Through Smoke: The Troubled Heroes Series (5 page)

“Did you enjoy your day off?”  She licked her index finger clean and grabbed another wing.

Shrugging, he took the last sip of his beer and ordered another one as the waitress strolled by.  “Didn’t do much.  Went for a run, cleaned up my place. How about you? How’s your family?”  Not only did the place have excellent food and good service, but Michael was enjoying the music too.  He felt relaxed, something he hadn’t experienced in awhile. 

Eva shook her head side-to-side and smirked. “Typical Italian get together. I got those stereotypical brothers and uncles who think they are straight out of the movie
Goodfellas
.  They strut around the place and we pig out on our mom’s spaghetti and meatballs. Eventually one of them says something to piss another one off and then it’s time to leave.  Happens every time.” She told the story with a smile on her face and somehow Michael knew that despite the fact that her family did that, she still enjoyed seeing them. He wished his family was close like that.

“Well, from what I’ve heard anyway, most families are like that.” He balled up a napkin and tossed it from hand to hand.

“Your family too?” She started on her second beer and swayed to the song playing over the jukebox.  “I find that hard to believe.  You seem like you have a wonderful family.”

Michael didn’t want to turn the subject to him so he searched for a way to change it.  “Eh, I guess we’ve all got some form of a dysfunctional family.  Your family always live on Staten Island?”

She shook her head no.  “We started out in Jersey. Dad came over here for a job and we moved to Hell’s Kitchen. They moved out to the island a few years back to try and get away from the neighborhood.  I stayed
for the job.  My brothers live i
n Manhattan too.  Always up to no good.  They’re all bark and no bite though.  It’s almost like people hear our last name and just assume we’re all part of the Italian mob or something.  I find it quite funny.”

As she spoke Michael found it hard to stop staring.  He was enjoying the fact that she was doing most of the talking.  He didn’t really want to talk about his personal life anyway.  The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off and he knew if he started in on Casey and how he never goes to see his mother except for holidays
,
she would think he was crappy, especially since it was obvious on
how family oriented she was
. 

Even though he had worked with her for so long, he really didn’t know anything too personal about her. While he wasn’t one to ask too many questions, he felt compelled to find out more.  “What made you want to be a paramedic?”

She took a pull off of her drink.  “You’re going to think I’m stupid.”

“No I won’t.”  He let out a low laugh. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I bet it isn’t stupid.”

She paused again, as if she were picking her words wisely.  “When I was a kid I was always fascinated when other kids would get hurt. Like on the playground, when someone fell and was bleeding, I was always the kid who helped and took them to the nurse.  I was the kid who stayed to watch.  My brothers even said I was crazy because I always looked when I got shots and read medical charts and things.”  Eva leaned back in her chair.  “With brothers like mine, I was constantly doctoring them as well.”

Michael couldn’t help but smirk at her.  “I don’t think that’s stupid at all.  At least you stuck with what you wanted to do.  Most of us never grow up to be what we say when we’re that age.”

“I didn’t really either.  I wanted to be a doctor.  I had to settle for being a paramedic.  I just couldn’t afford to be in school that long. But that’s okay. I like being out on the street in the trenches, so to speak.  It feels more rewarding to me, even if the pay sucks.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I could do the medical part of it all.” 

Eva smiled and shrugged her shoulders.  “It has its moments. I’m sorry.
I talk too much. You can’t even get a word in edgewise. Just tell me to shut up or something.”

He took another swig of beer.  It was funny how he had worked with her for so long and never really noticed how cool she was until recently.  “It’s fine.  I don’t mind it at all. It just shows how dull I am.”

She let out a giggle and wrinkled her nose.  “Oh pl
ease, Mikey, you’re quietness is
what makes you so mysterious.  I’ll get you to talk more, trust me.” She winked at him and scooted her empty beer bottle to the middle of the table.  “The food really hit the spot, great suggestion.”

He nodded. “I agree.” He saw tha
t there was a dance floor and
people began to step out on it.  He wasn’t much of a dancer
,
but the song playing was slow. Maybe it would be a mistake to ask her but it would be fun to do something other than just sit around. “You feel like dancing?”

“Sure!”

He grabbed her hand and led her to the back corner where the small area was.  He wrapped his hands around her waist and he felt her arms over his shoulders.  She leaned in and he could smell her subtle perfume.  Her hair smelled really good, like flowers and fresh air.  He could feel her relax up against him as their bodies moved to the slow rhythm of the music.  She looked up into his eyes, her smile vibrant.  The fluorescent lights overhead flashed into her eyes and he could almost see his own reflection in them.

“Thanks for asking me to dance.” She nestled her face into his neck. “Great song too.”

“You’re welcome.” 

He felt her look back at him, this time her gaze more intense.  He leaned down and got closer, feeling her lips brush up against his. She pulled away for a second but leaned again, this time the kiss growing more passionate.  He felt her mouth open and the inside was warm as his tongue moved in and out.  His hand ran down the small of her back.  After a few more moments they pulled apart, realizing that a fast song was now playing.  Neither said anything as they walked back to their table, two fresh beers sitting in their spots.  Michael quickly grabbed his and took a long pull off of it.  

At that moment, it wasn’t awkward, but something felt different to Michael.  He couldn’t put into words how he felt but their friendship had moved to something more intense.  The look on Eva’s face relaxed him too.  She looked content as she drank her beer.  They both sat back down, this time closer to each other. 

