Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4) (2 page)

Chapter Two

Megan placed the chart in the file drawer after she
finished with the last patient for the day. She stretched her arms over her
head and yawned. “This has been a long day. I’m ready to go home and relax in a
warm bath.”

 Gabrielle looked over at her and said, “Megan, when are
you going to stop the madness?  It’s been four months since you kicked Ryan out
of the house, and you’ve only been married four years. You don’t want a
divorce, and this is not how you hold onto a marriage.”

“I know I don’t want a divorce, but Ryan has left me no
choice. Hell, I’ll admit I’m miserable without him.”

“He is miserable without you. Let him come home, Megan.
You know you want your husband back. If you go through with this divorce, some
other woman will take him away from you for good.”

Megan moved the chair away from the desk and stood up. “He
realizes what he is losing and isn’t willing to work with me to save our
marriage.  So, I have to assume he doesn’t care or want it anymore.”

“Put yourself in his shoes, Megan.  He started a whole new
career and began to love life again. Threatening him with a divorce is not how
you get your way.”

“Gabby, I know you think I’m petty and childish. Hell, I
feel it in me when we fight. The conversation will start out on a decent note
then turn into an argument because I can’t keep his job out of it no matter how
hard I try.”

“If you want the arguments to stop, then stop making him
defend his decision about joining the fire department. I don’t know if you are
aware of this or not, but firefighters hold in a lot of emotions. It takes a
lot to break them down, but once they do, it comes out at once. Ryan was not
born with the firefighter mentality like the others at Station 30, but he will
adopt it eventually. He saves lives now, Megan. He isn’t sitting behind a desk
grading papers anymore. This is real what you’re doing to him, and it will
affect his work.”

“Gabby, I’ve been trying for years to deal with this. The
sleepless nights, jumping every time my phone rings when he’s at work; I can’t
do it anymore.  I’m losing my sanity.  His decision has had an adverse effect
on me, and he doesn’t care.”

Gabrielle hung her lab coat on the hook behind the door
and turned to her. “No, I disagree. You’re messing with his head hoping to make
him see things your way.  We work in a hospital and see death. Unfortunately,
we don’t see death the way firefighters see it.  Imagine having to run into a
burning structure to look for victims dead or alive. Having to reassure those
victims, who are barely holding onto life by a thread, that everything is going
to be alright.  Megan, he is comforting the nerves of these victims and doesn’t
know if he’ll survive.”

Megan crossed her arms over her chest. “Who will be there
for me if he dies, Gabby? I’m sure I’m the last person he is thinking about
when the adrenaline is flowing through his veins as he rushes to battle a fire
or save a life.”

 Gabrielle shook her head. “You’re looking for an excuse
to justify ending your marriage.  I’m not going to agree with you on this.  I
thank God every time I hear Jon’s car in the driveway or when I don’t get a
call while I’m here at the hospital telling me he’s been hurt.  You need to
support your husband and let him know you have his back. Let him know that
you’ll be there for him just like you were there for him when he was on trial.”

The sting of Gabrielle’s words smacked her in the face.
She and Gabrielle weren’t best friends, but they were friends. They socialized
together since both were married to firefighters that happened to be related.
They also attended the same functions for the firehouse and functions through
their work at the hospital. Megan was also grateful to Gabrielle for letting
her work in the Respiratory Department while waiting for a permanent nursing
position. She had been working as a floater, covering for other nurses when
needed. At best, she would get three days a week and a weekend or two. However,
the hospital was at full staff, and she barely got the one or two days a week
before Gabrielle offered her work in her department. The respiratory lab didn’t
require a nurse, but she was thankful to have the learning experience.

“I do thank God for that too, Gabrielle. He was a teacher
when I met him. He had been doing it for years and seemed to love it.  Then he
quit because he didn’t want to return to a job that doubted his character.  I
tried to support him when he was accepted at the fire academy even though I was
the last to know he had applied.  And I know it was bad to pray he would fail
the tests. When he aced every test, I faked happiness.  As the years passed, he
became absorbed with the firehouse and started to lose interest in me.  What
was I supposed to do, continue to fake that everything was great when I was
actually freaking miserable?”

“That isn’t my call, Megan.  My advice is to stop with the
threats of divorce unless you’re serious about getting one.  You’ve only been
married four years. You’re aware that the type of marriage you have requires
doubling the effort from both of you to make it work as it is. Now that he has
a dangerous job, it adds more pressure.  So yes, I feel your pain.”

