Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Micah finally found his passion and his drive along with it. He finally got off his ass and started to do something with his life. After he graduated from the academy, he specifically asked to be assigned to a station not under my command, which I think was probably a smart decision. For both of us. It allowed our relationship to continue to grow and flourish without also navigating the stress and strain of adding commander and subordinate to the mix.
Personally, I think Aubrey deserves the lion’s share of the credit for the changes Micah has wrought in his life. She’s an amazing woman who doesn’t take shit from anybody and has motivation to spare. It’s good to see him always running to catch up with her. It’s good for him. Professionally, Micah has become a top-notch firefighter and is making a name for himself with the department. He and Aubrey got married about a year and a half ago, and her star is on the rise as a prosecutor in the DA’s office. They’re busy making a good life for themselves, and I’m so incredibly proud of him.
As for me, I’m now a Battalion Chief with four houses and more than a hundred firefighters under my command. That means I’m usually incident command on a scene, the one coordinating the battle and rescue efforts from the outside, rather than being one of the ones running into the flames. There’s no bigger high than pulling somebody out of the fire and saving their life. And there’s nothing like staring death in the face and being able to walk away from it. I’m not going to lie. I miss the rush.
Being on the outside isn’t without its own set of challenges. But as an incident commander, the level of danger, generally speaking, is relatively low. I’m getting older, so I suppose it’s for the best. I know I can still do the job—and do it well—but I also know I’m not what I used to be when I was younger. I won’t go so far as to say I’ve lost a step, but I don’t always rebound as quickly as I used to. Father time catches up with us all, much to my chagrin.
If I was still on my own and doing my own thing, I might have turned down the promotion and continued leading my guys on the truck. But I’m not on my own anymore. I can’t afford to think only about myself these days. Harlow prefers me standing outside the burning building than rushing headlong into it. If not for her and our child—about to be children—I might still be a reckless, danger-seeking adrenaline junkie. They’ve tamed me. And I’m okay with that.
I never thought I’d be okay with not being one of the first into the fray. I never thought I’d be okay with standing by while others rushed into the flames. But then, I never thought I’d have somebody like Harlow and my kid—kids—to come home to. I never expected to have somebody who’d make it worth slowing down and standing back. Somebody who’d make me willing to do that. But I do now. I’ve got a family—a family I love more than life itself.
Life has been good. No, life has been great. Amazing. It’s been better than I had any right to believe or expect it would be. Better than I ever thought it could be.
“What is it, old man?” Micah asks. “You look like you’re about to cry.”
“I just… I’m really proud of you, Micah.”
He grins. “You getting soft and squishy on me?”
I laugh and pull him into another hug, clapping him on the back. “I mean it, kid. I’m really proud of you. You’ve come a long way.”
“We’ve both come a long way.”
“We have.”
The door to the waiting room opens, and we both turn to see Marcy standing in the doorway with a wide smile on her face.
“You have a daughter,” she says. “Congratulations, Chief.”
My heart feels like it’s stopped dead in my chest, and I put a hand on Micah’s shoulder to steady myself as my head swims. He grips my shoulder with a smile stretched from ear to ear on his face and his eyes shimmering with tears.
“Congratulations, Dad,” he says.
“My God, I’m a girl dad now,” I say.
“A boy and a girl,” Marcy says with a laugh. “You’ve got the perfect nuclear family.”
My mind spins as I take a beat to process it all then look at Micah. “Two sons,” I say. “I’ve got two sons and a daughter.”
Micah gives me a quick hug and pushes me toward the door. “You need to go see your daughter.”
“I’ll take you back there if you can behave yourself, Chief,” Marcy says. “But if you start getting all twitchy, I’ll throw you out of the recovery room just like I did in the delivery room. Chief or not, I ain’t playin’.”