Souls' Rescue Part 6

"Thanks," Talia said, looking longingly at the box of chocolates now out of reach.

Jacob winked at Sam and hurried out of the room.

Talia waited for the door to close before addressing her mother. "You should be nicer to him, Mother. He's my best friend."

"You need more friends."

"No, I don't."

"You shouldn't eat sweets so soon after having major surgery."

"I'm sure you're right." Better to agree than argue, Talia figured.

Chapter Nine.

THE FLOOR OF the fire house bay hadn't been cleaner in years. Kelly was restless and had spent the last two hours scrubbing the floor clean. There hadn't been a single call and she was only eight hours into her s.h.i.+ft. It was unusual to be so quiet and she was getting anxious to go on a call.

The intercom buzzed and the sound echoed in the bay, startling her. A male voice announced, "McCoy, call on line two."

Feeling the need for s.p.a.ce and privacy, Kelly hurried out of the kitchen to use the phone in the bay. "McCoy."

"Hi, Kelly."

She froze when she heard Talia's voice. "Hi."

"Sorry to call you at work. Is this a bad time?"

"Um. No. I'm just a little surprised is all. How'd you get this number?"

"I looked it up. Had to call a couple of stations before I found someone who knew you."

"Only a couple? There are a few thousand firefighters in the department," Kelly said. "So, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you could stop by today."

"I'm on a twenty-four hour s.h.i.+ft. I don't get off work until seven tomorrow morning. I could come over then."

A pregnant pause filled the air between them. "Uh, sure. That'd be great."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Not really."

Kelly picked up on the quiet voice. "Talia, you can talk to me if you need to. Even if it has to be by phone."

"Thanks, but it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

Another pause, this one longer than before. "I want some company. I can't stand to be alone."

Kelly had no idea what to say to that. There's nothing she wanted more at that moment than to be with Talia. She'd been in Kelly's thoughts all day. "I'm sorry I can't get there right now. But starting tomorrow morning, I'm off for two days and have no plans. Will that work for you?"

"Don't do this just to appease me."

"Are you kidding? If you think I'd turn down the chance to hang out with a gorgeous woman, even if she's in the hospital, you're nuts."

Talia laughed softly. "You're the one who's nuts. But I accept your offer."

"Good. It's the best one I've got."

"And it's the best one I've had all day." Talia's voice sounded lighter, happier. "See you tomorrow?"

"You bet." Kelly waited for her to hang up before placing the receiver on the hook.

"Got a date?"

Kelly punched Scott in the arm as he walked past. "No."

He grabbed his arm and feigned pain. "Hey, you big brute."

"Whatever."

"You going to see her tomorrow?"

"What's it to you?"

"A lot."

Kelly stopped and looked back to find the rest of the guys "casually" watching through the kitchen doorway. "How much?"

"What?" Scott sounded innocent, but Kelly knew better.

"How much was the bet?"

"Bet? Oh, Kelly, you know we don't gamble on city property. That would be against the law."

"Uh-huh." She winked at the gathered men before turning back to Scott. "No date."

"Are you sure? You're going to see her, right?"

"It's a visit, Scott. Not a date. Sorry pal, you lose."

Laughter erupted behind them and Kelly strutted away, despite Scott's yelling, "Hey! It is so a date. You're going to see her, you'll be alone. It's a date."

Kelly opened her mouth to reply, and the station tones sounded. They all quieted to listen. A car accident at the intersection of Race and Fourth Streets.

"It's not a date." Kelly ran to her rack to get her gear, then hustled for the truck.

Scott was right behind her, and they both climbed into the rescue truck together. "It's a date."

"Scott, a date consists of doing something together-like going out to eat or to a movie. Not sitting in a hospital room watching the other person sleep."

"You watch her sleep?" he asked as they pulled out of the station.

"She's gone through a lot, so yeah, sometimes I watch her sleep." Kelly zipped up her coat and put her helmet on.

"But why?"

Kelly shrugged and looked away, far too aware of the blush creeping up her cheeks. "Because I like to be with her. Besides, she feels better if someone's there when she wakes up."

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Scott nudged her and Kelly hit him again. "You're violent."

