Free America's Bravest by Kathryn Shay

mother-in-law in the
clubhouse porch watching.’
    “‘Hell,’ the captain playing with him said.
‘You can’t hit her from here. It’s over two hundred yards
away.’”
    Brody guffawed. “Ryan would love that
one.”
    Felicia rolled her eyes. “Spoken by one of
the twin Peter Pans who’ll never grow up.”
    “Here’s one for you, Licia,” Brody retorted.
“Did you hear about the female EMT who is so conceited she takes a
victim’s pulse then subtracts ten beats for her effect on
them?”
    Gabe jumped in again. “I’m gonna read one for
Cal, since he’s busy this morning.”
    “No fair,” Rachel whined, teasing.
    “Hush, Wellington,” Gabe said. “A blond,
female firefighter visited the doctor and said ‘Every time I have a
cup of coffee, I get a stabbing pain in my eye.’ The doctor fixed
her a cup. ‘Here, show me.’ After the demonstration, he said, ‘Take
the spoon out of the cup first.’”
    “That’s stupid.” This from steel-blond
Rachel. “And insulting.”
    Brody shrugged. “If the shoe fits,
Wellington.”
    Felicia grinned evilly after she scanned
hers. “A sign on the wall of the shower room in a firehouse reads,
‘A firefighter’s wife’s definition of retirement: Twice as much
husband, half as much money.’ Not a good deal, I’d say.”
    Rachel could see that the jokes, stupid
though they were, had indeed put them all in a good mood. The joke
about the blonde won, of course, four to two, with Gabe voting for
Cal. It had been turned in by Brody, so he got the money. But the
exercise worked its charm.
    When the call came for a flooded basement, a
really crappy job, they approached it in a good mood. Even Rachel,
who’d reveled in the laughter and smiles on Gabe’s face. He’d been
right, they needed this lightheartedness.
    oOo
    All the while he fixed lunch, Gabe kept
picturing Rachel’s face this morning. She had a beautiful smile,
one he hadn’t seen much of lately. And she’d teased him, warmth
emanating from her dark eyes. “Argh….”
    Brody entered the kitchen, disrupting his
thoughts. “Hey, no bad days, Cap.”
    “I know. It snuck up on me.” Like she always
did.
    “Gabe, is it okay if I invite Ryan over for
lunch? He loves turkey.”
    “Sure. I invited Mitch, and Tony asked
Sophia, but she has surgery.” Tony’s wife was a surgical pediatric
nurse.
    Mention of Ryan made Gabe picture Rachel in
the short dress she’d had on in the photos, being dipped by the guy
on the dance floor last week. Gabe had gone online to look at the
pictures again after work that night. He’d stared at them until
he’d gotten aroused by the sight of those slim legs and toned body.
At least he hadn’t printed out the photos.
    “Brody, can I ask you something serious?”
    “Sure.”
    “No harm intended, but is Ryan interested in
Wellington? I’d hate to see her get hurt.”
    Brody plucked a piece of celery from the
mound Gabe had cut for stuffing. “Nah. He’s not ready to settle
down, and he won’t, what’s the word,
trifle
with a
firefighter in the group. We were all bored, so we made plans to
get together.” He chewed on the stalk. “Besides, he said she was
preoccupied with some other guy and even he couldn’t charm her out
of her mood.”
    “Is that so?”
Hoo-rah!
“Um, set the
table will you?”
    Brody asked as he got out plates, “Are you
worried about Wellington?”
    “Not her specifically.”
Liar.
“
Unrequited love wreaks havoc on station house life.” He
should know, only his feelings weren’t exactly spurned. He could
still remember how she responded to his touch.
    By one o’clock, after another short call
while the bird cooked, Gabe’s group as well as the members of the
Quint and Midi sat at the table with succulent turkey, spicy
stuffing and tart cranberry sauce in front of them. Cal came in and
Gabe waited for him to get his plate.
    “Geez,” Sydney said, staring at the feast, “I
hope we don’t get a call. I’ve been smelling this