"You awake?" Kate cracks one eye open to peer at Cal's silhouette in the doorway. It's not exactly unusual to see her younger sister hovering in her doorway; after all, Cal had suffered from sleepless nights and terrible dreams for as long as Kate could remember, usually up until after midnight before sleeping until noon unless woken. Truth be told, Kate had suffered from them too - for a long time, only feeling safe if she had Cal with her. But now, they were both grown up, and the nighttime wake ups were few.
"Yeah. Come in." Kate murmurs softly, rolling over just in time to see Cal make her way to the edge of the bed and sink onto Kate's mattress.
"Urgh. I don't know how you can stand to sleep under all these blankets. It's hot just being above the sheets." Cal fans herself dramatically with a hand. Kate rolls her eyes, even though she knows Cal won't see; they've had this same conversation at least a dozen times in the last few months alone. "Anyway, how are you?"
Kate squints in the direction of the glowing red digits of her alarm clock. "And you're seriously coming into my room at one o'clock in the morning to ask me that? Is this really the time for the cosy little catch-up?"
"Well, since we struggle to actually have a conversation about the heavy stuff without Little Ears listening in, yeah!" She shuffles closer to Kate, her hair tickling Kate's ear. She swipes a hand at it. "I know you had a tough time of it lately. Are things... better?"
It's easier to talk in the dark. She's always found that. Easier to spill her darkest secrets and fiercest worries. And of course, this would have weighed on Cal for a long time too. Callista, the worry-wart. "It was... a really bad fire. And I kind of... just needed to process. You know how I get sometimes." Kate bumps her shoulder into Cal's. "I'm sorry I didn't call you, Squirt."
"It's okay." Cal hesitates, then murmurs, "I didn't put my foot in it, did I? Calling Mike? I just knew you'd had Rose over here before and... well, you guys have been hanging out a bit lately. And I couldn't get there to pick her up."
"No, it was... he... he was actually pretty good."
"So... so you trust him then? I kept thinking afterwards I should have... should have left my classes and cancelled at work and just gone to get her. I mean, she must have been scared anyway, and-"
"I trust him." Kate cuts off Cal's ranting. "I mean, he's... he's an arrogant, sarcastic pain in the arse sometimes but... but he's a great father to Rose and... and when it comes to the serious stuff he's... he's pretty good." Somewhere in her mind, she can almost see the smug look on Mike's face that would surely eventuate if he ever heard her say that, and vows never to tell him.
"Good enough to be something more than a friend?" Cal presses, in that annoyingly sing-song voice she has whenever she suggests Kate start to date again.
Kate's voice is muffled slightly by her pillow as she moves. "I don't date friends, Cal. You know that."
"Kate..."
"No." Kate shakes her head. "I... I don't want to talk about... about things in the past. I just..." Kate sighs, trying to bring her heartbeat back to normal. "Enough about me, anyway. What's got you awake at this hour?" Cal ducks her head slightly, and Kate keeps talking. "I know sometimes, a lot of the responsibility falls to you to help me with Bridie. Sometimes... well, I wish you could just be a normal twenty-year-old sometimes."
"When have we ever been normal?" Cal quips drily.
"Yeah, well..." Kate chooses her words carefully. "I just... I don't want what... what happened to me to... to stop you from making friends."
There's silence for several long moments. Then Cal says defensively. "I have friends."
Kate knows that she's not exactly being tactful, but she can't hide her worry. "Friends that you see outside of class? I mean, you're either working, or protesting, or at school or here with Bridie and... I just want you to have fun, you know? More fun than flirting with people and then just running away when they actually show an interest."
"Kate, when you were twenty, you were raising a ten year old and a baby." Cal points out. "You've been caring for me since I was born. You're hardly one to lecture me on a normal childhood."
"I know. I just... I want you to be happy, okay?"
"I'm okay, Kate." Cal stretches her arms above her head and yawns widely. "Can I stay here tonight?"
