Doubling Down – Prologue – Emersli1

Reading Time:
8 Minutes

The woman had been in labor for most of the day.

They had tried at first to make it off the mountain, only to find themselves surrounded on all sides by the wildfires raging through the Northern California wilderness.  Retreating back to their small cabin, they tried to hose down the structure.  In the end, that had accomplished nothing but to bring on early labor.

Now, they were on the one bed together.  She was laying slightly propped up, while he knelt between her knees.  They held hands, as he encouraged her through another round of pushing.  Outside they could hear the fire as it topped the rise behind the cabin.

Inside, one hope waited.  A trunk.  It was all they’d been able to afford as they ran, just a single compartment, but they’d been promised it was fireproof, waterproof, and thief proof.  Now it sat open at the foot of their bed, a small nest of blankets and a packet of paperwork inside.

“I still think that maybe if you curled up really tightly…”

“No.  We tried it.  It wouldn’t seal, and that would make it worthless.”  She was panting, exhausted, but resolute. 

He was still trying to think of any way to save her too.  “Maybe if we filled the tub with water…”

“So I could boil alive as the house burnt down around me?  No.”  

One final push, and a protesting cry.  He looked up from the baby with tears in his eyes.  “She’s a girl Mari.”  He gently wiped the baby down and wrapped her snuggly, handing her at last to her mother.

“Oh Zach.  She has your eyes.  And my hair.  She’s beautiful.”  The tired young mother breathed a blessing over her baby girl and kissed her on the forehead.  Then she handed the child back to her father so that he could do the same.

“Have a wonderful life, princess.  Mummy and I love you very much.”  With his own kiss to the forehead, he settled the small baby into the nest of blankets in the trunk.  Sobbing, he closed the lid.

Returning to the bed, he grabbed a cup and a small bottle.  They hadn’t bought it for this purpose, but that didn’t matter now.  Climbing back onto the bed, he handed the cup to the woman and broke the seal on the bottle.

The fire began to take the west wall as he poured half the liquid into the cup.  Smiling at each other, they clinked cup and bottle together in a sad little toast.

“I love you, Mari.  I made so many mistakes, but loving you was never one of them.”

“I love you too Zach.  Of all the things I regret, I could never regret choosing you.”

Together they drank the liquid down and lay down in each other’s arms.

Fire took the roof as they drifted off, their last thoughts full of prayers for their child … that they had done enough to see her through the inferno.

Then it was all over.

One week earlier…

Bobby Nash sat in his office, considering the choices on his computer screen.  

Lena Bosko was fitting in well on A shift, and Eddie’s replacement was gradually finding his feet.  It helped that he’d worked with some of the other crew over the years, and his experience was a real plus.  Jantzen was a good fit to partner with Bosko, his skills and patience a good foil for her physicality and impulsiveness.

He didn’t know what to do about replacing Chimney though.  None of the probies coming out had chosen the paramedic track, and so far he hadn’t gotten any nibbles on his posting in the transfer system.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

If Buck would agree to go full paramedic, and drop the firefighter designation, it could be a solution to both problems.  Hen would have a partner she was familiar with and trusted.  And Buck would be safe, going strictly on medical … waiting outside the zone of rescues and fires until the danger was cleared.

It had been almost two months since that disastrous dinner at his and Athena’s house.  Maybe enough time had gone by to let the dust settle?  Bobby considered the matter, and pulled out his phone.  

Actually, he was technically off shift right now, having just come in to finish up a bit of paperwork.  No reason he couldn’t run by Buck’s place on his way home.  Athena was going to be working tonight.  Maybe it would be a chance for him and Buck to clear the air.

Feeling optimistic for the first time in a couple of months, Bobby headed out to his car.

The young woman who answered Buck’s door wasn’t exactly UN-expected.

Bobby sighed, then smiled politely at the unknown female Buck was apparently bedding now.  Or at least had been last night.  “Ma’am.  Could you let Buck know I’m here?”

The woman looked him up and down.  “Well, I might.  If I knew who Buck was.  And your name.”

Oh great.  Buck hadn’t even given the poor girl his real name.  Just shaking his head, Bobby tried again.  “If you could just please let the man who lives here know that his boss is at the door?”

Still looking at him quizzically, the woman called back into the apartment, “Honey, there’s a man at the door who claims to be your boss and wants to see you.  Something you haven’t told me?”

An unknown voice sounded from inside the apartment.  “No.”

