Souls' Rescue Part 21

"You're being dramatic again." Megan cupped Talia's face with her hands and kissed her. The kiss was nice, but lacked any of the electricity she'd had with Kelly. "I'm going to take care of you. That's not something Kelly would ever do. Besides, you're going to need a lot of looking after for a while. When would someone like her have the time to do that? And what happens when you're recovered? Would she feel that her time as your nursemaid was over and move on? I'm sure she would."

Talia didn't say a word as Megan bustled around the kitchen to make their dinner. She continued a logical diatribe to describe all of Kelly's faults, but her words fell on deaf ears. Talia's stomach hurt, and it dawned on her that she'd made a giant mess out of everything. Without even giving herself the same evaluation she so easily gave to her insurance clients, she had unconsciously headed right back to her old empty, unsatisfactory life, leaving behind any shot of having a new one.

And a new life with Kelly was what her heart craved most.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

KELLY ENTERED RUBY Fruits and took a seat in the back corner booth. She had a wine cooler in one hand and her cell phone in the other. She'd tried calling Talia six times. Once she'd actually connected, but lost the nerve to speak when Megan answered.

Instead, she hung up and called Scott. Despite the fact that it was a lesbian bar, Scott never seemed to have a problem meeting her at Ruby's. He even joked once that they should compete for the same girl and see what happened.

The thought actually crossed her mind, but Kelly would never have the courage to do something like that. Especially not now.

"Hey there, hot stuff. Come here often?" Scott said as he slid in across from her.

"Yeah, and my boyfriend will be here any minute. He's big, mean and will take your head off so you better get out of here."

"Tough guy, huh?" Scott took the bottle from her and took a big gulp. "I'll kick his a.s.s. d.a.m.n, that's warm. How long you been sitting here?"

Kelly shrugged. "Not sure. You know I don't drink that much."

"But you could have at least had another one by now, huh." He finished the little bit left and raised two fingers to ask the bartender for more. "There you go," he said, as the bartender delivered the bottles to the table. "Now you've got something to hold in your hand for the next few hours."

"Smart a.s.s." Kelly said, but took a sip of the fresh bottle. It tasted bitter, with an aftertaste of disappointment.

"Smart and pretty. Now tell your old buddy Scott what's going on."

As Kelly peeled the label off the new bottle, she recounted everything that had happened between her, Talia, and Megan. "She was ready to call the cops on me. I'm not so sure Talia would have stopped her so I left."

"But she did kiss you back, right?"

"Yes, but that's not the point."

"But it is," Scott said. He leaned closer to her. "She likes you. Maybe even loves you. You've just got to get her to see that."

"Gee thanks, Einstein. Now that you've told me what I already know, care to impart some actual helpful information?"

"Ouch, and she bites, too." Scott slid dramatically along the bench seat away from Kelly. "If she kissed you back, then she's still into you, but she's got that Megan b.i.t.c.h talking smack into her ear. You just need to talk sweetly into the other ear. She'll figure things out and come back to you."

"It's that easy?"

"Nope." He finished his bottle and ordered another one. "It's never that easy. But the payoff sure is sweet."

"It sure would be." If she could get Talia to listen to her. Maybe she could call Jacob and get his help?

"I've got an idea." He put the bottle down and stood. "See those two chicks at the pool table?"

"Yes."

"Let's go kick their a.s.ses. It'll make you feel better."

"You're not drunk enough to kick anyone's a.s.s, Sanderson, and certainly not those two d.y.k.es."

Scott winked at her. "I don't need to be. You do."

"You're gonna get your a.s.s handed to you."

He ignored her, rubbed his hands together and headed for the pool table. "Okay ladies, who's up for some a.s.s kickin'?"

KELLY LEANED AGAINST the frame of the fire bay door and stared at the traffic flowing past the station. She didn't pay particular attention to any one car, but watching the flow kept her mind both busy and empty. Kelly couldn't remember feeling so unsettled and out of sorts before. She'd had few serious relationships and the one with Janine had lasted less than a year. When that one ended, she'd been glad because it was more than clear that she and Janine weren't right for each other.

Last night she'd been sure that trying to see Talia was the right thing to do. If she could be alone with her again, touch her again, then Talia would know she was for real. Today, however, Kelly didn't feel so sure and had put off calling Jacob to enlist help.

