The Fire Inside (32 page)

A rumble of laughter on the right side of the
stage.

Tess squeezed Jack’s arm and he winked at
her.

First off, the kids gave Olive Hennessey a
standing ovation and read her a poem someone had written about
leadership. Then they thanked each instructor individually—Larissa
James for filling in at the last minute, Quinn Frazier for letting
them stop for water when he took them out for Confidence Walks,
Haywood Jenkins for being “stern and supportive.” Tess thought that
was interesting.

“Last but not least, we’d like to thank
Captain Righetti for helping us to understand which of us were
meant to be in the department and what our particular skills are.
As a side note, the
girls
want to give their appreciation
for her
Boys Chat
.

“The captain talked at length about how to
treat female firefighters.” He cleared his throat. “Us guys are
still stinging from that.”

More easy laughter.

Last, Murphy showed some candid photos: he
and Johnson wrestling with a hose full of foam. Anita training as
an EMT, with Jack as her patient during practicals. Landon making
faces in the mirror of a fire truck. And more.

After the levity, the mayors of the
surrounding areas congratulated the class, and the one from Hidden
Cove introduced another speaker. “Next up is the acting fire
department chief, Mitch Malvaso, to present the certificates.”

Mitch, with a huge grin and an easy demeanor,
approached the podium. His quest for the white hat had begun. “I
thank each and every one of you for your dedication and hard work.
You’re about to become members of one of the greatest sister- and
brotherhoods in the world.”

He spoke glowingly of Noah and his part in
the success of the class. Of the battalion chief and the
instructors, from whom he couldn’t have asked for anything more.
And for all firefighters who put their lives on the line for others
every day they came to work.

Then he said, “Class members please stand…
Raise your right hand… Repeat after me. I Firefighter—say your
name—pledge and declare that I will support the constitution of the
United States and of New York State… I will faithfully discharge
the duties of a firefighter at—here say the department you’ll
join—to the best of my ability.”

Huge applause erupted from an audience packed
with proud friends and family, and they clapped again when he
handed out the individual certificates.

As the ceremony ended, Tess was awash with
something she’d never felt before: contentment. Looking at the
recruits, the teachers and the family that had come to celebrate,
Tess shook her head. Who would have thought?

o0o

Jack kept his hand at Tess’s back while they
waited for the recruits to come backstage. “That was the perfect
ceremony, wasn’t it?”

“Almost as perfect as this morning,” she told
him.

“Almost.”

The recruits filtered back in shifts. They
spoke to each teacher, and when they reached Tess and Jack, Anita
Cruz just looked up at them, her eyes teary and slipped her arms
around Tess’s waist for a meaningful hug.

Murphy stepped forward. “I probably shouldn’t
do this but—” He picked Tess up and swirled her in a circle.
“Thanks, Captain Righetti.”

“All right, Murphy. That’s enough.”

Holding on to Tess’s hand, Murphy looked
down. “What’s this?”

“What do you mean, probie?” Jack asked
sternly.

“The captain has a gold ring on her finger
that she never wore before.”

“Oh, that.” Tess shot a glance at Jack.
“Well, yes, it’s because I just got this band this morning.”


“You got married this morning?” Anita could
barely contain herself.

“Uh-huh.”

“Who’s the guy?”

Murphy jumped in. “I know who it is. Let’s
see your left hand, Dr. Harrison.”

Jack held his hand up, facing out, and
grinned. Several of the recruits gasped. Tess laughed out loud.
“You’re thinking he’s going to tell me what all of you said about
me in the RC class, aren’t you?”

“Well,” Johnson mumbled. “You were nicer
after the shooting.”

“I learned from it, too.”

“Besides,” Jack put in, “she needed to know
you were unhappy with her methods. And before you say anything
about the privacy I promised you, I realize now I should have found
a way to let the instructors know how happy or unhappy you were.
I’ve got to think of a way to build in something like that for the
next recruit class.”

The congratulations were hearty. Jack
chuckled when the group broke up and walked away and someone
muttered, “I didn’t think they even
liked
each other.”

He and Tess were about to head out for the
graduation reception at a local restaurant when someone else came
backstage “Hey, you two, I was waiting in the front for you, but
you didn’t come out.” Jack recognized the voice even before they
turned around.