The woman moved back as a young man took her place at the door.  “Hello?  You’re definitely not my boss.  Serious lack of a double X chromosome going on.  Maybe the wrong address?”

Bobby was startled.  “I’m looking for Evan Buckley…”

Both faces cleared in recognition.  “Oh, just wait one minute…”  The woman moved away from the door.  Maybe Buck had taken on some roommates?

She appeared quickly with a bundle of mail in her hands.  “Here you go.  Evan Buckley was the former tenant.  I guess he didn’t get his forwarding address set up with the postal service.  I have no idea where he’s living now, and he didn’t leave a forwarding with the landlord either.”

The young man offered a friendly smile.  “If you could give him these when you see him next?  That’d be great, thanks.”

Bobby took the packet of mail automatically, agreeing to deliver it.

He started back down the hallway as the door closed behind him.

Where in the world was Buck?  Why had he moved?  He loved his loft.

Getting back to his car, he slid inside and pulled out his phone.

Only one way to find out.

When Buck’s phone went off, all he could think was “Please God, not another dead animal call.”

They had had seven so far in the past three weeks … and four of those had been shot.  Who shot a deer and just left the carcass?  Even trophy hunters took the antlers.  But these animals had all just been … left.

It didn’t make sense.

Gratefully realizing it was his personal cell and not his work cell, Buck answered, “Buckley.”

Granted, he should have checked the caller ID, but he was collapsed on his sofa after a long day of wrangling campers and he was worn out.

“Buck?  It’s Bobby, and .. um … I was wondering if you’d like to come over for dinner tonight?  Athena’s going to be working, and I thought maybe we could clear the air?  I think I’ve got a solution for you, and I’d like to talk to you about it.”

Buck closed his eyes and sighed.

The worst part of the whole thing was that Bobby wasn’t acting out of spite.  Or malice.  Or even just dislike.  Bobby genuinely thought he was coming from a protective place, and didn’t seem able to really see anything beyond his own fears.

“I’m sorry Bobby, but I’m not in town right now.  Thank you for the invitation, though.”  Buck would definitely prefer Bobby’s cooking over his own tonight.

“Oh.  I’m sorry, I didn’t realize … Buck, when did you move?  I dropped by your loft and found a lovely young couple, who have gathered some of your mail by the way, instead of you.  Is everything alright?”

Buck felt a headache building behind his eyes.  “Well Bobby, when you go from working 48 or 72 hour weeks to working 30 hour weeks, your income gets cut by two-thirds.  That makes it hard to make rent on a loft apartment in a desirable building.”

“Where are you living, then?  You know you could always have come here!  Tell me you’re not in some rat-infested firetrap.  When you’re in town anyway.  And I thought your disability was supposed to make up the difference in your salary?”  Bobby sounded equal parts incensed and confused.

“I’m not living with rats, and disability stops paying once you requalify.  Because then you can actually go back to work.  That’s what requalification means.”  Buck heaved himself off his sofa and headed into his kitchen to see what his dinner options actually were.

A sigh came down the phone lines.  “Buck, we’ve talked about this.  You’re not ready.  You’re still on blood thinners, and … you just need more time.  But listen, if you’d be willing to finish out your paramedic certification you could come back on as a strictly medical responder.  You wouldn’t be in any danger, and wouldn’t be putting anyone else at risk either.  It would take some time…”

Buck snorted.  “Yeah, like nine months or more.  I have my EMT cert, but that’s a long way from a paramedic certification.  And no way would I work with Hen right now anyway, since she’s blaming me for Chimney’s situation.  Listen, I need to get something for supper and get to bed.  I’ve had a long day, and was planning to make an early night of it.  Thanks for calling, and for the dinner invitation.  Maybe next time I’m in town.”

“Why is Hen blaming you?  You didn’t drive the rebar through his skull.  I’ll talk to her.  And yeah, get some food and rest, wherever you are.  I hope you’re having a relaxing time, and we can meet up after your trip.  Take care of yourself, Buck.”

“Don’t bother talking to her.  She’s going to have to figure this one out for herself, I think.  Take care, Bobby.”

Buck hung up the phone, shaking his head.  Bobby was still doubling down on his determination to ‘protect’ Buck.  He wasn’t really hearing anything Buck had to say on the issue.

For his part, Bobby hung up and looked around his empty kitchen.  He couldn’t help but notice that Buck had called him ‘Bobby’ rather than his usual ‘Cap’.  Something about that bothered him on a visceral level.

Sighing he pulled a package of frozen ravioli out of the freezer.  Dinner for one it was.