"What went on back there? Why was Meg working an accident scene?" Chris exploded as he slammed the door of the fire engine.
Dean rounded the back of the truck, dropping his gear. "Meg was on her way home from work. She did what she's trained to do. Personally, I'm damn proud of her. She's good at what she does. Not just good, damn good."
The chief agreed. "You can say that again. It's a shame she isn't running with us anymore. Anyone know why she stopped? The real story?"
Chris thundered, "I told you all, she decided…"
Dean stood toe-to-toe with the other man. "So help me, if you spread that shit about her any more I will drop you where you stand. You know the truth and so do I." Chris glared at the other man. "Meg's coming back and you are going to stay away from her. You have your little side dish. Meg's mine. Leave her alone."
The chief held up his hands. "Hold up. Leave the personal shit at the door."
Dean glared at Chris. "Too late. Thanks to this douche, Meg's been gone for way too long. It's already personal. The shit he's spewing about her is way off base and complete lies. She doesn't deserve what he's put her through and I'm not going to stand for it anymore." Chris's mouth opened. "Not a word. I know, Chris. Get that? I know. The girlfriend, the baby, the lies, how you used this department as an excuse to cheat on your wife; yeah, I know."
The chief moved to stand behind Dean. "He what?"
Jay and Seth stood on the other side of Chris. Jay retold Meg's story. "He would tell her he needed to be here for a meeting or something before work. Then he'd go to his girlfriend's house. That's why she disappeared. She was sure we were covering for him."
Seth agreed. "And none of us told her any different since we didn't know…"
Seth's girlfriend Renee rounded the corner and shouted, "You mean to tell me that woman thought we were covering for HIS CHEATING ASS?!" as the chief shouted, "We lost a damn fine member because of this shit?!" The rest of the members gathered around silently.
"How the hell do any of you know about my life?" Chris argued. "Because Meg says so? Because you are scre…" Dean drew back his fist. The chief caught his arm and pulled him away.
Jay got between the men, putting his palm flat against Chris's chest. "You really are a bastard, you know that?" He checked over his shoulder to make sure Dean was held back by several members before turning his full attention to Chris. "Yeah, we heard all about you from Meg. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that what she said is true, or more true than the crap you've been spreading. All we have to do is look at when she disappeared and when your first little side-dish tramp showed up. That didn't take very long, did it? As if she were already in your life, and then the next one rolled in, like they were exchangeable parts to be toyed around with. For someone that claimed to be torn up over the loss of the love of his life, you weren't very distraught." He thumbed over his shoulder. "That dude is more torn up over Meg putting herself in danger today than you were over your wife leaving. That says a lot, asshole. And let me tell you something else, those two aren't screwing around." Jay stepped inches away from Chris's face. "You don't go near them. They are untouchable." Chris snorted.
Roman appeared over Jay's shoulder. "I told Meg that you didn't walk on water. You may think you do but you don't. The carefully constructed lies you've spread about her are collapsing around you. And those of us who never believed them in the first place are so happy to watch it happen. Meg deserves to be happy and to come home. She deserves to be back here where she belongs. You should be the one out in the cold, dealing with your tramps and little babies that you are leaving all over the place. That's on you." Roman leaned on Jay's shoulder as he got in Chris's face. "I saw you in the Chinese restaurant. No one else here did. Damn shame I wasn't there in time to stop you from ranting, but I heard enough. Meg knew that night that I had her back. She knew that if I was around she wouldn't have to deal with you alone."
Renee tapped her foot. "What happened at the Chinese restaurant?"
"All I did was…" Chris began.
Roman cut him off. "He cursed at her and made what I'd call a veiled threat. He said things like 'Are you back in town?' and 'You know I can find out?' Meg told him that they weren't friends and that she didn't want to be around him. She was very calm and didn't let him see that she was rattled, 'cause I know she had to be. Someone acting like that in my face would have rattled me."
Dean's hands balled into fists again. He muttered, "Dammit. I knew she played it down. Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
"So what now? Ya'll gonna take her side? Toss me out of the company after all the years I've given here?" Chris snarled.
The chief patted Dean's shoulder. "You need to walk away." he muttered. Dean cut his eyes and stomped to the other side of the bay to remove his turn-out gear. The chief leveled his pissed-off gaze on Chris. "You know the by-laws of the company, Chris. We can't just toss you out on your ass. As the chief, I can suspend your riding privileges for 10 days and I am doing that on the basis that you were a danger to other members on the scene today. Your personal issues affected your judgment and that cannot happen. You asked a question as soon as we arrived and Meg answered you. It didn't matter your personal history, she was working for the benefit of the injured. Likewise the other members of this department worked as a team. You questioned multiple decisions and personnel. You had to be warned not to cause a scene while we were there. For that reason, you are not to be here at the station and you are not to run calls. This decision will be reviewed by the Board."
Chris slammed his helmet on the floor. "You want me out! I knew it!"
"Eh, there's the door." The chief shrugged. "At this point, you are a loose cannon liability that we don't need. And trust me, we will be sure to let the neighboring companies know what you've been up to."
Seth smiled evilly. "Lies always come back to bite ya in the ass, Chris. See ya!"