Kelly sucked in a deep breath of the warm July air. She had to settle down and get her head back where it needed to be. She couldn't afford to be off when someone else's life might depend on her.

"McCoy, you have a visitor," Jimmy yelled to her from the other side of the station.

She figured it was a salesman or the Jehovah's Witnesses. They'd been canva.s.sing the neighborhood lately, and her fellow firefighters loved to stick each other with a tiresome sales pitch. She stopped mid-stride when she saw who it was. Jacob, looking every bit the part of a high priced lawyer in his perfectly pressed suit, carefully made his way around one of the trucks. A lump rose to her throat, and suddenly she had trouble breathing. Something must have happened to Talia.

The cranky look on Jacob's face put her fears at ease at once, but also made Kelly want to back away. He was p.i.s.sed and stalking toward Kelly until the wall was at her back.

He said, "What the h.e.l.l did you say to her?"

"Uh, h.e.l.lo, Jacob." Over Jacob's shoulder, Kelly saw Scott hurrying toward them, a concerned expression on his face. She waved him off, but he lingered near the pump truck, looking as though he was worried that Jacob was going to hit her. Kelly wasn't so sure she didn't deserve it.

"Just tell me what you said, Kelly."

"Let's go outside with this." Kelly led him to a more private area around the side of the building. "I don't know."

"What don't you know?"

"I don't know what I said to her." Kelly took a deep breath and waited for Jacob to speak. When he was silent, she continued. "Two weeks ago I had a seriously bad work night, and I forgot to call her back. She left a ton of messages on my voicemail. When I did call her the next day she was telling me it's been fun, don't come back, thanks, and goodbye."

Jacob folded his arms across his chest. The look on his face was less severe, but Kelly didn't think he believed her. "That's not exactly what she said."

"Really? I hate to tell you, but that's it in a nutsh.e.l.l. Bottom line is she doesn't want me around. I don't know why. I just know that it hurts like h.e.l.l." Kelly scrubbed her face with one hand. "If you came here to lash out at me, go ahead. I probably deserve it."

"She said you came to her apartment the other day."

"I did."

"And that you told her you love her."

Kelly looked at the ground. "Yes. And I do love her."

"I sort of figured that, but Talia said you didn't feel the same way about her that she feels about you. She says you don't have time for and has this delusion that you're only saying that to get back together."

"That's ridiculous." Kelly said. "I care about her. I want to get to know her better. How could she think that? I'd never have said I loved her if I didn't mean it."

"I don't doubt that. That d.a.m.n Megan stepped back into her life, and now I can barely get a word alone with Talia. That hag is always there."

"She's a real b.i.t.c.h. Why is Talia with her? And what's the story with this Megan chick anyway? Talia never told me much about her other than they broke up after being together a long time. She sounded happy to be rid of her."

"Megan hooked up with Talia after she got home from college. They were together for ten years. Ten years of Talia's life when I didn't have much contact with her."

"I thought you and Talia were best friends?"

"We are. Always have been, but Megan didn't like Talia being close to someone else. She's a controlling, overbearing b.i.t.c.h. But Talia and I kept up with each other through emails and birthday, Valentine's Day, and Christmas cards. It was hard to see her. She just did whatever Megan wanted. Megan had her convinced no one else would ever want her.

"But Colette was elated. If Talia had to be gay, she was glad she'd picked someone like Megan."

"So Mrs. Stoddard is okay with the gay part as long as it's Megan?" Kelly had a hard time believing that. "What's so special about Megan? Sounds to me like she doesn't even like Talia and she treated her like s.h.i.t."

"She did. But I think part of Talia still cares about her and believe me, Megan Brugges is a very sweet talker. She was Talia's first real love and maybe Megan loved her too. Or loves her. I don't know.

"You don't beat up on someone you love."

"Megan is the Mistress of Manipulation. I honestly never understood what she saw in Talia. I mean, Talia just doesn't seem like the type that Megan would go for."

"You mean as in going for a big woman?"

Jacob nodded. "I love Talia and she's pretty, but she's not a beautiful woman in the physical sense."

