Fire in the Firehouse 9

In a normal situation the dispatcher and fireman would address one another in proper fashion and code, but all formalities were thrown out the window. The same man was on the radio again, "Christy, we need an ambulance out here now! Man down...man down!" Colby froze, his heart was begging to be released from his throat and chest. If it beat any harder he felt sure he'd throw up. His nerves completely on edge by this point.

Colby couldn't get himself together fast enough. He'd wished with every breath he took it'd not be Mitch. Not his lover, not this close to their handfasting ceremony. He sat down on the bed to put his boots on. He had the left one on and almost laced up when it hit him. He was seeing Mitch in his mind. "What the fuck is this shit?" He tried to make sense of what he was seeing. With his mind going in so many directions he wasn't sure what to make of it all.

"Good Lord. Now what? I'm becoming a witch, too? Great, more shit. Just what I need." The image was so real and genuine. He couldn't help but dwell on what he was seeing. But he knew he was seeing this for a reason. Finally he deduced what was going on. It wasn't him getting powers, it was Mitch using his and sending him the message. Thing was, in his mind he saw Mitch lying unconscious. The shield on his helmet was cracked and he could see some blood. This did nothing to calm the lighter haired man. He finished lacing up the other boot and was out the door.

He shot into his truck and squealed his truck's tires as he tore of out the driveway. He was trying to obey all the rules and laws of the road, but he had to get to his man and now. He couldn't think straight. He knew he'd seen the image for a reason. But why? What? He was trying to focus on the road and had tears running down his face. He rounded a corner and failed to stop. That gained the attention of a cop who was quick to respond. 

The cop sped up and got sided to side with Colby's truck. "Pull it over son!" He didn't see his fire sticker on the window. Colby began motioning to the sticker, unable to really speak much at the moment. The cop confirmed it and then realized he must be on call. The cop was quick to tune into their frequency. Luckily Mitch and Colby both had CBs installed in their trucks to communicate.

Colby confirmed the officer's suspicions. "Yeah, hi, sorry. But my lover is hurt." In his upset state, he failed to chose his words carefully. Maybe the officer didn't catch on. But then again this was the least of his worries. 

Meanwhile, back on site the other firemen were putting out the fire around Mitch. They worked feverishly to get to their comrade. He was lying against a shed. The blast had blown him backwards into a small shed. He was breathing, that much could be seen. He wasn't moving and that scared everyone. 

What they could rationalize, the kids had some gas, not a lot, but enough to cause the explosion. Apparently there were either some hidden fire works and the added heat and the sun or some varying combination set the course for what happened. It was too soon to tell, they were putting together different scenarios.

Colby drove up, breaks squealing. He got out, threw his arm back to shut the door. The door slammed shut hard, harder than he anticipated. That mattered little right now. He raced to the fire captain for answers. "Captain...How's everything? Everyone accounted for?" He didn't want to let on that he knew anything. It wouldn't make sense. As he stood, his heart begged to escape from its confines, sweating pouring down his face. The tall man stood observing the younger. The captain, known to most all as Dad and Joe to most others, was a distinguished man. Standing about 6' 4''. Firm, taut body. Gray eyes that mixed well with the flecks of gray in his hair. The temples were the most gray. He was a good looking man, so much in fact, he was the oldest man in the benefit calendar. There were a few wrinkles stretched across his face. In his eyes you could see passion and lot's of heartache. He'd lost his wife and only son in a drunk driving incident years prior. No one ever discussed the matter but they bonded with him to ease his pain and emptiness.

It was then the captain realized just whom Colby was most concerned with and realized the special bond between the two men. He could see the concern and love in the other's eyes. He recognized it more than concern of a normal man for a buddy. "Son, you love him, don't you?" Colby was numb. How could he ask such a thing? And how dare he invade their privacy. And why now?

"Son, your secret's safe with me. I sensed something brewing since I saw you two in the hospital back in January. Look, since my wife and son were taken from me I've not seen much in the way of love. In our line of work there's usually nothing but strife, broken hearts, and sadness. Our calls are rarely ones to get cats out of trees and putting a smile on Bobby or Julie's faces. Seeing your love warms my heart. Man to man love doesn't bother me in the least. In fact..." He paused, tears welling up in his eyes. "My own son Brandon was gay. He'd only come out to me Christmas morning the year before he died. It was only a few months later and he was taken from me. It took me a while to accept his lifestyle. I never abused him for it, I loved him no less. But it did level me emotionally for a while knowing I'd never have any grandchildren. Now I have nothing. Save for all my adopted kids at work." 