Megan rolled her eyes. “I’m bi-racial, Gabby.  My mother
is white, and my dad is black. I’ve heard all the nasty comments and gotten the
dirty looks from people when we went out together as a family.  I’ve lived
through the kinky hair jokes and the remarks about how my skin is too dark to
be half-white. I’ve learned over the years to shut any negativity regarding my
race out. Ryan’s damn job, however, is testing my strength. I’m losing the
battle.”

“Megan, you’re adding the extra pressure by hating his
job. Why is it so hard for you to mellow out and relax? This is just the
beginning; there is going to be so much more thrown in your path that you have
to dodge. This is a test of strength. If you put your mind to it, you’ll learn
to deal with it.”

Megan huffed and pouted. “I hate his job, period. My
primary concern is Ryan’s safety. Second, I want him to realize I exist and to
stop putting me to the side.”

“He will be fine. They know how to protect themselves and
each other. And, if you feel he is putting you second, it’s because you’re the
one keeping him at bay. You can’t hold all the power, sugar. Talk to Ryan and
find a way to have a decent and productive conversation that will save your
marriage.”

“He had the opportunity to talk to me last week. We were
supposed to have lunch together and discuss the divorce, but he canceled to do
a training exercise with another firefighter.” Megan frowned. “That showed me
how much he wants our marriage to work.”

Gabrielle didn’t respond to Megan as Pam walked through
the doors of the respiratory department. She took her jacket off the hook and
slipped it on. “Pam is here. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Promise you’ll think
about what I said.”

“I’ll think about what you said, but I won’t make any
promises.” Megan greeted Pam with a smile and a wave. “Hi, Pam.”

“Hi, Megan,” Pam replied smiling. “Are you joining us for
drinks tonight at Illuminations?” Megan shook her head tossing about her long,
bronze curls with blonde highlights. Being born bi-racial didn’t automatically
mean her hair would be silky and long like her mother’s or her brother
Connor's, who was five years older. Her hair was on the kinky side, and she
relaxed it in order to manage it better. Recently, her stylist convinced her to
go natural and omit the chemicals.  So far, she loved the look of her natural
curls and ability to manage her hair without the harsh relaxers.

Megan Jones Tisdale, 25 years of age, stood 5’5” tall
barefooted.  Once she hit puberty, she loved she was not a petite woman but
curvy with full hips and breasts and shapely legs; she was proud of her
figure.  She was a die-hard foodie and loved eating.  However, lately with the
stress of the separation, she had lost an unhealthy amount of weight.  People
were asking if she was sick.

“No, I won’t be joining girls’ night out tonight, Pam. 
I’m not in the mood, and I don’t want my bummer attitude to put a damper on
everyone else’s fun.”

Pam put her arm gently around Megan’s shoulder and drew
her close. “Sweetie, we are a family in this department.  When one of us hurt,
we all feel it.  I can’t speak for Gabby, but I’m not about to let you sit at
home tonight and cry in front of the television.”

Megan joked, “Are you suggesting I cry in front of you
instead?”

“I rent my shoulder out by the hour, sweetheart.
Seriously, we want to help you through this trying time, Megan.  Look at you. 
You’re beautiful, young, vivacious, caring, smart, educated…. Should I go on or
do you get the picture?”

Megan removed her purse from the drawer and slipped the
strap over her shoulder. “It’s nice to hear those compliments, but I get what
you’re saying.  You and Gabby think I’m a spoiled brat.”

Pam shook her head. “No, no, no…yeah, that is exactly what
I think. Honey, you married a man older than you and you feel the fire is dying
since he has other things occupying his mind. All marriages go through that
phase, Megan. And the cause can happen due to a career change, illnesses, or
just a couple growing apart. I’m not married to a firefighter, but I have been
around enough of them to know they are just like us.  They are complicated,
moody, and silent at times, but they need love too. Girl, show your man some
love and the fire will reignite before you know it.”

 After turning off the light in the office, the three
women walked through the waiting room of the department. Megan sighed. “It’s
not because he is older than I am. I married a teacher. Ryan is not the same
person I married since he became a firefighter.”

Pam paused in the doorway. “See, this is a discussion we
should be having with drinks sitting in front of us.  I know I could use a good
strong drink after a long hard week. How about you, Gabby?  Don’t you feel the
same?”

 Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders. “It has been a strange
week. Plus, with Jon working tonight, and the kids with my mother in Africa for
the summer, I’m looking forward to a little me time tonight.”

Pam threw up her hands. “It’s official! We’re going out,
and you’re coming along.  We’ll drink and do some trash talking and maybe enjoy
the eye candy that might happen to be in the bar.”

“Pam, you’re crazy.  I’m not trying to pick up any men;
I’m still a married woman,” Megan huffed.

 “You’re not breaking any rules. We’re going to do what
men do and look at the beautiful packaging, but not open the gift.”

Megan rolled her eyes before giving into Pam’s insistent
nagging. “Fine, I’ll go.  Dressed in scrubs, I won’t get approached by a man
anyhow.”

Pam checked her watch. “We have enough time to go home,
change, and not pay a cover charge at Illuminations.”

Chapter Three

Megan admired her image in the mirror.  The lavender
sundress with small yellow flowers was the perfect outfit for a warm summer
night.  The thin spaghetti strapped dress allowed her to show off her smooth
skin, sleek arms and the fit complimented her figure. The length was just right
as the hem fell an inch above her knees not letting any of her thighs show. 
Although, she had separated from Ryan, she would not disrespect their marriage
by pretending to be single and flaunt herself in front of other men.  She was
not on the prowl and did not want to attract the attention of another man.  She
loved Ryan and wished there was a way to save her marriage.

Sitting on the bed, she put on her sandals. Her eye caught
the picture sitting on the dresser.  With a heavy heart, Megan walked over to
the dresser and picked it up.  Her jaw clenched as she choked back her
emotions.  If she started crying now, there would be no going out tonight.  Her
finger traced over the wedding photo.  Ryan was a handsome man, and no one
would guess he was nearly ten years older than she was.  His masculine features
attracted her to him in the beginning.

Megan had seen Ryan walking his dog in the park on more
than one occasion.  She just never had the guts to bring herself to approach
him until she tried to capture the runaway dog that knocked her down and
playfully licked her face until the owner pulled him off her.

Ryan apologized profusely and offered to have her blouse
cleaned.  When Megan refused, he insisted she let him buy her dinner.  Megan
agreed and from there they became friends before becoming lovers.  The high
school history teacher that also coached girls’ softball for the local
community center was everything she imagined he’d be; strong, smart, sexy, and
a skilled but demanding lover.

Their whirlwind romance was cut short when a female
student accused Ryan of being inappropriate with her during a detention class
he was monitoring.  There weren’t any other students or teachers in the
classroom when this supposedly happened, so it was his word against hers.

If it weren't for a popular defense attorney taking over
Ryan’s case from a public defender, he would be in jail today. Ryan had spent
five days in jail before his attorney found enough evidence to force the judge
to order his release. As they prepared for trial, the Ohio Department of
Education stripped Ryan of his teaching license, and the school board fired
him.  As the newlywed couple endured questioning from the FBI and watched as
prosecutors stated on the news Ryan’s guilt and regarded him a sex offender and
pedophile, he slipped further into depression.  The rumors ran amok and turned
to personal attacks.  Their house had been tagged with hateful graffiti and
Ryan’s beloved dog Sparky, mysteriously disappeared from the backyard.  To this
day, the dog has not been found.

As the trial commenced, Attorney Mitchell got the young
girl to confess during an intense cross-examination.  He didn’t take into
consideration her age or her tears as he hammered away at her story to get to
the truth.  If she had not confessed, the facts proved the 17-year-old teenager
lied about Ryan pinning her against a desk in an attempt to have sex with her. 
What had actually happened was Ryan threatened to expose her for soliciting
him.  As the attorney dug into the history of the girl, he found it was not the
first time she had attempted to discredit a male teacher for refusing her
advances.  Ryan was immediately acquitted and reinstated with full restitution.

Ryan’s embrace followed by the sweet I love you he whispered
in Megan’s ear when the judge dismissed the case led her to believe their lives
would return to normal.

Megan felt warm tears run down her face.  She quickly
wiped them away remembering that Ryan could be stubborn and steadfast in his
ways.  She learned that after his trial ended. Maybe it was right for him to
resign as a way to keep his dignity. The friction in their marriage was 90% her
fault but with good reason.  Megan was nearing graduation from college and not
working. She began to feel their strong emotional attachment crumble as they
struggled to keep what little they had.  Her father would slip her money to put
food on the table and pay the mortgage. But her mother did the opposite and did
nothing but complain. Iona didn’t trust Ryan. She felt he’d gotten his use from
his young trophy wife and didn’t need her to stand by his side now that the
soul-ripping trial was over.