Michael wanted to hold her hand.  It felt like high school all over again.  He wasn’t usually this timid with women but Eva was different.  Swallowing, he pushed aside all fear and reached out, intertwining his fingers with hers.  Her palm was warm and soft against his rough skin.  He leaned in, caressing his lips against her cheek.  He hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. 

He walked her home a little after midnight. The night air was chilly and he draped his coat over her back without asking, knowing she would turn it down if he did.  She wrapped it around her tightly, taking in a deep breath as they made their way down the sidewalk toward her apartment building. 

“Thanks for a great night.”  Eva turned and faced him when they reached the front steps, her fingers cold as they ran down the side of his cheek. 
“You’re not a bad dancer, even for a white boy.”
She let out a low giggle.

Michael stared at her, unsure of what to say.  He wanted to kiss her again but he couldn’t force himself to move.  “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Eva’s shy smile came out and she looked down at the ground.  He put his index finger under her chin and brought her gaze back up to eye level, this time kissing her one more time.  He hugged her tightly, bringing her body close to his, both oblivious to the outdoor surroundings.  Eva was the first to pull away.

“Well, I guess we better call it a night, Mikey. Stay out of trouble. I’ll see you at work.”  She pulled the coat off of her shoulders and handed it back to him. 

“Okay, I’ll see you.”  He watched as she turned away and walked up the stairs to the entrance.  He kept his eyes on her until she was completely out of sight and then went back home. His mind raced with different thoughts, some of Eva, some of Casey and whether or not he was home yet or if he would be gone for
a
while. 

He got home and saw that all of th
e lights were turned off and that
nothing had been touched.  There was no sign th
at Casey had been back.
  Turning on the living room light, he jumped when he saw Casey sprawled out on the couch.  He was either asleep or completely passed out, Michael couldn’t tell.  He looked horrible.  His hair was disheveled, his clothes tattered, and he looked like he hadn’t bathed in forever.

Michael stood beside him.  “Casey? Casey!” He raised his voice to try to wake him but Casey didn’t respond.  Reaching down, he checked him for a pulse.  One was present.  Sometimes Casey did sleep pretty heavily and Michael could only hope that this was the case.  Grabbing his shoulders, he riled Casey.  This caused him to open his eyes and mumble something.  “Casey, wake up!” He fought the urge to slap him.  He would feel horrible if something was really wrong and he inflicted more pain.

“Mikey? What the hell?”  It came out in a low mumble but Michael was able to make out what he was saying. 

“What
is going on? You look like hell!”

Casey sat up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.  From what Michael could tell, he looked to be coming down off of a high.  His
eyes were still glazed over
and
he was sweaty
. His skin felt clammy and he was shivering. 

“You go out with some old friends? Where you been?” Michael felt anger course through him.  What a way to end a perfectly good night.

Casey’s teeth chattered together and he grabbed a blanket that was draped over the back of the couch.  “It’s not what you think, man.”

Michael nodded and went to the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of water.  He handed it to Casey and sat down on the coffee table. “Drink that. I don’t wanna have to take your ass to the ER.”  Pausing, he looked down at the carpet, trying to compose himself before he blew up at his brother.  “What did you take?”

Casey drank the water down in about two gulps.  “C’mon Mikey.”  His eyes were pleading with him and Michael could tell that Casey was scared of him.  In a way he was glad but he also felt guilty about it.  “I have nowhere to go, please don’t kick me out.”

Michael lowered his voice.  “What did you take?”

Casey hesitated and leaned his head back against the cushion.  “Crack.  It was way earlier today. I came home a few hours ago to crash as I came down off of my high.”

Michael bit his bottom lip.  It felt like someone had punched him in the stomach.  He was faced with a very difficult decision.  Did he need to kick Casey out or continue to allow him to lie?  There was only so much deception he could take before he had to shun his own flesh and blood.  Their mother definitely wouldn’t help him and if he kicked him out he would just be out on the street, more exposed.  Michael wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Casey ended up dead because he turned him away.  But then again, Cas
ey didn’t seem to want his help. H
e just wanted to use him when it was convenient. 

“Mikey, say somethin’. You look like someone just walked over your grave.”

Michael balled his fists together.  “How many times are you gonna lie to me? You came down to my work and swore to me that you were done with that shit. Do you realize how far I’m sticking my neck out for you or do you just not give a damn?”

“I couldn’t help it. An old buddy called, said he got his hands on some stuff.  I was bored.  You were asleep, I didn’t know what to do. I…I.” He stammered on his words. 

“An old buddy? This same buddy who didn’t pay his half of the bills? Real good friends you have.” Michael stood up and walked to the kitchen, leaning on the bar, debating on grabbing the bottle of whiskey he kept over the sink.  He needed something to calm him down. 

“This was the last time.  I just needed it.”

Michael didn’t even bother with a glass. He unscrewed the lid and took in two gulps, enjoying the burn down his throat.  It tasted better than usual so he took another long swig.  He had no idea what to do.  He loved his brother but he couldn’t take this anymore.  He was beginning to feel buzzed.  He had several beers with Eva and now the whiskey and he had to sit down in a chair to brace himself.  He fidgeted with the label on the bottle.