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Ranking Up
Getting promoted was supposed to mean he was ready.
Fourteen years in, the department clearly thought so. He wasn’t convinced.
“We’ve got three high-priority scenarios coming up,” Ben said. “Vertical extrication, confined space, and tunnel collapse. HQ finalized the cert dates this morning. I’ll get the field refreshers lined up.”
“You want me to take point on the high-rise scenario?” Wood asked.
“I’ve got it,” Ben said. “But I’ll take your notes.”
“We still good to run the breaching drill at the old school next week?” Rodney said.
“Yeah. Let me know if you need access cleared.”
“We’ve got this, Cap.”
Two months into the job, and Rodney was the one showing up, taking on what he should’ve handled himself.
“Anything else? Tweaks? Gaps I’m missing?”
“No, Cap,” Jackson said. “But the station barbecue’s coming up. You game for the 3-on-3?”
“3-on-3?”
“Yeah, company teams. Matt used to wipe the floor with the Engine guys every year. Said it was his ‘field vision.’”
“More like psychic,” Gavin added.
“I’ll play,” Ben said. “But fair warning. I’m no Matt.”
A few chuckles followed.
“Noted. But you’re still going down.”
Ben let the smile come. Just long enough.
The captain’s office was his now, but the nameplate, Captain Matthew Hartfield, said otherwise. HQ said the replacement plate would take a few weeks.
His eyes went to the desk that had been Matt’s. Everything remained orderly, precise, untouched since Matt went down three months ago.
He reached for the squad photo. Matt stood in the middle, an easy half-smile; the rest of the crew shoulder to shoulder, a few of them mugging for the camera.
Ben couldn’t picture himself there.
Another frame sat off to the side. Him and Matt, post-shift. Matt loose and grinning, Ben all bravado.
He set the photo beside the first. Let his hand fall. Then walked away.
The day was winding down. Lounge noise faded into background. Ben stayed in his corner, half-listening as the arguments played out without him.
“Hey, Cap,” Jackson said. “You talk to Matt lately?”
Ben didn’t answer right away. He hadn’t seen Matt in weeks. Not since leaving the ICU without looking back.
“Yeah,” he said.
“How’s he holding up?” Wood asked.
“He’s… hanging in there. One step at a time.”
“Still not letting visitors?”
“Yeah. He’s keeping it close.”
“I get it. Still, it’d be good to see him. Just to let him know we’re rooting for him.”
“He knows,” Ben said. “Believe me, he knows.”
Rodney’s glance toward Matt’s old locker said enough. “I still half expect him to kick the door in and ask why I haven’t cut two seconds off my collapse drill.”
“Or call me out for being five seconds late to lineup,” Gavin added.
The room went flat again.
“We’ll keep the place running,” Ben said. “That’s what he’d want.”
It rang hollow in his own ears.
Wood cleared his throat.
“So, Cap. You suiting up for the 3-on-3 or what?”
“You know better. I’m just here for structural integrity.”
They laughed, sliding back into shop talk. Ben didn’t bother to join in.
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