Author: A. D. Ellis
Category: LGBT
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/a-d-ellis/page,2,592194-yearn.html
Great, now he thinks we’re going to talk?
“After I left Bellville, I did the whole college thing, but much to my parents’ chagrin, I got my degree and never looked back. They wanted me to get my masters and my doctorate, but I knew academia wasn’t for me. I knew I wanted to get into fashion design, but I also knew that one didn’t just walk into that field without either really good luck or a lot of persistence—or both—so I became an EMT. Figured I could work at something I enjoyed and still have time for creating and pushing my designs,” Dre rattled on.
“Why are you telling me this? Is there a point somewhere?” I didn’t give a shit about Dre’s past. Although, I hadn’t been at all surprised when I learned he was working to get into fashion. Seemed a waste that he’d only gone as far as EMT when he could have done a little more work and become a paramedic. But what did I care? If he wanted to work as an EMT while getting his foot in the door as a fashion designer, what did it matter to me?
It didn’t and I needed to remember that.
Dre smiled—and I ignored the fact that it could still warm my blood—and waved a hand about while he continued. Dre was always talking with his hands—a trait that bordered right at the line of endearing and obnoxious. I took it as obnoxious and another reason to be annoyed by him at all times. “Right, the point. The point is, I worked on a few ambulance crews before I ended up at Aunt Bev’s. Julia is tough, but she’s good.”
He wasn’t wrong. I’d worked on several crews and this one—although smaller than many I’d worked on—ran like a well-oiled machine and it was likely due to the chief and our deputy chief—our immediate boss, Julia—but that didn’t mean I was going to tell him he was right. “I don’t care if she’s the best boss in the history of bosses. I don’t like being called into a meeting with her without some sort of heads up as to what it’s about. Being there with you makes it even worse.”
Dre opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but snapped it shut. “Yeah, hopefully it’s over quick and isn’t too painful.”
Trepidation churned in my gut. I’d gotten perfect monthly reviews since starting with the Remington ambulance crew. But I knew Dre also got perfect reviews. It wasn’t like we were competing against each other. As a paramedic, I was the one with more training and experience. Sure, EMTs were important, but…whatever, that wasn’t the point.
Would we be called in together if one of us were being fired? We were both the newest on the crew, but would they fire us both? No, that was ridiculous, there was no reason to think an EMT and a paramedic, both with stellar on-the-job performance reviews, would be let go.
Right?
I wouldn’t ever wish for someone to lose their job, but Dre had his aunt and his fashion to fall back on—he’d rebound, I was sure. I’d once thought his parents would be there as support, but I’d learned through hearsay in the house and from Gabby that Dre’s parents disowned him when he eventually—only recently—came out. Which was what had brought him to Bev’s Remington Place.
But I needed this job. I needed the room at Bev’s with the super low rent while I rebuilt my life. I didn’t plan to stay in Remington forever, but I needed time to lick my wounds, heal my heart, get my head on straight, and pick myself up, ready to face the rest of my life after the shit with Blaine nearly knocked me down for good.
You know Dre makes less than you, he probably needs the job just as much.
I gritted my teeth. Why did I give a fuck?
Whatever, it didn’t matter. We weren’t being fired because that would make zero sense.
“So, you don’t have any guesses?” Dre pushed the subject again.
“No,” I bit out. “If I did, none of them would be good. No reason to contemplate the unknown. We’ll be there in a bit and find out then.”
Dre sighed. “None of them good?”
“You really think she’s going to call us into a Sunday meeting to tell us anything that isn’t shitty?” I sneered at Dre and rolled my eyes.
His eyes flashed with worry and anger before he shrugged.
My phone buzzed just as I noticed Dre checking his as well. With a quick glance at the screen, I saw it was from the deputy chief. Not about to read a text while driving—I saw way too many wrecks from texting behind the wheel—I threw a look toward Dre. “You get a text from Julia?”
Dre sighed. “Yeah. She’s pushing the meeting back because she needs us to pick up some supplies.”
