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It had been a long day and yet they were only halfway through their 24 hour shift. The calls had kept coming non-stop, some more serious than others, and the round trips to the firehouse had been numerous. And the evening seemed to be going that way as well, since it was barely 9:00 p.m. and the 126 hadn't even had time to start discussing a potential dinner plan. Fortunately, the call on which the 126 and the APD were currently intervening was not serious, a light accident which deplored only a few minor injuries and a little significant material damage.
A guy's vehicle had suddenly bursted a tire causing the car owner to lose control of it. His race had come to an abrupt halt in another parked car that was fortunately empty. The other vehicles circulating, few given the time, had managed to avoid a pileup. The only victim of the accident, the driver, had found himself stuck against his steering wheel, and was slightly stunned, but he was fine overall.
Only the guy hadn't taken his eyes off TK since the latter had introduced himself to him while he was still stuck in the vehicle. All the members of 126 had noticed it and hinted glances and smiles had passed between them. It was not unusual for some victims or bystanders to flirt with them or have a crush on them, and it was always cause for teasing as long as their comrade was not bothered by people flirting with them. If they expressed the slightest annoyance, they took charge of the situation themselves, showing that no one had the right to bother their comrade.
Now the victim was on a stretcher and was being cared for by TK who was gently bandaging his wrist. The victim's brown eyes never left the paramedic, drinking in his every word and missing none of TK's reassuring smiles. From where they were observing the scene, Paul and Marjan weren't sure if TK had noticed the way his patient was looking at him. After all, their friend who was rather observant and smart had shown them that he could also be off the mark and oblivious, as for example with the coffee story between Nancy and Mateo.
"I think TK has a new fan," Marjan said amusedly as she stowed some gear in their fire truck.
"I don't think I've ever seen someone not blink for so long," Paul added, helping her.
"What are you talking about ?" Judd inquired as he joined them, stowing the jaws of life in the truck.
Marjan and Paul turned to the older one, the only woman in the group nodding at TK to show him the subject of their conversation.
"TK's new admirer."
Judd followed the direction she was pointing and snorted. "Looks like he's wondering how to eat him. And seeing how he nods at and drinks every word of TK, our brother can ask him anything and he'll say yes just to please him."
'Too bad for him, TK is already happily taken."
The three firefighters exchanged an amused look.
"Speaking of Carlos," Paul announced, nodding towards the cop in question, "I'm not sure he's a fan of what's going on."
Marjan and Judd turned as one and without discretion in the direction of their friend who was a little further away. The latter was surrounded by a few colleagues but given all the many looks he threw in the direction of TK and the man he was treating, it was clear that he wasn't focused on the conversation that his comrades were having. His gaze suddenly became more insistent, so the three firefighters turned to see what had caught his eye so much. And they understood right away.
TK had finished treating his patient but the latter was now holding his hand between his and was staring at him insistently, his mouth quickly forming a succession of words. This time, it was clear that TK was slightly embarrassed by the situation, his body stiffening slightly though he tried to keep a polite smile on his lips.
Even before one of the three decided to do something, Tommy and Nancy were ahead of them, the former keeping a polite and courteous smile while Nancy's annoyed gaze never left the patient. Tommy said something that seemed to upset the patient. The latter, ready to protest, was quickly cut off by a falsely sorry looking Nancy. From where they were, the firefighters couldn't hear the conversation, but they had no trouble imagining that the patient would have wanted TK to accompany him to the back of the ambulance but Nancy just informed him that this was not possible. Immediately afterwards, the paramedics carried the gurney into the back of the ambulance, Tommy then joining the patient. They saw the smiles TK and Carlos exchanged when their eyes met before TK got behind the wheel of the ambulance.
"No, he's definitely not a fan," Marjan replied as they saw Carlos' smile disappear as the ambulance drove off.