"I think you're wrong there. I'm attracted to her. I see the beautiful woman she is," Kelly said. "Some people like big women."

"I believe you. But I think Megan just saw a chance to dominate someone and she did. And now she's back poisoning Talia again. Kelly, you've got to get to Talia. Make her talk to you."

"Well, I-"

The alarm bells rang and Kelly stiffened, then rushed into the station house with Jacob trailing behind.

The dispatcher's voice was calm. "Fully involved structure fire, West and Elm at the old Kroger Warehouse." The dispatcher continued with a list of units to respond, including Kelly's engine.

"Gotta go, Jacob. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Sure." He stepped back in time to miss being Scott running over on his way to get his gear.

Kelly got ready and beat Scott by a few seconds into the cab. He sat across from her. Before she could connect the first strap of her air pack, he grabbed her hand. "Hey. You okay?"

"Of course. Why?"

"Because you look upset," Scott said. He let go of her hand and pointed to her face. "I know tears threatening when I see them."

"I'm fine, Scott. Let it go."

"Keep your eye on the ball, partner."

Kelly adjusted the harness for her air pack and looked out the window. Their station was just a few blocks from the warehouse, and thick black smoke already filled the sky. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach, one of those premonitions that told her the call was going to be bad. She hadn't felt that stomach-dropping sensation since the call at the Winchester Building when she'd rescued Talia. .

She thought about Talia and the last time they'd kissed. It wasn't supposed to be a kiss goodbye, but now Kelly wondered if it was exactly that.

The engine came to a quick stop and Scott jumped out of the cab. Kelly followed him, put on her breathing mask, looped her arm through the folded hose line hanging from the truck, and put her mind on the job.

Chapter Twenty-Five.

TALIA PACED THE apartment, wondering if she was going to wear down the carpet with her crutches. She couldn't sit, because sitting made her leg stiff. Walking was giving her an ache in her thigh and her arms felt heavy and sore, and if she were to lie down, she'd fall asleep from boredom.

Twice today, she'd picked up her cell phone to call Kelly. Twice she'd put it back down, unable to dial the number. Megan had left a few hours earlier to take Colette to the airport. It didn't surprise Talia that Megan was the only person who could talk her mother into going home, although Megan had promised Colette that they would be following her in a few weeks. They? Did Talia want to go home?

Kelly was here. Jacob was here. Why would she want to go home to DC? A few weeks ago she'd fought the idea to the point of Jacob making sure her mother wasn't didn't enter her apartment. But now? Now she was considering it. Jacob would kill her if she returned to DC. Besides, they'd gotten even closer than ever since she'd moved to Cincinnati and she'd miss him terribly.

Moving just didn't seem like an option. Would Megan want to stay here? Did she even want Megan to stay with her?

"Dammit!" Talia slumped onto the couch and tossed the crutches to the floor. Her head was so full of conflicting thoughts that she needed a distraction. Megan wasn't due back for a while, so she turned on the television.

One of those sweet love stories staring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan was on. She was about to change the channel when a newscaster cut in with a story about a warehouse fire.

THEY HAD BEEN working the warehouse fire for more than an hour. Kelly was getting a fresh bottle of air when Jimmy found her. "I need you on the RIT team. Old Man Scott's in rehab because his blood pressure is up."

"I told him to stop after his second bottle, but he wouldn't listen. Stubborn b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Kelly said. She thanked the engineer for the fresh tank. "Where do you need me, Jimmy?"

"On the east entrance. Got a guy over there now waiting to relieve the other team." Jimmy tapped her helmet a couple times. "Be careful, Munchkin."

"Yes, boss." Kelly picked up her gear and jogged to the next a.s.signment. As part of the RIT, or Rapid Intervention Team, it would be her job to help get any firefighters out of the building if they got into trouble. She shifted a Hux Tool bar to her right hand and tapped the shoulder of the man standing at the door to let him know she was there.

She wasn't expecting to see Jason Burke turn around to greet her. "Nice. They put me on a RIT team with the weak little d.y.k.e."

"f.u.c.k you, Burke. Just do your d.a.m.n job."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll take care of anyone that needs help. You just stand back and let the man do the work."

Kelly wanted to reply, but that would be useless. Burke was a complete a.s.shole and nothing she said would make a difference.