“The fuck? She messes with my Sunday and now she wants me to be her delivery boy?” My damn molars were going to be nubs by the time this day was over.
“The fire station and the hospital, they’ve both got supplies for us she doesn’t want to wait on.” Dre shrugged. “I guess we need to take a little detour.”
I pulled up at the hospital a bit later and all but jumped from the car. I needed out of the small space, needed to stretch my legs. Needed away from Dre.
When I returned with the supplies Julia wanted, I found Dre leaning against the car. “Come on, let’s go. We don’t have all day.”
“So, you can stretch but I’m not allowed. Got it,” Dre deadpanned as he climbed into the car.
“You ever notice how high and mighty the damn nurses are?” I asked—because my irritation at the nurse I’d just dealt with outweighed my annoyance at Dre for the time being—as I started the engine.
Dre chuckled. “Kinda like how high and mighty the paramedics are to us lowly EMTs?”
I shot him a look. “No, the nurses are just so…full of themselves? Looking down their noses all the time. I could do CPR in circles around an RN, run a code better than they ever could. Need meds pushed? Who needs a doctor’s order? Not me, oh but the nurse does.”
“You’re talking in generalities, but I get what you’re saying. Why do you think some hospitals hire paramedics for the ER and ICU rather than nurses? You’re cheap and you’re good at what you do.” Dre shook his head. “But I gotta tell you—from my personal experience—what you feel toward the nurses? That’s what EMTs feel toward paramedics.”
I sneered. “I’m not as bad as a nurse.”
Dre scoffed. “Maybe not you personally, but in general, yeah, you are. Just like doctors think they’re better than nurses, nurses think they’re better than paramedics, paramedics think they’re better than EMTs. There are more stops in that hierarchy, but you get my point.” He checked his phone. “Fire station next. We’re good on time.”
I pulled the car to a stop at the neighboring fire station a few minutes later. We were in the same county so under some of the same jurisdiction even though our Remington station ran fairly independently for the most part. But we’d share supplies from time-to-time and often the bigger orders would get sent to the bigger station which left us having to pick up what we needed or wait for them to make a drive to Remington.
By the time Dre came out with the supplies, I was itching to get to our meeting and be done with it. Better to get the bad news and move on.
“Coffee?” Dre asked. “We’ve got time.”
“Nah.” I was already jittery, didn’t need to add to it.
Dre huffed. “Can you please swing through Starbucks so I can get something? I’ll get one for Julia, too.”
I took a deep breath and fought the urge to tell him no, but I realized that would have been extra shitty, even for me. “Suck up,” I mumbled. Remington had very few big chains, so one exit before, I drove him to Starbucks and let him run inside for his coffee.
Without meaning to, I found myself watching as he stood in line. About five foot eleven to my six foot two, Dre was neither skinny nor built. He was very average and carried the look of someone who didn’t go to the gym but still looked good. His long braids—which I’d noticed he sometimes added blond and colorful strands to—hung banded together to the middle of his back, just below his shoulder blades. For someone so into fashion, he did an amazing job looking casual in just joggers and a hoodie.
I shook my head to clear
the thoughts as he climbed back into the car with two cups.
“Do you think we should go home and change first?” Dre asked as he gestured to our clothing.
“No, she had us running errands, she can deal with casual. Plus, we can’t change the fact we were gone for the weekend when she popped this meeting on us.”
“Oh, shit.” Dre took a sip of his coffee, his brown eyes staring wildly at me over the cup. “Do you think she’s pissed we both took the weekend off?”
I shrugged. It had crossed my mind. “Maybe? Don’t know. She approved it, but maybe she’s pissy? I only had to take one off because the other shift I was already scheduled off. You had to take both?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but I got someone to cover both of them, so none of the shifts were in a lurch.”
“Guess we’ll find out soon.” I turned the car toward Remington.
Dre silently sipped his coffee as worry emanated from him in waves.