********************
TK had already forgotten this story a few days later. It wasn't the first time he'd been subjected to attention from patients, though for the most part they were harmless old ladies. And of course, he had better things to think about, like his fiancé for example. However, he was reminded about that when he, Tommy and Nancy returned from a call.
The day was rather calm and above all it was almost over. Only the paramedic team had been called this time, the firefighters having still not moved from the station since they left an hour earlier. When TK and Nancy joined them after finishing what they had to do after parking the rig, they found that Paul, Marjan and Mateo had gathered around the dining table while Judd made himself a coffee. The trio seemed excited about something.
"Hi guys," Nancy greeted them with a smile, coming up to them. "What's happening?"
The trio turned around to face them, taking care to keep their backs against the table as if to hide something. They all had identical smiles on their faces.
"If you want to know everything, Nancy," Marjan started, "it happened that a delivery man came to drop off something. Someone here is lucky."
TK and Nancy exchanged a confused look.
"I guess that what you hide behind you is the thing which was delivered?" TK guessed amusedly. The trio nodded. "And can we see this thing?"
The trio exchanged glances, communicating with their eyes for a moment before stepping away from the table. What they hid appeared in full view of Nancy and TK who were immediately surprised. The thing in question was a huge bouquet of bright red roses with very green petals. They were silent for a moment, before Nancy addressed their friends again.
"Woah this bouquet is huge! Who sent it and for whom?"
None of the three answered, but Paul held out a small card in the direction of TK under the smiles of Marjan and Mateo.
"They're for me?" TK asked in surprise, grabbing the card. The paramedic read the card on which was marked 'TK Strand' and turned it over intending to see who was the sender of the bouquet but there was nothing else marked. "It's not marked who sent it," TK announced.
"It must be from Carlos," Mateo answered shrugging his shoulders.
Paul and Marjan nodded as Nancy approached the table to grab the bouquet. She brought the flowers to her face to inhale their scent.
"Carlos didn't joke," she said handing the bouquet to her partner.
TK automatically took the flowers from her, his eyes narrowed staring at the roses in confusion. It was true that Carlos sometimes gave him flowers but never at work, let alone having them delivered.
"Can we know why?" Marjan asked with interest.
"Their anniversary is only in a few weeks," Nancy protested. "And do you really need an occasion to give flowers to the person you love?"
TK wanted to say something but Judd who joined them with his cup of coffee in his hands was faster.
"Or he has something to be forgiven for," he said with amusement.
"This is what you do for Grace, right?" Paul added with a teasing smile on his mouth.
Judd and Paul started bickering about it, but TK's uncertain voice cut them off.
"Carlos never send flowers."
This caught their attention, as well as that of Marjan, Mateo and Nancy.
"Maybe he wanted to please you," Mateo offered.
TK looked at them doubtfully.
"Maybe."
His response made it clear that he didn't believe too much Mateo's words. And it was true. Because if Carlos had done that, he wouldn't have just marked a simple first and last name on the card. And he was not one to buy such a big bouquet of flowers. Nancy noticed his hesitation and spoke up.
"You'll just have to ask him tonight. Or you can even send him a text right away so you can be fixed."
His shoulders sagging, TK nodded with a smile. But before he could even thank her for her advice, Marjan seemed to have a flash of inspiration.
"Or maybe it was that guy from the other day who grabbed your hand. Maybe he wanted to thank you."
It was not the first time that the people they had helped sent or gave them gifts to thank them. TK had forgotten about this patient, or rather he had put aside what had happened. He knew that sometimes in the distress, people clung to the person who came to their aid like someone who was drowning would cling to his lifeline. It wasn't the first time he had been grabbed by the hand or their patient wanted him to stay by their side until they fell into the hands of the doctors in the emergency room. Accompanying patients and reassuring them were also part of his job.
"With roses?" Paul wondered, raising an eyebrow in astonishment.
Marjan shrugged.
"Why not ? Not everyone is skilled in the knowledge of flowers. Maybe he thought he was doing a nice gesture with this bouquet."
