Chapter 11

Jenny woke up in a room she was unfamiliar with. She had hoped that it was all a nightmare, but being in David's bedroom meant that she had run away from her family and her home. She struggled to think how she had gotten in his bed. She remembered sitting on the couch, him holding her until she fell asleep. He had to have moved her and tucked her into bed. She slowly got up and tiptoed down the hall. She could already smell bacon on the fry pan and coffee brewing in the pot.

"Good morning," she was able to get out between yawns.

He was a little startled to hear another person's voice in his apartment. It's been awhile since a woman had spent the night with him. But usually it was a shared bed if he did have a guest over. "Morning. Do you like your eggs fried, scrambled, or would you want me to whip you up an omelette?"

She walked next to him to oversee the hard work he's been doing in the kitchen. "Fried is fine. Do you want me to put toast in?"

"Yes, please." She went pulled out a couple pieces of bread from the counter and put them in the two-slice toaster. "So, Captain John called last night while you were sleeping. I told him to give your mom my number and address. She seems worried about you."

"Hmm.." she said lost in thought. Maybe her father was right about being selfish. She had never considered the fact that she was leaving her mother and brother. She never took their feelings into account. She was focused on her father's feelings and her desires.

"Hey Jenn, did you hear me?" She shook her head 'no.' "Do you want to have your family over for dinner Saturday night?" She looked around the apartment looking to see where four people could sit at for a dinner. As if reading her mind he responded with, "we can sit out on the patio."

"I really don't want to impose. I should probably be looking for a place. Linda had mentioned about looking for an apartment. Maybe we could find a nice two bedroom together."

He chuckled. "She'll drive you crazy within a month." Jennifer laughed out loud. She knew he was right. "I know my place ain't anything special, but you can stay here for as long as you like. I don't mind taking the couch."

"If I do stay, I'll get the couch. You shouldn't have moved me." He handed her a mug with black coffee. She went to the fridge to get milk to add to it. "If I do stay, what's my cut in the rent in utilities."

"Nothing."

"No, don't say nothing. If I stay here, I'm paying my fair share got it."

"Listen, you are my biggest supporter right now. I don't know if I would've gotten as far as I have without you. You just sticking around her is payment enough. I really like having you around here." She blushed. He had never really opened up on this level before. And she was in the same boat. She'd be homeless, almost friendless, and probably flunked out of the academy without him.

"Alright, I'll stay but I'm paying for groceries."

"Ok, you pay for groceries." He knew he had to let her help out somehow or else, she'd be out the door. "So, does your mom like Italian. I make a pretty mean spaghetti and meatball."

"Are you sure about this? Meeting my mom and all. I don't know how she's going to react."

"She's got to be an amazing woman. She helped raise you. And I think it's important to show her that you are safe and ok. You call and set things up after academy. Tomorrow we can go grocery shopping together."

They spent what little time they had before the academy eating and talking about what had happened the night before, along with arguing over who would get the bed. Jenny took a shower and they were both on their way to the academy.

#####(Academy)#####

Hank instantly knew something was wrong with Johnny when his disheveled body walked through the door. Hank saw the bags under of his eyes. "What happened last night?" he asked while dragging Johnny to the coffee pot in the instructor's room.

"You were right Hank. I should've told Roy early on. He came over last night going on about how he thought Jenny was sick. I couldn't let him think like that. All that worrying. I told him everything. I came clean. But I lost my brother." He turned away from Hank. He wouldn't let this man see tears fall. "The hate in his eyes. I deserved it. Jenny moved out and is staying with David. Joanne's all worried about her. She came over last night. How did I screw up so bad, Cap...um Chief?" He began to rub his temples trying to massage the headache away.

Hank was wondering when Roy would confront him about his part in the scheme. But at this moment, it didn't matter. He could see the pain Johnny was in because of Roy's confrontation last night. "Johnny, we're all to blame. We should have told him early on. You're not the only one who screwed up pal? Let's just get through today. It should be an easy day. Testing in the morning and next week's preview this afternoon and PT." He handed Johnny a cup of black coffee. "Go to the bathroom and splash some water on your face. Take some aspirin too. Chief's orders." Johnny's nodded and left to complete his tasks.

Chief Stanley got the test together and proceeded to take them to the main classroom. He liked to have everything in order for the day and it was a good excuse to be alone until the recruits started to flow in. It was about fifteen minutes before class started when he saw David and Jennifer come in. He was trying to decide who looked worse, Jennifer or Johnny. She had bloodshot eyes from crying and bags under her eyes. Her hair was sticking out her and there in her bun, which was usually neat and tidy.

She sauntered to her seat with her head down. Her head still looked down as Chief Stanley gently touched her shoulder. "The gig is up, but I supposed Uncle Johnny already told you."

"Yes, he did. Are you okay?"

She let out a snort and a smirk. "Never better," the saracasm dripped from her statement. "I'm sorry. It was my fault, but I knew that he would be mad. I guess I was just delaying the inevitable."

"Why don't you go grab a cup of coffee from the break room before the others get here." She wasn't about to defy an order.

When she returned the majority of the recruits sitting in their seat. Most were reviewing knot names and when to use a specific knot.

When she received the test, she thought it was in Chinese. All of her studying and hard work seemed to slip from her mind. Knots that she had practiced and named were mixed into her thoughts that also included the fight with her father, the tired look to Uncle Johnny, and the Saturday dinner with her mother and brother. She wrote down the answers as best as she could, but she knew her A streak was about to end.

During lunch, the instructors graded the tests. Hank asked the cadre if there was anyone that would need to retake the test on Monday. There were two names, one of which was Jenny. Firefighter Justin Holly remarked, "you sure about Jenny. She hasn't had anything less than an A." Johnny nodded. The groups shook their heads. "I'll call those two in at the end of the day to tell them to be prepared for Monday."

The rest of the day was uneventful. She felt weak during PT. During the live fire discussions, she zoned out and doodled. David would occasionally tap her calf with his foot to attempt to bring her back to reality, but that would only last for a few fleeting moments.

When the instructor called her and another classmate, she almost missed it. David cleared his throat and stated "Chief wants to see you in his office."

She sighed and walked to the office with her head down.

Chief addressed both recruits and reviewed the testing policy. He encouraged both recruits to take the time over the weekend to study and work out any outside factors and to be prepared to complete the test after class on Monday. With that, Jenny was dismissed.

The car ride to the grocery store, the shopping excursion, and David's house was spent in silence. Jenny didn't want to talk and David didn't know how to address the failing of Jenny's test. What little talk was spent on idle chit chat and what was planned for dinner the following night.