Seven Days

Sunday, June 17, 2012 - Day

Lieutenant Collin McIntyre could hardly wait to get away from Station Four. In his fifteen years in the fire service, he had seen more things than he had ever wanted to see, but these past two weeks leading up to his vacation had been particularly bad. Two structure fires, four vehicle accidents, and three DOA’s were more than enough to make Collin ready for some time away from the job. He was pacing around the station’s kitchen like a caged animal, anxiously looking out the window every so often for his relief man. Finally, Collin saw Mike, lieutenant on the next crew on duty, pull in the parking lot, and a smile lit up his face as the stress of his job began to melt away. “See you fellas in a couple of weeks,” he said over his shoulder as he headed for the door. “Have a great trip!” Dane replied. “Enjoy the sand and water for me, would ya?” “Sure thing,” Collin answered with a smile and went out the door. He met Mike part way across the parking lot and passed on a few items from his shift that Mike needed to know about. “That’s about all I got for you,” Collin said, glancing at his watch and seeing that is was just after six thirty. “I hate to run, but I need to get on the road.” “No problem, man, and thanks for the heads up on the radio charger,” Mike commented. “We’ll take the truck down to the garage and see what they have to say about it. Now get going. Be safe and have a great time down on the gulf.” Collin waved his thanks and hurried over to his Explorer, cranked it up, and made for home. He knew that as soon as he got there that his kids and nephew would be waiting to load up and get going, and they didn’t disappoint him either. Collin hit the garage door opener and started to back in, but before he could stop and get out of his Explorer, all three kids were dragging suit cases out the garage door. He quickly went inside to change out of his uniform and into some shorts, then came back outside with his own suit case in hand. After popping the hatch, he began by loading the cooler full of drinks first, and then stacked all the luggage around it, figuring they would all be getting into it fairly regularly. While Collin was standing at the opened hatch figuring the best way to cram the last couple of bags in the back, his daughter Kelli appeared by his side and slipped an arm around his waist. Leaning her head over on his shoulder, she chirped happily, “Mornin’, Dad! How was work?” Kissing the top of her head, Collin answered truthfully, “It was a rough, busy shift, but it’s over and I’m not gonna think about it. All I’m thinkin’ about is that in roughly eight and a half hours from now, we’ll be standing on the beach with our toes in the water.” He looked at his oldest child, though she was hardly a child any more. Kelli was approaching twenty-one years old, and had a smile that always melted her dad’s heart. She was tall, slender and athletic, with bright blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. Well, at least it was sandy blonde today. She had a penchant for changing hair colors whenever the mood struck her. Smiling, he eased his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing her cheek this time. “I’m awfully glad you’re able to go with us this time,” he commented, thinking back to last summer when she wasn’t able to go because of conflicts with her work and softball schedules. “I’m glad I am too,” Kelli agreed. “I didn’t like missing last summer, so I wasn’t about to miss this summer’s trip. The beach has been calling my name for several months now.” “Know what ya mean, sweetie,” Collin agreed. “Hey, would you mind going back in and seeing if the boys are about ready to go?” “Sure thing, Dad,” she replied and hurried back inside. Collin was going over a mental checklist of everything they might need when he heard all three kids burst out of the house, laughing and talking about the first things they were going to do when they reached the beach. “I’m going to run across the sand and dive head first into the water,” Zander McIntyre proclaimed as he elbowed his cousin Hunter in the ribs. “What about you?” “I’ll be right beside ya,” Hunter McIntyre promised. “Only instead of diving in, I’m gonna throw down this skimboard and ride it till it won’t go any further.” He lifted the board in his hand for emphasis. “What, no girl watching?” Kelli teased her brother Zander and cousin Hunter. Zander and Hunter gave each other a knowing look and replied simultaneously, “Well duh, Kelli. That’s a given.” Laughing like that was the funniest thing ever, they high-fived each other while Kelli just shook her head and grinned. “Okay, guys and gal, have we got everything we need? Is there anything left inside that needs to come outside?” Collin asked his brood. “No, I’m pretty sure we got everything, Dad,” Zander answered. “Are we gonna go on and leave, or do we have to wait for Hunter’s dad to get here with everyone else?”