One Night Stand

Chapter 9

    After a few weeks at 51 Nicole was really beginning to settle into the routine of being a member of a house again. She got along pretty well with the guys on truck, except Driver of course. Although she had to admit it was getting interesting, even entertaining, to see what new bull shit job he would give her to keep her away from the main action of every run.
    Her and Morris usually got paired up since they were both on Driver's shit list. They made the best of the situation and were fast becoming friends, something Nicole didn't have many of in Chicago. At first she tried to avoid any real connections but at the same time she felt comfortable around the candidate. She found herself sharing stories about her misadventures with Mike, Rachel and Leslie which was a huge step for Nicole. She had actually shared most of her story was one new friend in Chicago who she barely spoke to anymore, but she wasn't ready to share everything just yet with Morris though she could see herself confiding in him eventually.
    Nothing had been resolved with Gray but Nicole figured that might be for the best. Since her first day she hadn't had much opportunity to talk with either roommate and she didn't go out of her way to seek them out either. Nicole figured they had compared notes and were satisfied with her explanation, or just decided to ignore her existence.

    At the end of the shift Bailey called everyone in for a quick meeting.
    "Alright people, I've got a couple announcements." Bailey's voice boomed from the front of the training room. "Whether you already knew this or not, this was the last shift here at 51 for lieutenant Driver and Cabello."
    Nicole was a little surprised by the announcement. She had heard a little talk about both but hadn't allowed herself to believe the in house chatter until official word came down.
    Bailey continued, "Cabello will be moving to the fire academy." Cheers broke out across the room.
    "And lieutenant Driver will be moving on to his next assignment because lieutenant Thornily has been medically cleared to return to duty." Cheers broke out again.
    Assuming the cheers were for him, Driver proudly stood and said, "It's been a pleasure working here with you men, uh and women. I'll have fond memories of 51."
    Bailey smiled a bit sarcastically at Driver then turned to the rest of the crew, "Alright go get some rest, see most of you next shift."
    As they walked toward their locker Cabello turned to Gray, "How about a girls night out tonight to celebrate?"
    "Celebrate losing my partner?" Gray said sadly then added only half joking, "Well at least I can drown my sorrows!"
    "Come on Gray, this is a really good thing for me." Cabello said with a pout.
    Gray couldn't help but laugh, "Alright fine. We celebrating at Halligan's."
    "Eventually but we'll go other places first. If we only went to Halligan's it wouldn't really be a girls night out, would it?" Cabello replied.
    "Good point." Gray said with a nod. "What time do I need to be ready to drink my misery away?"
    Cabello rolled her eyes then replied, "I'll pick you up at seven."

    "With any luck Thornely will give me a chance to prove myself instead of dismissing me to the sidelines constantly." Nicole said to her sister over breakfast.
Rachel nodded, "Thornely's a good guy so I'm sure he'll give you plenty of opportunities to prove what you can do out there. Plus since Cabello likes you that will help."
"How will that help, today was her last day?" Nicole asked.
"Her taking off for the academy doesn't change anything about her and Thornely." Rachel replied.
"What about her and Thornely?" Nicole asked, clearly confused.
Rachel laughed, "You didn't know that Cabello and Thornely are an item?"
"Well it's not like Cabello and I are close or anything." Nicole replied then asked, "How did you know they were an item or that Cabello likes me? I thought you were out of touch with the goings on at 51, yet you know things that I don't."
"I had lunch with Antonio, Cabello's brother, the other day and both topics came up in conversation. Apparently that first day you made a good impression on Cabello; how you dealt with Driver and how you were with the injured from the car wreck you guys responded to." Nicole said with a shrug.
Rachel's husband randomly chimed in, "Now, how about you come out with us for a drink tonight to celebrate being rid of this Driver jerk? Tyler's going over to the grandparents so you're not on babysitting duty."
"Nah, you guys don't need me tagging along on a date night." Nicole said.
"No sis, I insist. We're going to Hopleaf to visit Kim. You should come with us." Rachel said.
Nicole thought for a moment then said, "Sure why not. I'm supposed to meet Morris at Halligan's at some point but we didn't specify a time."
"That's the spirit." Rachel said with a smile. "Now go get some sleep."
"What time are we heading out?" Nicole asked through a yawn as she got up from the table.
Rachel thought for a moment even though she already knew what she was going to say. "Let's head out around seven. That way we can celebrate and then you'll have plenty of time to get into trouble with Morris."

Later that night as Gray was just about to head out the door Rafferty asked, "Are you girls showing up at Halligan's later?"
Gray shrugged, "I'd assume so but I really don't know what Cabello has in mind. I'm just along for the ride and hopefully a few free drinks."
"Alright." Rafferty answered with his own shrug. "Well, have fun and maybe I'll see you later."
"Maybe," Gray said with a smile and a hug then walked out the door.
Cabello was parked in front of the door waiting. When Gray got in Cabello smiled, "I love that you're usually ready early." It was ten to seven.
Gray laughed, "Hey in my experience it's really dumb to keep a beautiful woman waiting."
"With that kind of attitude you'll make a woman very happy someday." Cabello replied.
    "Yeah as long as I can find one that's not completely fucked up." Gray said sarcastically.
    "Well, your bad luck with women can't last forever hun." Cabello replied sympathetically.
    Gray laughed then said, "But enough about me, tonight is about celebrating you leaving me so where are we heading?"
    Cabello gave her a look then smiled, "Well we're starting off at Hopleaf. Antonio and Laura are meeting some friends there and they want to buy me a drink. Then we'll probably head to Halligan's."
    "Well both places have beer so I'm good." Gray smiled as Cabello pulled out into traffic.

    Half an hour after they arrived at Hopleaf Nicole was having fun. It had been a while since she went out with Rachel and Will plus she hadn't seen their friend Kim in months.
    As she was chatting with Kim she saw Antonio and his wife walk up to Rachel. She knew they were friends but for some reason she got a bad feeling when she saw Cabello's brother.
    When Cabello and Gray got to Hopleaf Thornely was waiting out front. "Hey ladies." He said with a smile.
    "Hey John." Gray said. "I didn't know you were crashing girls night out." She turned and gave Cabello a look.
    Cabello quickly spoke up grabbing Gray's arm, "Let's get a beer or two in you, you'll barely notice John's here. Besides, we need a designated driver to cart our soon to be drunk asses around, right?"
    As they walked through the doors Gray looked towards the bar and spotted Antonio. Then she took in the people he and his wife were chatting with. She turned to Cabello and said, "You set me up!!"

    Nicole had scanned the bar after Antonio and Laura joined them. She hadn't seen any other familiar faces so she relaxed slightly.
    After everyone had drinks Nicole and Antonio started talking shop so Nicole engaged in conversation with the spouses. About ten minutes later she noticed three people enter the bar, two she recognized immediately and one she didn't but could guess who he was.
    She looked at her brother in law, the one who suggested she come to the bar with them and asked, "I was set up wasn't I?"
    He looked uncomfortable so Laura answered, "Yeah but it was mostly Kat's idea with a little help from Rachel, as far as I know Amber had nothing to do with this."
    Nicole laughed, "Given the people involved I figured as much. At least Gray and I are on equal footing I guess." She replied with a smile and a shrug. "You know I should probably be annoyed that so many people know my personal business."
    "Probably," Laura said with a nod. "But I can tell you that Kat and Rach have the best intentions. They just want you and Amber to resolve your issues tonight and move forward."
    Nicole laughed, "Well this should be a fun night."