Inferno

~40~ Fish Face

Liam's POV

I see Luke and Taylor come out of his office, and they both look lighter. Both freer. I smile when I realize that they worked it out. It's been a tense few days.

I'm sitting at my table, playing cards with my men. Diego and Greene are playing too.

"When you bringing that daughter of yours to meet all of us, Clark?" Diego asks, giving me a smile.

"Eh, not ready to scare the crap outta' her man" I say with a smirk.

"Why don't you guys come by my place for pizza sometime? I'm dying to meet her" he says as he throws a card down.

"Sounds good, man" I say, glancing over to where Nora is sitting. She's upset. I have a feeling Scott has been harassing her. I never picked up on it before, but my guess is he had been. That's why Taylor wouldn't tell us.

"Deal me outta' this one, guys" I say as I stand up. I never go near Nora. Truth is, she's hot, and I don't wanna' date a paramedic. Then I'm just replaying the Ellie/Taylor romance story, as well as Wes/Megan, and I'm not interested. Plus, she's different. She's not like other girls. She doesn't try to get my attention. I know she likes me, I catch her staring a lot.... but she's not in my face about it.

I go over and sit down next to her. "You ok? You're acting sad" I ask carefully.

She rolls her eyes. "Chief told you?" She asks, embarrassed.

I shake my head. "No. He hasn't said anything. I've actually been pissed at him for being so vague" I say,
ashamed of myself.

"Then can I ask why you're over here, Lieutenant?" She asks with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

I look at her surprised. "I was just coming over to check on you" I say.

"You've never once come up to talk to me. Not unless it was about a call" she says.

I nod. "You're right. I haven't" I say, looking at my hands.

"Wasn't ever about you" I say when I look back at her. "I just know how it is in this place. It's like a curse. Once a Lieutenant and a paramedic start talking, it's game over" I say with a stupid grin.

She didn't appreciate the joke. She says nothing as she goes back to her report.

"I bet it's pretty lonely, being the only girl here, huh?" I ask, just realizing that.

"Comes with the job, sir" she says, not bothering to look up.

"I'm sorry I've upset you. I'll leave you be" I say as I touch her hand lightly.

As I'm starting to stand she sighs. "I heard about your daughter. You adjusting ok with all of that?" She asks, cautiously.

I sigh and sit back down. "If you mean, am I adjusting to being a single dad out of the blue and having to move back in with my mommy? No, not really. She's great though" I say with a smile.

She smiles back and nods. "Greene says you're a natural" she says gently.

I chuckle. "He's being nice. I'm not. She's completely obsessed with my mom. I've been looking for places, but I can't pull the trigger yet. Ripping her away from my mom is going to be detrimental" I say sadly. I'm ready for my own place again, but her mental health is more important than my wants.

"Putting your daughter's needs before your own? Sounds like you're a natural to me" she says, smiling again.

"I hope you bring her by sometime. I'd love to meet her" she says, as she stands up.