Colby listened. Why now? Why was he choosing now to spill his guts? Did something really bad happen to Mitch and this was his way of breaking it to him easier? He tried to concentrate. Then it made more sense as he thought about it. He noticed all other personnel were nowhere to be seen. Everything drained from him. Could the captain be setting him up to not take the news so badly? What was going on with Mitch? Did he die? What?

The only thing Colby had to go on was the vision his lover sent him and that wasn't much to go on. He needed answers and needed them now. It didn't help matters hearing the approaching ambulance. His mind raced in a million directions as the captain continued rambling on, an attempt to distract him. The captain was helping to prepare him in case the worst indeed had happened.

"Son, I've no clue about the condition of Mitch. For all I know... But let's not think that way." He stopped there. Colby drew from within himself. He knew it couldn't be a loss of limbs or permanent damage, he'd seen that much. At this point that vision was all he had. He tried to stay as strong as he could, but the tears still came. The captain saw it, moved closer and embraced Colby. Feeling the compassion from another man caused the lighter hair stud to really unleash his emotions. He began sobbing uncontrollably. The captain reached in and began brushing the longer locks out of his crew member's face. He was acting like a Dad it was purely instinctual.

Unbeknownst to them both, a local TV crew had arrived and taped the segment. Too far away for sound, but not far enough for the words to be filmed. When televised back, people at home had no way of knowing what was being said. For all they knew, a fireman had lost his life. But not to Marie, Colby's Mom. She was an interpreter at the local high school for the hearing impaired. Therefore she knew full well how to read lips.

"So, that little no good son of a bitch is a fag. Well, well, well. This might prove useful. Wait until his Daddy hears this one." She paused. "Maybe when he was younger and I used to slap him, maybe I was too easy and I turned him into a little pussy." She grabbed her cigarettes and glass of long island iced tea and headed out side to get a little sun. She sat down lighted a cigarette and was soon greeted by one of the men that tended to her needs. He was a big, thick, well developed muscular stud the served Marie. He doubled as her trainer, masseur, and occasional fuck toy when the time and privacy allowed. She ran it over in her twisted mind.

She thought more to herself. Well, the little bastard turned out to be quite the little bitch after all. Pity he never knew how loaded we really are. There was no way in hell when I married Nick and took on that fucked up little brat he'd get hold of that money. 

To this very day Colby was clueless to so much. He and his Dad had never talked of his past. The young man completely oblivious to his true heritage and background. Nick never had cause or reason to tell his son. He was in the dark and knew nothing of any abuse. Had he known, things would've been much different. Nick just knew his wife had both a drinking and gambling problem and had little spare time to deal with much else. And he worked hard to keep this hidden from his son.

As it was, Marie married Nick when Colby was just about a toddler. Tori, Nick's wife, Colby's Mom had died shortly after he was born. Apparently there was an infection that set in after he was born and it went undetected too long. The doctors assumed it was the flu that was going around at the time. By the time they recognized it, it was too late. Nick was devastated when he met Marie. She'd just lost her Mom a few days prior and was at the hospital thanking the staff for their help. They met by accident and they wound up comforting one another. When Marie learned of Nick's wealth she sunk her claws in. She faked interest in Colby. She never liked kids. Behind closed doors as he grew, the abuse began. She told Colby if it ever got out that she'd deny it and they'd take him away. Many nights he'd cry himself to sleep. He longed to live with Drake's family and often spent many nights there. Drake's Mom Connie and Marie became good friends, money flocked to money. Connie never suspected a thing as Colby kept it all well hidden. Unhappy, emotionally a wreck. He'd compensate by being a sweet young man. Hoping people would see that and love him for not being a typical boy and later teen. He was often too sugary-sweet, but people naturally assumed it was because of his proper up bringing.

The men formed a tight bond, too. Drake's Dad Zach and Nick got along well. Many times played golf together, went to sporting events and did many things as buddies often do. They took a few family trips together as well. They'd all become like extended family members.

As Marie laid out plotting her next move, Colby was dealing with the fate of his lover. He balled his eyes out, the paramedics came out of the woods with Mitch lying on a gurney. The captain said nothing, made eye contact with them and the shared look confirmed the news.

***To be continued.*** Guys, thank you ALL for your emails, your postings and ratings. Your words have shaped the story more. I hope I caught all mistakes this time. But no one is perfect-LOL!