"Sure." Kate murmurs, brushing Cal's hair with her fingers in a routine sort of way. "But I'm leaving my blankets on."
When she wakes, it's to see that Bridie has also crawled into her bed halfway through the night. Careful not to wake them both, Kate slips from the bed and pads towards the bathroom, socks slipping on the tiled floor. After getting changed and making a super-strong coffee she climbs into her car and drives the short distance to the station. Her car is one of the first of their team's in the carpark, and she makes her way straight to the gym, intent on burning some of her excess energy off.
To her surprise though, she's not the only one in there, despite the early hour. As she enters she spots Buffer in the corner, lifting weights that look to be about Kate's own weight with absurd ease. Feeling a little self conscious but determined all the same, Kate makes her way to the treadmill and keys in her preferred speed. Neither of them talk as Kate runs on the treadmill and Buffer continues with his own workout, until finally Kate finishes her half an hour of running and begins to slow down to a walk.
"You going to have enough energy for the day now?" Buffer enquires as she swipes several sweaty clumps of hair from her face.
Kate eyes him suspiciously. She still didn't know what to make of Buffer sometimes. Half the time, he was an annoyingly sweet guy, but other times (generally when he declared he was quitting smoking), he was quite difficult to get along with. "Is this another loaded sexist comment because I'm the newbie?" She frowns.
He puts his hands up in defence. "Hey, I come in peace! Just... trying to make conversation." He clears his throat awkwardly. "I know, we didn't exactly get off on the right foot. I'm... I'm not used to working with women."
Kate shrugs, knowing the comment isn't intended to be an insult. "Well," She declares, "I'll have a shower, then hit up the coffee place down the road and be good to go." She grins.
Buffer nods, a grin adorning his face. "Ah, so does that mean you'll have enough energy to come out with us tonight, or are you blowing us off again for your new boyfriend?"
"What boyfriend?" Kate adjusts her shoes, knowing full well who he's talking about. "I... I don't have a boyfriend!"
His smile slips somewhat. "I... I just thought... you'd been seeing that Mike guy that was around here a few weeks ago. I thought you guys were an item." He shrugs. "I... I guess I got that wrong?"
"Well... we're not. Our... our kids are friends, that's all."
"Oh... okay." Buffer hesitates for a moment, then stands up, and Kate guesses that whatever progress they'd just made had been stunted once more. "Well, I'd... I'd better get ready."
And as he exits the gym, Kate feels her good mood dissolve.
She ignores Mike's texts. Mercifully, it's the weekend, so at least she's spared Bridie and Rose's plotting at school, but she still has to contend with message after message from him. Truth be told, she's not entirely sure why she's ignoring him, except that something in the way Buffer had called Mike her boyfriend had made her feel... what? Weak? Foolish? Stupid? And it's not as if Mike has done anything wrong. She just can't stand to have him assume that this friendship is going to turn into anything else. Because it can't. And it won't.
She's let the lines blur too much in recent weeks, and now she needs to regain control, needs to put some distance between herself and Mike. Forcing her gaze away from her phone, she turns back to the truck. She'll message him after work, she reasons. A hasty apology for not being able to reply, a reminder about her intensive work hours, and a vague promise about some sort of future outing. Strictly professional, of course.
She can't date him. She can't.
"Whoa!" 2Dads gives a low whistle as he watches Kate scrubbing bitterly at a stubborn piece of dirt on the truck. "Someone's pissed off. Sister trouble again?"
"What?!" Kate demands, spinning around and fixing him with an intense glare. She's satisfied when she sees 2Dads recoil slightly and take a step back.
"Uh..." He mumbles lamely. "I just meant... well, you seem a bit..."
"A bit what?!" Kate challenges, taking a step closer.
"Nothing." 2Dads backs away. "As you were." As he turns away, she just manages to catch his muttered what's her problem?
