I won't let you down

chapter seven

When Buck and Clarissa entered the bar, they were immediately looked at, or rather Clarissa was looked at. It was probably not everyday that someone in a wheelchair came in here. Buck, who was pushing her, immediately grinned when he saw his work colleagues. Briskly, they drove toward the group of men and women. "Buck, so you got your butt over here once!" said a dark-skinned woman, laughing. The others joined in. "Very funny guys!" just grinned Buck before he started with the introductions. "Clary, I'd like you to meet my work colleagues. This is Hen!" He pointed to the dark-skinned woman who had just spoken. "This is Chimney!" He pointed to the man next to Hen. "Then my sister Maddie!" The woman who was standing next to Chimney. Chimney, was that really his name? Kind of an odd name. Or maybe it was just a nickname, she would soon find out. "Athena and Bobby!" He pointed to another dark-haired woman and the man next to him. "And Eddie!" The last one smiled broadly at her. "Guys, this is Clarissa, the one from the car accident the other day!" he explained now addressing the others. Slightly, the redhead smiled to the group and waved to his work colleagues. "Is Albert not here?" he asked the round afterwards and it was Chimney who answered. "He has a hot date, so no, he isn't here and won't come!" He grinned and was lightly slapped by Maddie. Clarissa could tell right away that this was a slob group, but all the more fun they would probably have tonight.

"What do you want to drink?" asked Evan now addressing his temporary roommate. "Whatever, surprise me, as long as it's alcohol free!" she said, smiling at him gratefully. He nodded and walked over to the bar. "And Clarissa, how are you?" asked Eddie, who then took a sip of his beer. She nodded. "Been better, but hey.... I'm still alive so I guess I should not complain!" She laughed softly. The others nodded. That made her think of something she hadn't really wondered about and no one had told her. "Do any of you know what exactly had happened? I mean, was I the guilty party in the accident or?" Athena cleared her throat. "I'm a police officer, by the way, so I can tell you that you weren't the one at fault. Another driver was on his cell phone and ran a red light. He is currently in custody. You should be appearing in court soon, by the way. I would advise you, as we know you are currently living with Buck, to keep an eye on your mailbox!" She smiled slightly at her. Briefly, the redhead nodded. "Here!" Buck was back and handed Clary a glass. "A non-alcoholic cocktail, should probably taste better than just a Coke or a glass of water!" He scratched the back of his neck lightly before grinning at her. "Thanks!" she replied softly and smiled back before taking a big sip of the berry cocktail. It tasted good. She really enjoyed the drink. "So Clarissa!" Now it was Hen who was speaking. "Tell me something about yourself! Buck here has already told so much about you, but not much about who you are and what you do!" The redhead raised an eyebrow and looked at Buck, who scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. The others laughed. So he had been talking about her? Why would that be? "Um...well, you already know my name. I work as a wedding planner, have my own business, but I guess that buisnedd will be on hold for now!" She shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't keep the business going without her work colleague, and since she was in a wheelchair she couldn't really do much herself except office work. "Really? Then you really need to plan Howie's and my wedding when you get back on your feet!" Maddie interjected, smiling broadly at her. Clary's gaze slid from her face down to her hand, which indeed had an engagement ring shining on it. "I'd love to!" was all she said, smiling. "And other than that, yeah, I don't really have much to count. I've been fully occupied with work from dawn to dusk lately, so yeah..." She shrugged again and looked at Hen.

"Oh, Buck even told me more about you than you're letting on!" she said and laughed out loud. Clarissa's gaze slid back to the firefighter, who must not have caught the sentence. He was in a conversation with Eddie. "Oh yeah! What was he talking about?" she wanted to know and looked at Hen, the dark-skinned woman, again. She waved it off. "He can tell you that all by himself! Now let's drink first!" With these words she raised her glass and the others did the same. The evening became beautiful and passed quietly. Clarissa enjoyed the time. At last she was doing something for herself and not for work. It did her good. She had noticed Buck's gaze on her again and again. But when she looked over at him, he quickly looked away. She had to smile. There was something about the young man that she really liked. She would definitely talk to him today about what he had said about her, but for now they were all enjoying their time in the bar.