are still a few hurdles to clear before
we start planning a family.”

*****

Megan waited outside for Iona. The ER was busy and she
didn’t have time to take a lunch break, but Iona insisted and to keep the farce
up, Megan had to agree to meet with her. The rain started to fall again.  The
huge drops had her seeking shelter by the emergency room doors. A car drove
slowly around the curve and stopped in front of her.  The window lowered and
Iona’s stone-gray eyes looked up at her.

Damn, a new BMW.  The woman has no shame whatsoever
.
“Mom, whose car are you driving?”

“Mine.  Do you like it?  Your father surprised me with
it.  Hop in; I know you are pressed for time.  I thought we would go to that
new Sushi place around the corner.”

Megan took a giant step backward in case lightening came
down and struck her mother where she sat.  She didn’t want to be caught in the
cross-fire. “That was generous of Dad.  When I talked to him, he didn’t mention
getting you a gift.  He usually runs gifts he wants to buy, by me first. To get
my opinion since we have similar taste,” she said choking down the bile rising
in her throat.

The new car smell was strong as Megan got in and closed
the door.  She could barely hear the air conditioner running and the soft opera
music drifting from the radio had a crisp sound.  It was as if the aria being
sung was coming from a soloist sitting in the back seat.

Megan wanted to plug her ears. She hated opera. Iona only
played it when she wanted to impress someone.  Usually one of her father’s
clients or members of some society club she wished to join. She remembered how
Iona would dress her in frilly lace dresses, gloves, and matching hats and drag
her to mother and daughter tea socials.  To this day, she can’t stand tea.
Having the bitter flavors of different teas poured down her throat at age five
didn’t sit well on her underdeveloped palate.  Iona would shoot her a death ray
look when she wouldn’t swallow.

At one tea social, Megan recalled she couldn’t swallow a
certain black tea blend that was being served.  She held the vanilla laced
poison in her mouth refusing to let it go down her throat.  Iona was livid and
patted her on the back on the sly hoping to make her swallow.  Instead, she
choked and tea flew out of her mouth, splattering the front of her white lace
dress and staining everything else it touched.

Iona was horrified and they left the tea house. Once they
were home, she was given a spanking and sent to bed without dinner.  Megan
remembers her father checking on her later that night and she told him what
happened.  He left her bedroom only to return with a peanut butter sandwich,
two chocolate chip cookies and a glass of chocolate milk.  He also told her she
would never have to attend another tea social. And she never did.  Her father
never revealed what he said to make Iona stop parading her around. She and
Connor never heard them argue or heard their father raise his voice in anger. 
But, apparently he held the power in the family and he knew when to use it.

Well, it all made sense why Iona was submissive; James
Jones wasn’t worth enough back then.  She would have to play his game until he
hit millionaire status.  The sparse settlement she would have received if she
had divorced him before his business evolved wouldn’t allow her to sit at home
and play hostess.  She would have to work for a living plus share custody of
the kids that most likely she would have gotten stuck with.

The hard rain pounding on the windshield brought Megan to
the present.  The powerful car handled the slick, wet roads beautifully. She
looked out the window.  The dark tint on the windows made the night sky seem
darker and eerier. “Mom, maybe we should do this when the weather is not so
bad.”

“We’re almost there.  Besides, we have to get this wedding
planning done.  I have a wedding planner coming over Saturday so make sure your
schedule is clear.  Also, when is Emin coming home?”

Megan’s blood ran hot and she shuddered. “What?  Oh, I
don’t know.”

“How long does a funeral last in Armenia?”

“I don’t know, Mom.  I don’t know anything about that
culture,” she said rubbing her forehead.  A headache was quickly spreading from
temple to temple.

 “You need to learn, Megan.  You have to get involved with
his family and learn their ways now that you will be marrying Emin.  He is heir
to their fortune, and that means you will be a very rich woman one day.”

“I don’t care about his money.  Dad has money and I don’t
make a big deal out of that.  I’m starting to think you only want me to marry
Emin because he is rich.  Is that what you want, Mom? Do you want to have the
pleasure of saying your daughter is married to a freaking billionaire?”

Iona glared at her. “I thought we were past the bickering
and working towards a better relationship, Megan.”

“Would you watch the road please?”

“You don’t appreciate anything I have ever done for you! I
am trying to secure you a future and ensure you have what I didn’t have. 
Connor is satisfied doing enough to get by.  I want more for you.”

“Mom, will you slow down!” Megan held onto the strap of
the seatbelt as the car sped through the rain-slicked streets.

“Connor loathes me.  Did you know that Megan? He hates the
ground I walk on thanks to your father bad-mouthing me.”

“Neither Dad nor Connor has ever said anything bad about
you to me. Connor is being himself. He has always done his own thing. You know
that.”

“Oh please! I know about your father’s mistress, Megan. 
They have been together for over ten years.  She has a mansion in Florida with
a staff to wait on her hand and foot.  She is living my life, but it won’t
last.  I’m divorcing James and will get every dime he has including that damn
company I helped him build.  He and that bitch will be living on the street or
maybe with Connor since he is so taken with her.”

The lightening streaked across the sky as the rain fell
harder. Megan’s heart rate increased as Iona fussed. She didn’t hear her mother
yelling.  She was too busy holding on for dear life as Iona zipped in and
around traffic that slowed her down. The trip that was only two minutes from
the hospital turned into the trip to hell as Iona accelerated and the car’s
massive engine thrust them into traffic on I-90.

“Pull the damn car over and let me out!” Megan demanded
banging on the dashboard.

“I want to show you I have evidence against your father,
Megan.  You and Connor worship the ground he walks on.  I want to show you he
isn’t a god.”

“Mom, I believe you.  Please, just slow down or stop the
car.”

“Once I get home, I will.”

Megan hands trembled as she searched in her purse for her
phone. She slid the phone open to dial Ryan when suddenly the phone went flying
out of her hands and everything went dark.

*****

Ladder 30, Engine 30, Rescue Squad 1, Battalion 6;
report to the scene of an auto accident with injuries. Time out 17:00 hours
.