It was the following morning when Linda next saw Shari. She woke up early, just like Linda.
"Good morning," said Linda softly.
" Good morning. It was a lovely evening we has last night."
"It sure was. You were awfully quiet, though. Is there something on your mind?"
" Oh, I've just been thinking about Nicky's close call. Jack had a couple too, didn't he?"
" Uh-huh. I killed him after each one," kidded Linda. "But I always forgave him. I loved him too much. And it's not like it was really his fault. He was just doing his job."
" Yeah. Hearing all about Jack's stories makes me think a lot of Nicky. This could happen to him on any day, no matter how careful he promises to be."
"That's right. He can. There is always the chance that something in even the most normal fire could go wrong. And I worry about Nicky's safety as well. I sometimes wish he'd chosen to become a lawyer or a doctor or something. But he chose this because it means something to him. Because his father did the same thing, but also because saving people is what makes him feel good, needed."
" And I'm so proud of him for it," said Shari. "I just worry that I'll be caught completely off guard if something ever happens. I can't imagine Nicky leaving. I can't imagine how you do it."
" It isn't easy," replied Linda. "And I don't think there's a way not to be caught off guard by something like this. Even if Nicky got cancer and you knew the day was coming, you still wouldn't be able to believe it when you found out he was gone. But I like what Mike said last night. You know he was Jack's greatest mentor. Jack was saved when he was meant to be saved, died when he was meant to die. I don't know why it was meant to happen at that time and not another, but it was."
Shari burst into tears.
"It's so amazing how well you can handle this," remarked Shari. "Just accepting that he was meant to die like that. I'm sure if I was in that position, I would be held together only by Danitra."
Linda took the girl in an embrace.
" I wasn't always so calm," informed Linda in retrospect. " When Jack first died, I didn't know what to do with myself. I lost my best friend. I, like you said, was held together only by my kids. The small parts of Jack I had left. I could see him in their eyes. When they smiled, they were so much like Jack, I just had to smile back. And slowly, they smiled more, and so did I. I wish more than anything that Jack could be here right now. But he's not. Don't live your life in worry, Shari. Spending your evenings imagining scenarios isn't healthy. But you have to be prepared for what could happen, at any time."