She knows of course, that this is a short-lived victory. 2Dads will, inevitably, tell everyone he can about her personal problems (usually inventing the issue of his choosing) which will in turn shoot her in the foot, but in the here and now, it's at least somewhat satisfying to see him wary of her.
Of course, she'd known she couldn't avoid Mike forever. He's stubborn, and determined and annoying, and of course he's come to confront her here at work, when she can't run away from him. But she had been expecting at least a day or two before he'd show up looking for her. And of course he shows up now, just as she's stopped her manic day and taken her break with a coffee and a deck of cards. Moving just short of the table, he raises an eyebrow. "You've been avoiding me."
"I've been busy." She replies coolly, all-too-aware of Buffer's gaze in their direction. She wonders vaguely whether Mike being here is adding to the story 2Dads has no-doubt strung, or whether Buffer is genuinely curious. Either way, she can't find the energy to talk to Mike right now.
"Yeah, you look it." Mike nods sarcastically at the stack of cards in front of her. "You look bloody flat out. Can you spare a second to trade insults with me, or should I book an appointment with the guy at the front desk?"
"What do you want?" Kate crosses her arms against her chest, but regrets it a second later as she sees Mike flinch as though she's yelled at him.
"Came to see if you wanted to grab a coffee? Split a danish? If you're good, I'll even shout you an icecream." His smile slips somewhat. "Have I done something wrong?" She doesn't want to look at him, doesn't want to see the hurt and confusion in his eyes, so she keeps playing her game of Solitaire, successfully putting away a two of spades and a three of diamonds before he speaks again. I thought we were... were good. And then now you seem to be avoiding me like the plague and I don't know what I've done."
"Not everything is about you." She knows she sounds like a bitch, but she can't stop herself.
"Well, then what? Are you okay?" He presses, effectively ensuring that everyone in the room is looking at her. Kate curses softly, then grabs his hand and drags him outside towards the side of the building, away from the suffocating stares of her team. "Geez. Gentle!" Mike folds his arms.
"You can't just show up to my workplace and expect me to share jokes with you." She snaps, jabbing an accusing finger in his direction.
"I... I just thought... if you were able to take a break-"
"Well, I can't." She shakes her head and takes a step back towards the station. "So if that's it-"
"Okay." Mike shrugs, plastering his boisterous grin back on his face. "I... what about dinner, then? My shout."
"I'm not a charity case!" The words tumble from her without conscious thought. Mike looks taken aback.
"I didn't say you were."
"Well then, why do you suddenly want to hang out all the time? I'm not some lost little puppy on the street corner!" She can't even explain to herself why she's angry. She just needs him to go, can't have any more complications in her life.
A twisted smile flits across his face. "Well, if you were, you'd bite." Kate rolls her eyes, and Mike coughs. "Oh, come on, Kate. Do I really have to say it?" Mike leans closer. "I like you. And I want to spend time with you."
This is the last thing she'd been expecting, even after all the talk of Mike being her boyfriend. "Why?" She demands.
"I don't know." Mike shrugs. "I... I like the little things. I like arguing with you. I like seeing you roll your eyes and laugh. I... I just like you, okay?"
She feels her stomach clench. This is exactly what she'd been afraid of. Him, feelings. Unless...
But no.
No.
She doesn't feel the same.
Does she?
Before she's even contemplated a possible reaction, let alone a response, Mike catches her gaze, staring at her with an intensity she's never seen before. Then, not taking his eyes off her, he gets down on one knee.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Kate chokes, moving to grab his arm before someone else sees and very nearly sending them both crashing to the ground. "Mike!"
"Relax!" Mike winks, fiddling with his shoe. "Just tying my laces." He flashes her a truly wicked style that tells her he knew exactly what he was doing.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" She accuses, trying to smother the laughter on her face.
"Maybe." He grins. "So... the next time you have a day shift off, maybe... maybe we can have lunch together? You can even pay if you want."