Three
Dre
I handed Julia a coffee and smiled as she sighed and sipped it. “Thank you. I needed that.” She sat behind her desk and shuffled through some papers with one hand while taking another drink. “I appreciate you both coming in. I apologize for pulling you from your weekend off, but it had to be done.” She opened a folder and handed us each a piece of paper. “Starting tomorrow, we’ve got some big changes being put in place. As two of my best, I’m switching your shifts and assignments a bit.”
As my eyes scanned over the assignment sheet, I sensed Khi’s anger boiling beside me.
“You’re putting us on the same shift? Riding together?” Khi cleared his throat.
Julia narrowed her eyes and leaned forward on her elbows. “I am. Is that a problem for you, Mr. Harris?”
“No, ma’am.” Khi shifted in his seat and I knew he was fighting the urge to explode. “With all due respect, may I ask what brought on the change?”
“Some things came down on me from the higher-ups and I had decisions that needed to be made. We’re not the biggest station around, but we stay busy and we need to be consistent with those around us. Switching to these new shifts and new assignments will put us where we need to be. That’s all I’m willing to answer.” She scribbled a note. “I expect you here on time for your first shift together. You’re top of my list and I know there won’t be any issues.” She cocked her head. “Any growing pains you might deal with, I have no doubt you’ll figure that shit out together. As partners. Any questions?”
I folded the paper and shoved it in my pocket. “No, ma’am. There won’t be any issues and we appreciate the opportunity to serve the community.” I stood. “Thank you.”
Gritting his teeth, Khi stood as well. “Thank you,” he said. I doubted Julia recognized the irritation in his voice, but I heard it.
We left the station and headed toward Khi’s car.
“Would you rather I walk home?” I asked. I wasn’t looking forward to whatever explosion was brewing.
“Don’t be fucking ridiculous.” Khi waved the folded paper in the air. “Might as well get used to riding together since she just fucked us over.” He growled. “I can’t fucking believe your ass is going to be driving me around. Fuck!”
I gritted my teeth. Not only was the change in shifts going to be an adjustment, riding with Khi was going to be…interesting. The fact that we’d be on the same schedule while sharing a tiny room—both at home and now at the station—was going to be…ugh, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Maybe we should…”
“No. We aren’t doing anything. We’ll go to work, do our jobs, and avoid each other as much as possible. I don’t want to talk about anything, I don’t want to make the best of a bad situation. I’m going for a run and to the gym. When I get back, I’ll eat dinner with the crew and go to bed. I’ll go to work, save some lives between ridiculous call-outs, live up to my five-star reputation, and do it all again the next shift.” Khi tossed a glare my way. “You and I aren’t friends, we’ll never be friends. We may have to be partners, but that’s all it is.”
“You think partners should maybe try to work through issues so it doesn’t affect their performance on the job?” I mean, damn, we were often dealing with life and death, seemed like the amount of animosity between us would possibly set us up for less-than-stellar working conditions.
“No. We’re both good at what we do. We don’t need to hold hands and sing around a campfire. We just do our jobs.”
The words threw me for a loop, I hadn’t ever realized Khi thought I was good at what I did. Honestly, I’d always felt he looked down on me because I was only an EMT and not a paramedic like him.
“We don’t have to be friends to do our jobs well.” Khi whipped his car into park at Remington Place. “Nothing has to change. We’ve never liked each other, we never will. You keep to your side of the room and don’t speak to me, I’ll keep to my side and not speak to you. I doubt either of us plans to live in Bev’s tiny room forever; this is temporary—at least, for me—and now I have even more reason to get my shit together so I can get the fuck out of this situation.” Khi climbed from the car and grabbed his bag before taking angry strides toward the house.
Well, then. Okay.
I took a deep breath and reached for my own bag. By the time I made it to the house and stopped in the kitchen to talk to Aunt Bev, Khi was pounding down the stairs in gym clothes.
“Going for a run,” he told Bev, completely ignoring me.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said. I may not have liked the guy, but I wasn’t going to be rude.
Khi grunted and made for the door.
