Love, Dad | Joe Cruz

Chapter 3: The New Guy

"This you?" Joe motions at the locker before putting his hands on his hips.

"Yeah."

"Not this one. You can pick any other locker you want, but this one is off-limits." Cruz walks off a sigh escaping his lips. He gets back into his bunk, he was luckily able to get another hour of sleep before the bells went off. Luckily Tati slept until a little bit before they got back. She had brought her switch with her so she sat out by the monument playing on it until the rigs rolled in.

"Who is she?" Gallo asks from the truck looking at the kid.

"Oh, that's Otis' daughter, Tati. She spends shifts here." Casey explains as Kidd parks the truck. Tatiana was getting up and hurrying to the squad's rig. Gallo's eyes follow her as he takes off his gear.

"Capp wanna play Mario kart with me?" She asks waving the switch. The switch was last year's Christmas present from her dad.

"Yeah." He removes his bunker gear and follows her to squad table. They play a few rounds until lunch is called. She gets in line next to Cruz as they gather their food. She has slept through breakfast so she was hungry.

"So this guy goes scrambling
across that ladder like it's nothing." Mouch turns toward the table where the engine guys sat. Tatia listens to the story very invested.

"Damn. " Ritter says.

"Okay, I gotta hear, what's your story, Gallo? How'd you join the CFD?" Cruz asks walking to the table with Tatia behind him. She looks over at Gallo. They have yet to interact, she didn't like the idea of her dad being replaced. Though a part of her understood it was just hard.

"Well, um, when I was around 12 years old, the two-flat we were living in
near Midway caught fire." Gallo walks around the counter as he begins his story, "I woke up to smoke filling my bedroom and got the bright idea
to hide in the closet like that was gonna save my ass." He chuckles looking at his plate.

"Next thing I know, the closet door flies open, and standing there is the biggest guy I've ever seen, so I was dead sure it was the Incredible Hulk." Laughter fills the room. Tatia sits up in her seat interested to hear the rest. "He swoops me up, carries me out, and next thing I know, I'm breathing in clean air instead of smoke." Gallo has a small smile on his face.

"From then on, I spent pretty much
every day after school at Firehouse 131 with big Chief Burkett and his crew." Cruz looks behind him at Tatiana. Tatiana doesn't notice as she continues eating." Other kids were messing around in the park, running in the streets. I was becoming a junior firefighter." Gallo says as he grabs food and sits down. Cruz couldn't help but realize Tatia was doing the same thing. Hell even before her dad died she spent most shifts here.

"I always... I always knew this was where I was meant to be." Gallo finishes.

"Eh, still... you had to apply. You had to hope that your number came up in the lottery. Those are some stiff odds." Herrmann says moving his fork around his salad.

"Yeah, I know it. But, uh, the big guy upstairs must have kept an eye on me, 'cause you're looking at the luckiest punk in Chicago." Gallo laughs. Once Tatiana finished eating she headed back out to her switch. Kelly had squad working on something with the rig so she goes inside to find someone else to play with.

"Ritter wanna play Mario kart-" She begins when a call for Engine 51 comes in.

"Sorry maybe after the call. " Ritter stands and hurries out of the building with all of engine. 

"I'll play with you." Gallo who had been sitting with Ritter offers.

"No, I'll wait. Who are you?"

"Blake Gallo."

"Oh, I'm Tatiana Zvonecek." She mumbles before walking outside. Gallo watches her leave before going back to his phone.

–––Next shift–––

Tatia begins walking up the apron to the firehouse. She just finished school and was excited to be done and at the firehouse. Though as she gets further up the apron she can hear the non-stop alarm going off. She was almost in the apparatus bay when she hears a yell and a monitor lands directly in front of her. A scream leaves her as she stands there wide eyed looking at the monitor. Cruz who had come to see what was going on notices Tati standing there staring a the monitor. He hurries to her side as Boden comes out.

"Did I hit you?" Boden asks concern lacing his voice.

"No." She says as Cruz hugs her.

"I think you just scared her she'll be okay.

"Sorry," Boden says looking down at the monitor before Mouch starts clapping. Everyone else including Tatia follow his lead. Cruz and Tatia move inside the apparatus bay as the tech woman begins walking up. She glares at both Boden and Casey as she picks up the monitor.

"Jessa, I... we had..." Casey stammers.

"Lose my number." She walks off passing Burgess.

"Did I miss something?" Tatia whispers.

"Yeah." Cruz says, "You okay? "

"Yeah. Do you think I could get Boden to buy me ice cream?" eyes fall on her. Some try to suppress their laughs as they go back to what they were doing

"Tatia you're not going to guilt chief into buying you ice cream," Cruz says.

"It'd probably work though." Mouch pipes in.

"See!" Tatiana says shrugging.

"No." Cruz glares at mouch who laughs.

"Fine." Cruz smiles and goes back inside.

"I'll take you out for ice cream tomorrow after school Tots," Mouch whispers.

"Thanks mouch you're the best!" She grins hugging him.

"I know...  Don't tell Cruz." Mouch starts walking inside with Tatia pulled into his side.

"You got it."