The doorbell rang drawing her back to the present.  Dread
fell on her shoulders as she took a deep breath before leaving the bedroom.  If
Pam were at the door after she said she would meet them at the club, she would
give her a piece of her mind. Pam was determined to make her leave the house
tonight if she had to drag her kicking and screaming by the hair.

Megan went to open the front door.  Their house was a
ranch style home with the master bedroom off the kitchen and another bedroom
adjacent to the laundry room that she planned to turn into a nursery when that
day arrived.  However, now it was just a spare bedroom since the baby deal was
off the table indefinitely.

The medium-sized living room was a mixture of their
taste.  While Megan's taste in style was more contemporary, Ryan's taste leaned
towards modern.  Therefore, modern art decorated the walls and contemporary
furniture made out the rest of the room. Ryan had converted part of the two-car
garage into a gym and parked his late-model Dodge Charger outside letting her
have the extra parking space for her car.

Megan paused and ran her hands down the front of her
dress.  She opened the door to find Ryan standing there. She swallowed and
asked. “Ryan. What are you doing here?”

“Why did you change the lock, Megan?” Ryan asked dropping
his duffel bag between his feet.

Baffled he had caught her off guard, Megan had to
constrain her heart from exploding inside her chest.  If he had that effect on
her after years of marriage, she could only imagine how other women, who didn’t
know him, saw him.

 “I didn’t change the lock on purpose.  I jammed the wrong
key inside the lock and broke it off.  I had to replace it.”

“You should have called me; I could have fixed it.” His
eyes roam over her and then cut away. “Are you going out?”

Megan shuddered from his eyes tracing the length of her
body. The look on his face told her what he was thinking, but he was wrong.
“Yes.”

His brow lifted. “You have a date?”

“No, I don’t have a date. I’m going out with Gabrielle and
Pam. Anyhow, why am I explaining to you what I’m doing? What are you doing
here?”  Her tone of voice became defensive.

“I do pay the mortgage here.  Besides, I’ve imposed on Jon
long enough.  I’ll stay in the spare bedroom unless you want to leave this
time?”

She rolled her neck biting back, “I’m not going anywhere. 
We’ll just have to make the best of it.”  She started to walk away and turned
around. “And another thing, I help pay the mortgage and bills around here too. 
I’m not a freeloader that doesn’t contribute to the household.”

Ryan dropped his head. “I didn’t mean to offend you,
Megan.”

“Yes, you did.  The coldness in your eyes speaks a lot
louder than your mouth.”

He put his hands on his hips. “Why can’t we have a
discussion without it turning into an argument?”

“I’ve tried that and you shut down.  The only way you
listen to me is if we are arguing.”

“I can’t deal with this, Megan! I’m not the type of guy
that lives my life this way. I didn’t get married to butt heads with my wife
because she thinks I’m an idiot for making a change in my life after a near
disaster.  You should find another man that likes to do this shit. And looking
at the way you’re dressed, I’m sure you won’t have a problem finding one to
replace me.”

Megan’s bottom lip quivered. “This is a new record. 
You’ve been in the house two minutes, and the gloves are off.  You must have
missed this over at Jon’s house.”

Ryan sat on the couch. “I’ll admit it is peaceful over
there.  They don’t argue like we do.  You need to grow up and stop letting it
always be about you for a change.”

“Really, Ryan! It’s always about you and what you want. My
input doesn’t mean a damn thing. I’m just supposed to take it and keep my mouth
shut in the process.”

“In this case, yes, you should! I was not going back to
that school and be ridiculed.  I have my fucking pride.  As my wife, you should
understand that and support me.  But you don’t! Instead, you’re trying to make
me feel guilty for taking a negative situation and turning it into a positive
one.”

Frustrated, Megan balled her fists at her side. “Your
pride remained intact, Ryan.  As for your new positive, I hate it. Don’t get me
wrong, I respect firefighters, but it is a dangerous job.  I can’t be like
Gabby and not worry about you.  So, no, I can’t get on board with your new
career because it scares the hell out of me. I don’t want to get that call
telling me I’m a widow.”