"Are you going to take them home?" Mateo asked curiously.
TK stared at the flowers for a moment then shook his head negatively as he put the bouquet back on the table.
"It's better that they stay here."
********************
That same evening, Carlos came home from work after TK. The latter had already put the cutlery on the table and was reheating what Carlos had prepared the day before when Carlos walked through the door of their loft.
"Hey babe."
TK looked up from the meal he was stirring gently to prevent it from burning and gave him a smile.
"Hi baby, the meal is almost ready."
Carlos approached TK after dropping off his things and ran a hand around his waist as he placed a kiss on his cheek. TK then turned his head and placed a brief kiss on his lips in response.
"Did you have a good day?" he inquired as he returned his attention to what he was stirring.
Carlos squeezed his hand briefly on his hip before removing it and heading to the fridge where he pulled out a bottle of water.
"Yes. Much more paperwork than calls, although the few interventions of the day were pretty eventful," Carlos answered before bringing the previously opened bottle to his mouth and taking a few sips of water.
"And you will be able to tell me about that while eating because the meal is ready," TK said with enthusiasm while extinguishing the fire of the gas stove.
After having served the plates, settled down and started to eat, Carlos then began to relate his day. TK and he hadn't crossed at work today, their respective calls not having overlapped. And TK noticed while listening to his fiancé that the latter hadn't exaggerated in qualifying his interventions of the day as eventful but fortunately not dangerous.
"And she didn't budge even if she was more than in the wrong," Carlos protested, incredulous as to the reaction that people could have when they denied being in the wrong. "She swore that someone else had put the makeup in her bag when there was only one other customer who was on the other side of the store. She called the sales clerk a liar when she pointed this out and that she has better, I quote, change those false eyelashes that are clearly hiding her sight."
TK couldn't help but laugh, amused by the way his fiancé was telling the story while sharing his disbelief at how daring some people were.
"And I guess that she mustn't have been happy to be taken away by the police."
Carlos winced as he remembered the words vociferated by the woman in the back of his vehicle.
"Let's say that in addition to an attempted theft, she was also charged for insulting behavior on an officer."
"Some people don't know when to stop."
"I don't think I will ever understand people who would rather make their case worse than be reasonable. And after that call, it was just paperwork. What about you?"
TK then recounted his day as they finished dinner and then did the dishes. He hadn't had any hectic interventions today, the most impressive one being a broken ankle during sports training.
"That's all?" Carlos inquired as he wiped his hands on a hand towel after finishing the dishes.
TK, who finished putting the pan away after wiping it, raised his head questioningly.
"What?" he asked, putting the dish towel on its hook.
"I don't know, I feel you're hesitant," Carlos explained while approaching TK.
He put both hands on TK's hips and pulled him closer. The paramedic immediately put his arms around his fiancé's shoulders, a slight smile on his face. His fiancé knew him only too well.
"You know me too well," he repeated aloud.
"You know, you're giving yourself away when you bite your lip like that when you hesitate to say something," Carlos confirmed with a soft look in his eyes before kissing him briefly. "Come on, tell me."
"It's not important." Carlos raised an eyebrow, letting him know that it didn't work with him. TK sighed. "Alright, alright. I got flowers today at work."
Carlos wrinkled his brow, puzzled by his fiancé's response. "Flowers?"
The expression on the officer's face clearly showed that he was not the sender of these roses, confirming TK's doubts.
"Our friends thought you sent them. Judd thought you had something to be forgiven for," TK added amused now while thinking back to the tall fireman's words.
Carlos rolled his eyes. "Why would I send you flowers at work when we live together? And then, if I have something to make up for, I won't choose flowers."
That, TK knew very well. Carlos had other ways to make amends, ways much more effective than flowers.
"They were roses," TK specified with a hint of humor, knowing what his fiancé thought of roses.
It wasn't that Carlos didn't like roses, he had nothing against those flowers in particular. He just thought they were overrated for romantic gestures.