Bev’s eyes studied the door for a moment before turning my way. “I’d ask how the weekend went, but it appears the answer is fairly obvious.”
I snorted. “The weekend itself was good. Logan had a great birthday party. We met some fun people and had a really good time.”
“How is it you and Khi ended up back here before everyone else?” Bev pursed her lips as she watched me with a gleam in her eye.
My phone buzzed and I glanced at the screen. It was Cruz asking me if we’d made it back okay. I typed out a quick message to let him know we were home.
“I’ll tell you about it after a walk to clear my head, a shower, and some time with my sketchbooks, if that’s okay?”
Bev nodded. “Of course. There are croissants and fruit if you need breakfast. I’ll be here all day.”
A few hours later, I’d finally given up on a walk clearing my head. I contemplated a nap after a quick shower, but knew it would fuck with my sleep that night. I spent a while trying to sketch some designs, but my head was way too messed up.
Khi had come into our bedroom, huffed and rolled his eyes, and left to shower. I had a feeling the two of us just peacefully hanging out in our room—together—was something we wouldn’t be doing a lot of. The idea of never really escaping his dislike—here at home, in the rig, in the tiny station bunk room we’d share—was eating at me and we hadn’t even had our first shift together.
Well, fuck him.
A knock sounded at the door and Cooper popped his head in. “Everything turn out okay with your boss?”
I laughed humorlessly. “Not exactly.”
Cooper made face. “Bev and I were going to have tea, you want to join and tell us about it?”
I glanced toward Khi’s side of the room. “Is Khi around?”
“I think he and Logan are over in the shop.”
My nose wrinkled. “Khi and Logan in the shop? Why?”
Cooper laughed. “I think Logan was trying to distract Khi—he looked antsy and angry. Cruz and Jesse are working on a couple cars so Logan asked Khi to come hang out.” He gestured for me to come with him. “Bev and I figured if Khi was needing a distraction, maybe you were, too.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I could definitely use a chat.” I tossed my sketchbook down and tightened the brightly colored wrap I’d put around my shoulders. I knew I looked ridiculous in lounge pants, a silk button-
up, and the colorful wrap—like a fashion queen on crack—but each piece brought me comfort and I didn’t really give a damn. Sliding my feet into slippers, I followed Cooper down the stairs.
On the second floor, we stopped in to check on Rai, Spencer, and Hadley who were surrounded by a stack of books with Mario Kart paused on the game system.
“You good?” Cooper asked Hadley, but I could tell he was checking in with the guys as well. Cooper had taken to being a father to Hadley like a fish to water. He had no issues sharing the girl with the housemates and friends, but he was always certain to check and make sure no one felt as if they were being forced into free babysitting.
“Yep, Rai and Spencer are teaching me Mario Kart so I can get my license like Logan. And I’m reading them books about unicorns and dragons.” Hadley pushed her dark, curly hair from her face. The girl had enough hair to make a whole-ass wig and still have enough on her head; it was often in her face if Cooper hadn’t pinned her down to pull it back.
“Girlfriend, come here,” I said and sat down on the couch in the game room. Hadley smiled and scrambled to sit on my lap. “Do you have an elastic of some sort for your hair?”
She nodded and glanced around on the floor. “It fell out. Dad fixed it when he came home, but he doesn’t do it as good as Daddy.”
Cooper beamed. “Shhhh, we don’t tell Dad that.”
“Are you okay with me braiding it so it’s out of your face?” I pushed a strand away from her eyes.
Hadley nodded. “I like braids. I like your braids. You have a lot of them.”
“I do. We’ll just do one for you. Sit on the floor.” I took a few minutes to braid Hadley’s hair, grateful for the mundane distraction.
“Your meeting go okay?” Spencer asked.
“Not exactly. Gonna fill Coop and Bev in, I can catch you up later or you can hear it from them. I’m sure Logan, Cruz, and Jesse are getting an earful right now, too.” I finished the braid with the elastic and patted Hadley’s shoulder.