Ryan stood up and faced her. “It seems we are at a
standstill.  I love you, but I also love my job.  It’s unfair you want me to
choose which is more important to me.  Marriage is supposed to be about
compromising, Megan. We talk it out and make decisions together based on what
is best for the both of us.”

“In a typical marriage that’s how it works.  However, you
didn’t do any of that with me.  I didn’t think you were serious until you
informed me you were accepted at the fire department.”

Ryan rubbed his chin and looked at her with a steely
glare. “Well, I guess it’s over because I’m not quitting.”

Megan nodded her head. “My mother was right when she said
you only needed me to get you through the trial. I told her she was wrong and
that you appreciated everything I sacrificed for you because you love me.”

Ryan cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes. “I
do love you, Megan.  I appreciate everything you did for me during the trial
and before that.”

 “Good because my sacrifices cost me a lot.”

“What are you talking about? What price did you pay that
I’m not aware of?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “Nothing.  I have to go.  I’m
supposed to meet the girls in twenty minutes.” He reached for her, and she
twisted away from his reach. “I’m done talking to you about this.  This is your
house, and you have every right to stay here so I won’t ask you to leave again.
I’ll be by to get my things tomorrow and move in with my parents until I can
afford a place of my own.”

“Megan, don’t walk out that door, please,” Ryan pleaded.

Megan took her purse off the coat hook and hurried out of
the house.  The warm night air made it hard for her to breathe.  She fumbled
for the car keys in her purse; her tears fell harder. Unlocking the car door,
she got in and backed from the garage.  She looked up and saw Ryan standing in
the doorway, his broad shoulders slumped.  Straightening the car, she pressed
on the accelerator and drove away.

Twenty minutes later Megan drove down the tree-lined
street she grew up on.  As she got closer to the Colonial brick house with its
immaculate lawns and neatly trimmed shrubs, she saw an expensive red sports car
parked in the driveway. She knew her father was out of town on business and
Connor wasn’t expected to come home for a visit until Thanksgiving.

I wonder who Mom is entertaining
. She pressed on
the brake bringing the car to a stop across the street from the house. 
Maybe
it was a mistake to come here
, she thought. Blowing off girls’ night to cry
on her mother’s shoulder about her impending divorce would only add salt to her
wounds.  Iona was not a fan of Ryan’s, and it didn’t matter that he treated her
daughter like a queen, Iona still found him unsuitable for her daughter.

Megan lowered the visor to look in the mirror.  The dark
circles under her eyes and smeared makeup would be a sure indicator to Iona
that she’d been crying.  Opening her purse she removed a compact to fix her
makeup.  She added extra concealer under her eyes and touched up her lips with
gloss. Fingering the curls of her hair she closed the visor and got out of the
car.  She wanted to look presentable before entering the house and facing
whatever company Iona had.

Walking up the front walkway, Megan smelled the aroma of
grilled food hanging in the air.  Her stomach growled as she inhaled.  She had
eaten a light breakfast but skipped lunch.  She and Gabrielle were busy, and it
didn’t ease up until the end of the day.  She rubbed her stomach to calm the
grumbling. Her dad was the grill master while her mom did the side dishes and
decorated the deck for the party’s occasion.

James Jones was a quiet man that operated a successful
corporate consultant business.  He graduated from Ohio State with an MBA and
started his consultant business with one other partner in a converted
storefront. Iona came to work for them as a temporary secretary.  In a few
years, the office space for Jones Consultants took up three floors in TowerCity
and had over 100 employees on the payroll and Iona had become his wife.  He
decided to expand his business and opened a smaller office in Miami, Florida. 
Connor, who also earned an MBA, operates that office.

The Jones’ children were encouraged early in age to do
great things with their lives.  Although, Iona quit working to be a
stay-at-home mom, she was very involved in their school and any outside
activities. She was a Den Mother for Megan’s Girl’s Scout troop and a soccer
mom for Connor’s soccer team.  Iona James was a known face in the community,
and everyone loved her, including Emin Grigorian, who was sort of like a
boyfriend.

Megan pushed open the tall wooden fence that led to the
backyard.  The yard was aglow from the tiny white lights that outlined the
deck.  The music was low enough so it wouldn’t disturb the neighbors.  The
light smoke coming from the built-in barbecue pit smelled of grilled steak and
vegetables.  The standard fare when her father grilled.