"Lunch?" Kate hesitates.
"Yeah, it's a meal between breakfast and dinner?" He rolls his eyes. "And in case that needs to be spelt out, Kate, I'm trying to ask you out on a date." He grins at her.
"I..." But a distant alarm sounds, panicking her. She can't do this, can't date another friend and lose him too. Before she's had the chance to run through every complex emotion of this wholly unexpected scenario, she realises that the bells aren't just in her head, and Kate turns as she hears everyone gearing up. "I have to go."
"Okay." Mike ducks his head. "Go save the world, Kate."
"Well, someone looks happier." Dutchy quips as he catches sight of Kate. "Look at you, grinning to yourself."
"Oh, piss off." The truth is, she can't quite figure out this whole situation, can't fathom that Mike has just asked her out.
But it's not that simple. If it were an equation of Mike plus Kate, then the answer would have been yes. But it wasn't. There was Bridie and Rose to think about, not to mention Cal and Kate's work and Kate's million other hang-ups still affecting her today.
Push it out of your mind, Kate, she tells herself as the truck slows down. Focus on what you've got to do.
For a moment, it's all she can do to take in the scene. Then she realises that the tiny car is wedged tight between the truck and the concrete bollard of the side of the road, and she finds herself suddenly immersed in the emergency.
"Okay, Kate, Dutchy, 2Dads, ET, get the truck secured and check out the driver." Marshall commands, splitting them up. "Buffer, Charge, Spider, we're going to try and get the people in the car out. Everyone good?"
It's a miracle no one is seriously hurt. From all reports, the truck driver seemed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, nudging a sedan into the left-hand bollard before braking so hard his engine seized. Mercifully all four passengers in the car were unharmed, apart from a few bumps and bruises, but were severely wedged until they managed to tow the truck out.
"Are you sure they're okay?" The driver pleads for the hundredth time, trying in vain to catch sight of the family next to him.
"Yes, they are Jorge," Kate assures him. "I promise, they're okay. They're all good. Just a bit stuck. But they're fine. We're almost ready to tow the truck out, and then we'll be able to get them out too."
He nods frantically, and Kate claps him on the shoulder, ready for this day to be over.
"You guys almost ready to go?" Buffer asks as Kate jumps down from the cab door.
"Yeah, just about." Kate nods. "Driver's fine too. Everyone's just a bit stuck. Jorge's door is jammed shut too." She catches sight of Buffer's face. "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing." Buffer shrugs, as he watches 2Dads and Spider securing the tow rope. "Just... the guy looks familiar somehow. But I can't pick it."
"Must be one of those faces." Kate muses, as 2Dads gives the thumbs up. "We ready to go?"
"I need to apologise to them. God, I could have killed them." Jorge is still babbling as he sits on the stretcher in the ambulance getting checked out. "Are they okay?" He catches sight of Buffer leading four people towards them, and sits up straighter. "Oh, guys I'm so so sorry! Ah, are you sure you're okay?" He catches sight of the two teenage girls lingering. "Oh, God, I almost killed you all. I'm so sorry-"
"It's okay." The man assures Jorge. "No harm done. Bit of an eventful start to our holiday but I'm sure we'll get over it." And then he spots Kate and freezes. And this isn't real. He isn't real. This is an old nightmare, with those black eyes peering at her while she stands, frozen, trying desperately to make him disappear. Because he's not really here. He can't be.
But it's his wife who spots her, and her eyes light up as she rushes over, already gabbling excitedly. "Kate? Katie, is that you?" She's suddenly enveloped by warm arms, and she needs to get away, needs to be away from him. "It's so good to see you, honey."
Buffer looks between them, frowning. "You... you guys know each other?"
"Of course!" Maddie smiles, wrapping an arm around Kate. "This one was like another daughter to us." Maddie's smile is too wide, her kindness and happiness too genuine as she turns to her husband. "Right, Patrick?"