Author's note: I have most always had the plot in mind before I write the first chapter and I then let the story unfold sometimes feeling that it writes it self and my job is just to get the words in the computer. That's pretty much the way this story started but I must admit this one's not writing itself very well. Please be patient with me because I think I need to know how this story ends up more than any one reading it and my Daughter is begging me to write one about Mike. The next chapters should come quicker I think I know what their about.

Chapter 2 Peace

At roll call the next shift Captain Stanley noticed one on his men didn't look as rested as he should have been but thanks to a report he found on his desk when he arrived that morning he knew why. As the rest of the men were dispatched to various assignments Mike Stoker was assigned to the Captain's office.

"I have a report here telling me how all your help to dig out the victims of the mud slides was appreciated." Hank started and Mike immediately lowered his head to the floor. Mike had heard the lecture that was coming before and he knew it was coming again. "Mike, you can't wear yourself out off shift like this and still be in top form for your shift." Then Hank said something new that not only showed he had figured out why his engineer volunteered like he had been doing but forced Mike to acknowledge the reason himself.

"Mike, no matter how many people you dig out in situations like these you're not going to bring your father back."

Mike's head hung lower and after several heaving sighs the sobs were heard. "We all knew they were digging victims out of that apartment blast, it had been on the news for four days. If I'd have been there helping maybe we could have gotten him out in time."

"You don't know that Mike, You can't keep doing this to your self." Hank counseled but knew full well his words were falling on deaf emotions.

"Mike, I'd like you to talk with the councilor again, I think you need so one to help you work past this."

"He'll just tell me to find out what happened first," Mike countered. "So he'll know what to help me deal with."

"We've already tried that," Hank shared his engineer's frustration. "There just isn't any information out there,"

"There has to be," Mike looked up for the first time, "There has to be someone who remembers him, knows what happened to him, someone who knows why he was there." "There has to be someone who realized he was a person and not just some slab of flesh and bones that they bagged and hauled to a warehouse somewhere to await processing."

Hank reached out and placed a hand on his friends shoulder, "Mike, it's time to let it go."

"I can't Cap, I just can't." "I have to know." "Someone out there has to know what happened."

Hank released the engineer from his office but pondered what to do for him for the rest of the morning between the responses to two different fires. He was at his desk checking a resource book on dealing with the mental health of rescue workers when he heard the bell to the front door. "I'll get it."

When Hank reached the front door he was surprised to see a nice looking young lady with straight shoulder length hair pulled back in a tight pony tail dressed in a nice denim pants suit. Her arms were folded across her chest holding some kind of book.

"Well hello ma'am how can I help you?" Hank asked as he opened the door and granted the young woman entrance.

"I'm looking for someone named Michael Stoker, he's a fireman engineer and I have some information that says he might work at this station but I don't know for sure or what shift he may be on."

"It just so happens that we do have a Firemen Stoker on our crew may I ask what you want him for?"

"I have some thing to give to him," The woman stated and Hank noticed that she looked extremely tired or possibly ill.

"I could give it to him for you," Hank offered.

"Thank you, but I would really like to deliver it in person if that's permissable."

"All right then, follow me." Hank guided the young women into the bay where most of his men were working on cleaning up the equipment after the fire they had returned from that morning. Hank wondered what it was that she might have for Stoker and only hoped it would be something that would bring him closer to the information he had been looking for, for all these months. He watched her closely as they entered the bay and saw her eyes scan the men in the room. He could see the recognition in her face when she found Mike.

"That's him," she whispered. "That's him," she sighed and clutched the book in her arms tightly.

Noticing that they had company the men of the station started moving closer.

"Mike you have a visitor."

"Yea, Cap." Mike climbed down from the engine and walked toward the pair standing in front of the Squad.

"This is a, I'm sorry ma'am I didn't get your name," Hank turned to his guest and saw that her entire focus was on his engineer.

"Laura, Laura Elmer." She spoke with out taking her eyes off of the engineer who was now starting to look rather nervous in her gaze.

"I'm sorry," Laura broke from the near trance she had fixed on the fireman. "I've spent so much time trying to figure out how I was going to find you so that I could give you these. I haven't given any thought to what I would say once I finally got to this point." She extended the book in her hand toward the confused firefighter who accepted it and looked it over to see that it was some kind of a book used to order supplies.

"Have we met?" Mike tried to interpret the recognition in her eyes.

"No, um," Laura took a deep breath. "I'm a rescue worker; I've been working with a group that helps in all kinds of situations, and approximately six months ago--"

"You were with my Dad," Mike gasped as his face paled and he froze in his spot between the two trucks. Hank let out a sigh and made his way to the stunned fireman's side taking hold of his arm to help support him.

"We worked together to rescue the survivors of an explosion at an apartment complex not too far from here," Laura responded.

"What do you mean worked together?" Mike questioned in confusion, "My dad wasn't a rescue worker he was a—"

"Structural Engineer," Laura finished for him, "And a damn good one. He told me once you'd never believe he was doing what he did; you'd have been real proud of him though, he was very instrumental in getting some twenty or so survivors out alive. He was there to tell the rest of us where best to place the support beams and where it was safest to cut through the walls to get to those that were trapped in the rubble. He also told me that he finally really understood why you love the work that you do."

"I was told that he had to be dug out of the rubble." Mike continued in confusion as his captain pulled him toward the running board of the engine and placed a hand on his shoulder to push him to a seated position as Laura took a few steps forward to follow him.

"There were three of us that fell through the floor at one point and it took them a while to dig us out," Laura confirmed with a nod of her head as she found the other end of the running board and sat down facing Mike.

There was a long pause as Mike let what he had heard seep in trying to figure out what question he needed to ask next.

"I don't understand," Mike looked at the order forms book in his hand. "Why are you giving me an order book?"

"While we were waiting for them to dig us out after we went through the floor your father wanted to write some letters. The order book from my bag was the only paper available in that hole to write on."

Laura sat watching Mike's expressions carefully as he opened the book and started to cry when he recognized the hand writing on the backs of the forms.

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get them to you but I just found them a couple of weeks ago when I was trying to order the supplies to restock my medical bag. I guess after they got us out of that hole in the ground someone must have stuck it back in my bag."

"Thank you." Mike was getting his composure back and slowing his breathing. Still any effort to read the letters he now held in his hand was in vain his eyes were far too moist to focus on the written word.

"It must be hard after this long," Laura spoke nervously, "You were probably starting to move on with your life and now I've brought it all back again, I'm sorry. When I found the letters I thought you would want; well I know your father wanted you to have them or he wouldn't have written them."

"I do want them, Thank you," Mike stammered slightly searching for words to express his feeling and yet still overwhelmed.

"I know he's very grateful miss," Captain Stanley spoke for his conversation challenged crewman, "I've been trying to help him find out details about what happened since his father's funeral. We just haven't been able to get any information."

Laura let out a deep sigh and brought her hand to her forehead, "Some one called me a couple of months ago and asked me if I could tell them anything about the man that coded on the way to the hospital, but I didn't make the connection and had no idea who they were talking about."

"If you have time," Mike found his voice and the question he wanted to ask next, "I would really like to hear every thing you can remember."

Laura looked at him for a moment and then sighed again. "I don't have any plans I guess I could stay as long as I need to."

"How would you like to join us for lunch," Captain Stanley extended an invitation, "I'm not sure what's on the menu but you could start talking while we're eating."

"Well I'm used to eating military rations so I'm sure what ever's fixed with be gourmet, thank you."

"I'll go make sure they know we're going to have company then and Mike can bring you along in a few minutes."