New team

15.Old chief

"What's wrong with Liam?" Chris asked while they were hiding their uniforms back in their lockers, watching how they team leader was walking into the  firestation jumping up with every second step. "He's smiling like that whole week".

"Maybe he's ill?" Eddie invented. 

"I know only one illness that makes people smile" Tony chuckled from the other side of lockers. "Love".

"Stop wasting time" Julia interrupted them as she walked over to them. "There is only one bus going to Newtown at this time. If you are late for it, whole talking with Ellie and Elvis will be useless" she waved her hand before their eyes. 

"We're coming!" Chris called out, rolling his eyes in annoyance, as he slammed the door of his locker. 

"Do you remember what you have to do?" Julia asked skeptically, measuring her friends carefully. "Leave the talking to Chris and Tony, while Eddie makes mental notes". 

"Why he gets the easiest task?" Chris objected. 

"Because you and Tony complement each other" Julia explained cheekily. "Besides Eddie didn't want to talk too much". 

"Are you sure he will be there?" Eddie hesitated. 

"Ellie said he went on the walks everyday there. And Elvis told that he liked to stop by Bella's Pizzaria after it" Julia reminded. "We have a beautiful weather and it can't be any different in Newtown, right?" 

And she was right. When their bus stopped on the bus stop on the opposite side of the street from Newtown Fire Academy, neither one of them thought twice as they passed through so well known grounds to make their walk shorter. In the sun that warmed their backs they reached the big green area. 

There was a huge playground here, on which even they used to play as kids. Considering that it was an early afternoon time, it was less people than someone could expect. They looked around from a hill on which Newtown Fire Academy was built. When they didn't notice anything that was worth attention, they gave up and climbed down to look around in the park. 

After a few rounds around whole playground and park, it seemed for them as they heard a familiar sounding voice. At first, they thought it was just what they thought, but they couldn't be fooled anymore when they spotted a dark blue of firefighting uniform between the bushes. Without exchanging a word out loud, they came closer, hidding behind a tree, only to notice with surprise how Chief Fire Officer Boyce in person was talking with an older man in civil clothes, sitting on the bench. 

"And he agreed?" The stranger asked confused. 

"He didn't have a choice" Chief Fire Officer Boyce replied, laughing quietly. "I was afraid he would have turned it down, though".

"Then it would have worked out for me" The other man laughed. 

"He's not the same, Norris. Not the same" Chief Fire Officer Boyce sighed helplessly. "He is still a hero, but not that Sam who kept turning down all my propositions". 

Hearing that, the three of them almost gasped in shock. Chris and Eddie exchanged confused looks before they paid attention to Tony, who crouched down on the grass and began feverly searching through his phone. 

"Do you think this man next to Chief Boyce could be...?" Chris asked him quietly pointing to the photo on his friend's phone display. 

He didn't managed to read the name when the movement startled them. They turned around and carefully looked over the tree to see how a kid approached two men. The boy couldn't have been older than ten years. Locks of blond hair the color of fresh grain peeked out from under a blue baseball cap. The boy looked around and they saw his grass green, bright eyes and wide smile as the older man sat him down between himself and Chief Fire Officer Boyce, before the kid ran away to the playground again.