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Connections
Theme of Love
Friday afternoon. The therapy gym was half-empty, most of the staff already cleared out for the weekend. Matt held a wheelie at the far end of the room, front casters an inch off the floor, counting seconds in his head.
“Seven. Good. Take a break.”
Matt rolled toward the window. Lucy sat on the bench nearby, a binder of drill sheets open beside her. She handed him a water bottle as he pulled up.
“Uncle Brian called.”
“And?”
“Walkthrough’s done. He measured everything. Garage, first floor, porch. Said the south side grade needs work but it’s fixable.”
Matt drank. Last week’s team meeting with Uncle Brian had put the house remodel in motion.
“He wants to check the garage door threshold against the chair width,” Lucy said. “He’ll send numbers Monday.”
“Monday’s my birthday.”
“I know when your birthday is,” she said. “I also know you’re brooding.”
“I’m resting.”
“You’ve had one sip this whole time.” She pulled the bottle out of his hand and took a drink herself. “Someone’s got to keep you honest.”
She hasn’t changed. She’s still trouble.
Matt stepped to the podium in his station uniform, pressed and polished. The auditorium was full of middle-schoolers, none of them quiet. He adjusted the mic.
“Morning. I’m Lieutenant Hartfield, Rescue Squad of the Fire Department. That means when things go really wrong, they call us.”
The room settled enough. He walked them through fire safety, prevention, what to do in an emergency. The kids paid attention when he talked about the tools on the rig. They drifted during evacuation plans. He moved on.
Q&A opened. The usual. Have you ever been in a fire? What’s the scariest thing? Do you slide down the pole?
Then a hand from the teachers’ section, near the aisle. A woman, not a student.
“Yes, in the middle.”
“Lieutenant Hartfield.” The voice had a grin in it before he even placed the face. “What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever had to rescue someone from?”
Lucy Warren.
He’d last seen her in high school. Still had the same look as the girl he’d lost every argument to since third grade.
“Once we cut a guy out of a industrial dumbwaiter. He thought it was a freight elevator. It wasn’t.”
“Did he fit?”
“Going in, sure. Coming out was our problem.”
“So your whole job is rescuing people from their own bad decisions?”
“It’s on the brochure, actually.”
“Is that the one they hand out at career day, or the one that says ‘we also do cats in trees’?”
The place erupted. Matt laughed before he could stop it. Lucy sat back in her chair, looking entirely too pleased with herself.
Matt came through the side door. Lucy was there, waiting.
“Lieutenant Hartfield,” she said.
“Ms. Warren.” He stopped a few steps away. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to throw me off back there.”
“Maybe. Someone has to keep you on your toes.”
“Hartfield!” One of his crew caught up to him. “Didn’t know you were multitasking. Teaching fire safety and working the crowd.”
“Cheating on Ben, huh?” another called from behind.
“It’s fine. Ben and I have an understanding.”
They headed back toward the rig, still laughing.
“Look at you. Boyfriend and everything.”
“It’s good to see you, Lucy.”
“You too, Matt. Confidence looks good on you.”
“You mean I didn’t have confidence back when we were building forts?”
“You mean back when you got Mr. Bun captured? Some second-in-command you were.”
“That wasn’t my fault. He was outnumbered.”
“Sure. Blame the odds. You’ve changed, though. In a good way.”
“Have I?”
“You’re more sure of yourself. But you’re still you.”
Still me. Good thing, right?
The hallway was almost empty now. Just the two of them.
“Well,” he said. “If you’re not busy, maybe you’ll let me buy you a coffee sometime.”
“A coffee?”
She’s enjoying this.
“I figure we’ve got about ten years of catching up to do.”
“Matthew Hartfield. Are you asking me out?”
No backtracking now.
He held her gaze. “What if I am?”
Her composure slipped. Half a second, then it was back. “Then I’d say it’s about time.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He was grinning and didn’t care.
She shook her head, already walking toward the exit. “See you around, Matt.”
“Count on it,” he called after her.
Lucy pushed the bottle back into his hand. “Drink.”
She’s still the same troublemaker. Still that same grin. Still herself.
His eyes dropped to his legs, held there a moment, then back to her.
The only thing that changed is me.
The ache was there. It was always there. But not as loud.
“You’re still brooding,” Lucy said.
“Probably.”
“It’s not the worst look on you.”
The PT called from across the gym. “Break’s over, Matt.”
“In a minute,” he said. Lucy looked at him. He tried a smile. It came easier than he expected.
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