“Congratulations,” Danny Mauro said. He
looked different, dressed in a swank gray suit, tall,
broad-shouldered. His confidence was obvious.

“And to you, too, son.”

Danny sighed. “I’m looking forward to the
fall now.” He went directly to Tess and grasped both her hands.
“Thanks again for everything.”

They spoke more to Danny, then he left them
alone. The two of them walked back through the auditorium and
stopped on the stage, looking at the now-empty seats. “It was some
class, wasn’t it?” Tess remarked.

“Yeah, and Danny came to the graduation.”

“I’m glad he’s taking classes at Notre Dame
instead of waiting a year to go. I’m surprised they let him in
without matriculating.”

“Hmm.”

“You had something to do with that, didn’t
you?”

“I know people. I made some calls. But he got
his scholarship back for next spring all by himself.” Jack added,
“He told me you were the one who made him realize he could fix the
mistakes he made, and he did.”

She sidled up to Jack. “You too, Doc. You
fixed us.”

“Remember that, when we have our first fight
as a married couple.”

Tess went up on tiptoes and gave him a peck
on the cheek. “I decided we aren’t going to fight. We’re just going
to head for the nearest bathroom.” She glanced off to the side.
“Speaking of which…”

“Nope, not today. I plan to carry my
wife
over the threshold of our house properly, lock the
doors, turn off the phones and have her all to myself. There will
be no disturbances today.”

She looped her arms around his neck and
grinned. “Works for me, Doc.”

------

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.

o0o

Dear Readers,

I’m hoping you enjoyed THE FIRE INSIDE, and
that you could experience the events that happened to the
characters along with their emotional responses. I think that’s the
strength of the book. Every time I proofread the scenes where Noah
is dying, I got teary eyed. And, of course, I felt relief after he
recovers. When I reread the shooting incident, I experienced
fear—every time.

Writing Jack’s story was long in coming. He
appears in every book, but you never find out much about him,
except that he’s widowed. I developed his backstory for this novel,
and as always, things changed. I had no idea Sara would be a risk
taker, or Jack had a savior complex. And I’m sure everybody wanted
some sweet woman to make him happy after all he did for the
Malvasos and others. That didn’t happen, either. Suddenly, he was
involved with a not-so-easy-going woman whom he doesn’t like much
at first. I didn’t expect that to occur, but, as I said before, my
characters always react in ways I didn’t anticipate.

Tess was one tough cookie. As a teacher
myself, I could appreciate her need to be stern and disciplined,
but Jack’s argument made sense, too. And, as a teacher, I’m not
sure how I would have felt if the administration set up a group for
my students to vent their feelings about me—and I would never know
what they said. Tess was also complicated. Her life experiences,
particularly in losing her parents and brother, informed most of
her actions. But she grew and changed over the course of the novel.
I let that develop naturally, and I hope I succeeded in portraying
her as a well-rounded character.

This was a hard book to write in that it
addressed some difficult issues about the fire department. I
intended it to be the last in the Hidden Cove Series, but we’ll
have to see. Every six months, I seem to get an urge to write about
my smoke eaters. I could start a new series, I guess.

As always, thanks for reading my work, and
please spread the news if you liked the book.

Best,

Kathy Shay

Visit or Contact Kathryn
at
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If you liked this book, you might want to
post a review of it at Smashwords.

Don’t miss the other books in the Hidden
Cove Firefighter Series.

After The Fire

After being trapped in a fire, the Malvaso brothers
and sister decide to make changes in their lives. Follow Mitch
Malvaso as he struggles to get closer to his kids and out of a
doomed marriage. Jenn, his sister, wants to have a baby and asks
Grady O’Connor, her best friend, to be the father.
Smashwords

On the Line

Fire Chief Noah Callahan and Albany Fire
Investigator Eve Woodward butt heads while she investigates the
cause of accidents at Hidden Cove fire scenes. Who knew they’d fall
in love? And watch Zach Malvaso become the kind of man he wants to
be with feisty firefighter Casey Brennan.
Smashwords

Nothing More to Lose

Injured 9/11 firefighter, Ian Woodward (Eve’s twin),
and a disgraced cop, Rick Ruscio, struggle to salvage their lives
with the help of the women who love them.
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