"And even less roses," Carlos refuted in a deadpan tone which made TK laugh. "If it's not me, then who sent you flowers? Is it that old lady who was courting you while you were taking care of her neighbor who fell down?"
TK rolled his eyes at Carlos' amused laugh.
"We agreed we wouldn't discuss this situation again," TK scolded him with a smile. "No, it's not her. Marjan thinks it's that patient from the other day, the one who lost control of his vehicle and hit another car."
"Oh I see, the one who didn't let go of your hand and didn't stop looking at you for a single second."
Carlos tried to remain neutral but the unimpressed tone of his voice gave him away.
"There's no name on the card so maybe it's not him," TK pointed out.
"Who else could send you roses?"
TK shrugged, having no answer for Carlos.
"I hope he will be satisfied by thanking you with this one bouquet of flowers."
The paramedic felt Carlos slide his hands up his buttocks, using them to press him against him, and couldn't help but smile.
"And if you decided to thank me instead?" TK offered, looking at him with flirtatious eyes and a smile. "What do you think?"
Carlos tilted his head towards TK, his brown eyes shining at the thought of following TK in his reasoning.
"I think there's only one person here who can thank you properly," he whispered against the lips of the paramedic before seizing them with his own and dragging them into a hot and passionate kiss.
********************
Unfortunately, it didn't stop at one bouquet of roses. He received another one, smaller, a few days later, accompanied by a small box of overpriced chocolates that TK gave to share with his friends without tasting a single one. Much to the displeasure of Carlos who still kept his bad thoughts to himself, even if TK had no trouble detecting them.
"I would have told him that I have a lovely fiancé and that I'm happy with him and therefore to stop sending me gifts, but he still doesn't deliver them to me personally and I don't see him," TK had said that night with a guilty look on his face.
"I'm a cop, I can easily find his home address and pay him a little visit, friendly of course."
"Although the idea is rather enticing and I love it when you take on your role as a dead serious officer, it's not worth it. Maybe he's just a person who is extremely generous in his gratitude."
His remark had earned him an incredulous look from his fiancé who did not believe in this theory at all.
"Roses and chocolates, babe! It's the very cliché of Valentine's Day! That's what we give to our crushes in high school!"
The offense in Carlos' voice had made TK smile who had held back a laugh by biting his lip.
"Exactly. If his crush for me is real, he'll end up showing up instead of continuing to send gifts. And I will tell him nicely to stop making my fiancé jealous."
"I'm not jealous, TK!"
This last offended reaction from Carlos had got the better of TK who had indulged in hilarity.
After this discussion, TK had received another bouquet of flowers which he had wanted to throw away but he didn't have the heart to do that to these roses. But he had been right, and his admirer had ended up showing up at the firehouse one day. Only, it had been his day off. However, Paul and Marjan who had seen him before had recognized him as the patient from the car accident.
Finally, it was one evening that he met him face to face. TK, Nancy, Paul, Mateo and Marjan had finished their shift and were coming out of the firehouse discussing their plans for the evening. TK spotted Carlos' parked Camaro, its owner coming to pick him up as planned for a date.
"Oh the Charming Prince is here," Nancy exclaimed, seeing the way TK always looked when he saw Carlos waiting for him outside of work.
TK paid no attention to his partner, preferring to stare at his fiancé who was getting out of his car. This caused a surge of amusement among his friends. He made his gaze travel over the body of his fiancé who was now coming towards them.
"That's it, we lost TK," Paul commented, pushing the young paramedic slightly to get him out of the clouds.
Which worked for TK's displeasure. The latter turned to him, ready to say a word to him when a foreign voice came from behind them.
"Excuse me."
They turned around and then saw a man standing in front of them. A tall, blond man, with square, broad shoulders and brown eyes. He was the car accident victim. They hadn't seen him waiting for them at the side as they came out of the station, absorbed in their conversation.
"Oh oh, that's TK's admirer," Marjan's voice whispered.
