Page 96 of As Long As You'll Have Me
Coop:
I’m on my way over to the firehouse if that still works for you two.
Pulling my phone out from under my pillow, I read the message through squinted eyelids. I came to the bunkroom to catch a nap after we got called out to a late call last night. Carter and I are currently on for the next forty–eight hours and our first twenty-four haven’t been a casual hangout. There seems to be a string of arson related fires around the city, each one getting bigger than the last. Charleston PD and the fire investigation unit are trying to pin down who’s at fault but have yet to get any real leads leaving our firehouse with an uptick in activity. It’s something I can talk about in therapy with Josh, the new doctor Hanna sent me to try out. He’s cool, I’ve seen him once and will continue to see him again every other week.
Yeah, fine with me. I need to get up anyway.
Rubbing my eyes, I sit up in bed and look around the bunkroom, expecting to see Carter in one of the nearby beds. All of them are empty except for the one on the opposite side that’s currently occupied by a snoring Brooks. How his partner deals with that I’ll never understand.
Okay I’ll see you in twenty.
I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and pick my feet up when they hit the cold wooden floor. We intentionally keep the bunkroom cold so that we get better sleep when we’re able to catch some on shift. Once they acclimate to the cool hardwood, I stand and stretch my arms above me, hearing the sounds of tiny gas bubbles popping down my back. My thirty-five years of life and years of working manually strenuous jobs sounding off in my joints. As I stand, I scan the upper bunks to see if Carter chose a top bunk for once but even those are empty.Where the hell is he?
Once I’m dressed, I slip my sneakers on and head for the front of the firehouse. Some of the other guys who share my shift with me are sitting outside with cups of coffee, enjoying the early January morning. This is the best time of year in Charleston because it’s cool enough in the mornings to wear a fleece and shorts but you never have to worry about freezing your ass off. I nod at the guys and look down the sidewalk, noting the calm quietness the city holds so early in the morning. It’s just before seven which is right on time for when Coop usually comes by to workout with us when we’re both on duty for a two day stretch.
“Have you guys seen Carter?” I ask, looking at the othermembers of my squad. They shake their heads and shrug. I don’t have time to ask when the last time they saw him was because at the same time, Coop pulls up in his cruiser, parking it out of the way in the firehouse driveway.
“Morning, everyone,” he calls out to the group.
A melody of “hey” and “hey Coop” ring out as the group says hello. I take a step up and pull him into a hug, taking his hand in mine and pulling him into my chest.
“Morning, dude. Ready for another day protecting the city?” I ask.
“Don’t you know it.” He nods. He glances around then furrows his brows. “Where’s the child?”
I chuckle and start to walk towards the gym. “If by ‘child,’ do you mean Carter?”
“Yeah, you know, the one who watches cartoons, sings along to the radio, and steals food off people’s plates. Thechild,” he repeats.
“I have no idea where he is. I woke up expecting him to have taken a nap after our call last night but he wasn’t in the bunkroom when I woke up.”
“Let me call him and see if he answers.” Coop pulls his phone out and presses it to his ear. When we reach the gym, I wave at Billie who’s sitting at a rack with her headphones on. By the dark gray sweat stain on the back of her shirt, I guess that she’s been at it for awhile now.
While Coop waits for Carter to answer, I pull out my own phone and send off a text. The same text I send every morning if I’m not right next to her to say it to her face.
Good morning, beautiful.
I quickly scan and reread our messages from last night as I wait for her to reply.
Doc:
Look at my newest project.
She had sent me a picture of her most recent crochet project which was turning out to be an orange cat sitting down with a bow in one ear.
It’s so cute. It actually looks like what it’s supposed to look like too!
Oh be quiet, I managed to save the poor bunny’s ears eventually
You’re getting really good at that.
Thank you, thank you. It gives me something to do with my hands and helps me turn my brain off after a long day in the office.
I can give you something to do with your hands doc, all you gotta do is ask
You can’t see me but I’m shaking my head at you.
You could also give me something to do with my hands. Lady’s choice.
