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I didn’t know I could be any happier or that this day could get any better. But it has. And I know it’s only going to get better from here. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this bounty of joy, but I’m grateful for it.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
HUNTER
Five Years Later
I pace the waiting room floor, my heart in my throat and my stomach down in my shoes. Every time the door to the room opens, I look up, expecting to see Marcy or one of the other nurses stepping in to tell me what’s going on. And every fucking time, I’m disappointed. Like that old song goes, “The waiting is the hardest part.”
The door opens again, and Micah comes through, still wearing his turnout coat and pants. He walks over and gives me a hug, still smelling of smoke and fire. He sees me and laughs.
“You got kicked out of the delivery room again, didn’t you?” he asks.
“Fucking nurses said I was making them nervous.”
“I can see that. You’re making me nervous.”
“Laugh it up, funny boy,” I tell him but chuckle softly. “I can’t wait to throw this back in your face when you and Aubrey have one.”
“Bite your tongue, old man. We’re not there yet.”
I wave him off but laugh. “Just come from a scene?”
He nods. “Just a small electrical fire. No big deal. Cap said it was all right.”
“You didn’t have to come, kid.”
“The hell I didn’t,” he says. “Like I wasn’t going to be here for you.”
I clap him on the arm and give him a tight smile then start pacing again. Every nerve ending in my body jangles like an old set of keys, my gut so tight, it’s painful.
“You need to relax, Dad,” he says. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“I know, I know. I just … it’s fucking hard. You’d think it would be easier the second time around, you know?”
He laughs. “You’d think so.”
I turn and look at my son. We’ve come a long way these past five years. We’ve grown close and our relationship has never been better. For the first time in our lives, we really feel like a father and a son.
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?”