TK didn't need her comment to recognize the man he had treated. Jason Walker if he remembered his name correctly. The latter stood in front of them, uneasy and nervous, but his eyes, which didn't let go of TK as soon as they landed on him, shone with determination.
"I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Jason. We met when you intervened on my car accident. I am extremely grateful to you and I know it's not much but I hope you received the chocolates and the flowers that I had sent you."
TK had hoped to meet Jason to tell him to just stop sending him those gifts, it was true, that's what he had said to Carlos, but now that he was facing him, it was harder than he had thought. Because not only was he surrounded by his colleagues and friends who were witnessing this whole scene, but also because Carlos was behind them. He didn't need to see his fiancé to know that he was watching the scene with frowning eyebrows and arms folded across his chest.
"Listen, Jason," TK started saying, "it's really nice of you to send those presents, but you didn't have to. I only did my job."
"No, no," the blond refuted, shaking his head, "it was the least I could do. And then, I must admit that I had another goal in sending them. Would you like to continue this conversation over a drink? We could get to know each other better and-"
"No, I don't think so," Carlos intervened, slipping into the group formed by 126. His intervention plus his firm, cold voice caught their attention, as Carlos made it to TK. "This paramedic already has a date tonight and is already taken," Carlos added before turning his attention to TK. "Hey babe."
And without giving TK time to respond, Carlos grabbed his head and kissed him full on the lips. Which surprised TK since Carlos preferred to remain discreet in public, but it did not displease him. On the contrary. His fiancé finally released him, putting on a satisfied look on his face as TK tried to catch his breath.
"I missed you," Carlos finished saying.
TK tried to find the words to answer him, but Jason cut him off before he could find them.
"Oh shit, I-I didn't know, sorry man. I-I… Goodbye."
Jason left without further ado under the eyes of the 126. A small blank silence lasted a few moments after his departure, cut by Marjan.
"Woah, Carlos, I didn't know you had that in you," she exclaimed, impressed.
"That was epic, man," Mateo raved, raising his fist and bumped it on Carlos' slowly raising one.
The latter began to feel the embarrassment of his actions but tried to hide it somehow.
"I think the message got across very well," Paul teased, putting both hands on the cop's shoulders and squeezing lightly.
"And I think there's someone here who liked it," Nancy added, glancing mischievously at TK.
The latter, cheeks flushed, cleared his throat. He blushed even more when all eyes turned to him. It was Paul who took pity on him.
"I guess you don't need spectators for the next part, so we'll leave you to it. Have a good evening."
Mateo, Marjan and Nancy also said their goodbyes with smiles and knowing glances then left, leaving Carlos and TK alone in the parking lot of the firehouse. Only this one was not deserted and they remembered it when they heard an alarm ringing inside.
"We better get going," TK muttered as he saw the firefighters from Team B enter the firetruck.
Carlos nodded then the couple walked over to the Camaro and settled inside the car. A silence of a few seconds settled down between them before Carlos ended it by clearing his throat.
"TK, I'm s-," he started to say before being interrupted by his fiancé who was suddenly laughing out loud.
"I was so right! You lied to me! You were so jealous!"
"What? No!" Carlos tried to protest.
TK immediately turned to his fiancé and grabbed one of his hands, his green eyes shining on him.
"No, no, you can't lie about that anymore, Officer Reyes. Accept the truth. You're the one who just kissed me out of breath to make a stance."
Carlos was going to protest but changed his mind and sighed before looking at his fiancé with laughing eyes.
"And it worked, didn't it? I don't think you'll ever have to worry about getting flowers and chocolates anymore."
"I guess a reward is in order for the work you have just done," TK whispered as he approached Carlos, his eyes traveling between his eyes and his lips.
"I won't say no, indeed," Carlos replied, sliding his hand on the back of TK's neck to bring his head towards him. "On the other hand I warn you, I require much more than roses and chocolates," he said before involving TK in a passionate and languorous kiss.
THE END