"You haven't seen violence yet."

He started to comment, but her look shut him up.

THE SUN WAS setting on what must have been a lovely day. Talia stared out her hospital window and wished she was able to enjoy the weather. She preferred autumn to summer, but this year the temperatures hadn't been too bad. Cincinnati was usually hot, hazy, and humid. Lately it had been cool and dry.

The last time Talia remembered enjoying the weather was before the accident. She and Jacob had gone out for lunch, and he convinced her to walk to Fountain Square. He'd said it would be good for her. By the time they'd made the five-block trek, Talia was out of breath.

"I hate you, Jacob Meier."

"You always say that," Jacob said and pulled out a chair for her, one of those plastic, outdoor chairs that didn't look very st.u.r.dy. Talia was worried she'd break it, but too tired to really care. She gently settled herself into the seat, feeling the armrests dig into her thighs. "I don't think I even want to eat now."

"You need to. Not eating is worse than over-eating."

"When did you start working for Weight Watchers?"

Jacob handed her a menu. "I'm your best friend. It's my job to help you out. You need to get healthier, and I've decided to be your new coach."

"My coach?"

"Yes. Someone needs to kick your a.s.s into gear." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I love you, sweetie. All of you. But it's your health I'm worried about. I don't care if you lose weight, but I do care that walking a few blocks nearly puts you into cardiac arrest."

"It's not like I enjoy this." She sat back, feeling defeated. "I just can't ever stick to a diet."

"Ugh. Diet is 'die' with a 't' on the end. No dieting. Just cut back on the sweets a little and promise you'll walk with me every day at lunch."

"Every day?"

Jacob narrowed his gaze and the look on his face made Talia laugh. He said, "Every day. Sunday included. You need to get out more."

"Okay. But if I pa.s.s out, please don't call Mother."

"As if I'd ever call the Queen Mother for anything."

Talia patted his hand. "Good man."

At the time, Talia had fully intended to keep her promise to Jacob, but the accident happened, and now she wondered if she'd ever be able to walk again. She turned her gaze from the window and heard a soft voice call from the doorway, "h.e.l.lo there? Anyone home?" Kelly waved, holding one hand behind her back.

"I guess I'm anyone, so yes. I'm here." Talia said. "What do you have there?"

Kelly produced a handful of yellow carnations. "Okay, so they're not roses, but I heard these are your favorites. I wanted to make up for not getting here this morning."

"That's okay. I figured you were busy."

"Heh. That's a good word for it." Kelly popped the flowers in the empty vase and settled in the chair by the bed. "We were out at a fire all night long, and soon as we got back, we got called out for a train derailment. d.a.m.n car had a nasty chemical in it. Took a couple of hours for Hazmat guys to clean it up. I had to go home and crash for a while."

"You look tired. You could have called and come over another time." Talia said the words, but didn't really mean them. Kelly was there, tired or not, and Talia was happy to see her.

"Oh, no. I said I'd come, so here I am. Just wish I'd thought to call you earlier to let you know I was going to be awhile."

"No problem. Thanks for the flowers, though. You didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did. My mother taught me to bring gifts with every apology."

"How'd you know carnations are my favorite?"

"A little birdy told me."

"Jacob." Talia wondered what else he'd said.

"Yep. He spilled the beans to me the other day. He told me a lot about you."

"It figures." Talia made a mental note to speak to her dear friend about his big mouth. "Nothing bad I hope."

"I don't think so." She looked at the monitor above Talia's head. "He did tell me some, uh, personal information."

"Oh, my." Talia covered her face with her hands. "Let me guess. He made sure you know I'm gay, single, and lonely." She peaked between her fingers to find Kelly grinning. "Did he mention I was gay?"

"Several times." Kelly laughed, the sound rich, warm and contagious.

"I'll kill him later. I hope he didn't embarra.s.s you."

"Nope. But he wasted his time." Kelly leaned on the rail of the bed. "We've already got a date planned when you get out of here."

"Oh, that. You really don't have to go out with me."

"Maybe I want to." Kelly kissed her cheek, leaving the tender skin there feeling warm and tingly.