It was 6 o'clock, or as firefighters put it 1800. That meant that it was time to eat. They hadn't done much in the way of cooking since the neighborhood was bringing in so much food. The firehouse lacked the familiar smells of lasagna and chili or their Monday night barbeques. Instead they just opened their refrigerator and took out some sort of kind gesture to make their dinner.

"I can't believe we have all of this food." Lombardo commented

"Well if we didn't watch you like a hawk we wouldn't." Walsh cracked

"It don't seem right." DK said as he grabbed a bottle of water.

Everyone looked at him.

"It don't seem right that we are sitting here. That people keep dropping food off for us and candles and cards. That those towers aren't standing downtown anymore. It don't seem right that so many people are trapped there and we can't find them!" DK slammed his fist down on the counter.

Everyone knew the frustration that he was going through. They all shared the same frustration. Everyone just watched each other.

"Hey how's Taylor holdin' up?" Walsh asked

"She's hanging in there." Jimmy replied

"That's gotta be tough." Walsh added

"Yeah." Lombardo added

"What's gotta be tough?" Taylor asked as she walked down the stairs

Everyone tried to pretend that they were talking about something else.

"Nothing." Jimmy said

"You're a terrible liar Jimmy. You were talking about me." Taylor said

"We just want to make sure that you're hanging in there." Walsh said

"Well thank you, but I'm no different than you guys." Taylor said, "We all lost friends and brothers in that building. Dad's just missing. We'll find him."

Lieutenant Johnson looked on from the hallway. He knew how tough it was for all of them, but he too worried about how well Taylor was taking it.

Taylor sat down at the table. She had found a can of Clam Chowder on the shelf. She opened the can and poured it into a pan to make it. She stirred it and made sure that it was warm enough. Then she poured it into a bowl and moved to the table to eat it.

Everyone just quietly ate. It wasn't the normal meal with conversations about various girlfriends or noises, the latest cars, or the Yankees. It was complete silence with the exception of an occasional utensil hitting the plate or the bowl.

"This is still cold." Taylor commented as she took her bowl to the microwave

Everyone looked at her and then continued eating. It was too quiet for all of them. Finally, the silence broke.

"Squad 55, Adam 55-3 respond for an MVC 123 and Lexington. PD on scene." The alarm called out

The Squad members dropped their forks and spoons, jumped up and headed for their gear. After all, this was why they were there. It helped them to take their mind off of the tragedy for a little while. They climbed into the truck. The open cab Mack wasn't their usual ride, but it would do. Taylor stood on the step next to Walsh as they moved up to the intersection of King and Arthur, made the turn out and headed off towards their call.