Hot for the Nanny

Chapter One: Crash and Burn

"Woah. What a rock." I turn the ring over in my fingers, the diamond sparkling as rays from the sunrise hit it through the station skylights.

"Well, it should be." Coop smirks, snatching it out of my hands and inspecting it carefully. "You only do this once, so you better do it the right way!"

"Unless you're Tanner." Brooks chides, slapping Tanner's back. "Then you need a couple of tries to get it right. You're sure about this? Rings change relationships... not always for the better."

"Luckily for me, I stopped taking your advice a long time ago." Tanner chuckles, taking the ring back and stowing it safely in its box. "I have never been more sure about anything in my life. I'm going to marry Zoe."

"Damn right you are!"

I leave the three of them gawking at Zoe's engagement ring down in the bay and head up to my bunk to see if I can catch a little shut eye before we're pulled away on another call. It seems like the only place I can get any good sleep lately is at work, and coming from a firefighter, that says a lot.

But before I'm halfway up the steps, Morgan catches me.

"Riggs, you got a minute? I went through your practice exam and thought we could go over a few things."

"Absolutely. I'll be right up." I turn away, cringing.

Studying for the lieutenant's exam is about the last thing I want to do right now, especially since the final is still weeks away, but nothing Morgan says is ever a suggestion. I guess I should be thankful that he's taken such an interest in helping me pass, but right this second, the only thing I'm interested in is getting some rest.

Firefighting was never my dream like a lot of the guys here. It's always been more of a fall back plan, but after a few years on the truck, I've found my rhythm here and realized I'm actually pretty damn good at it. Not to mention that the guys on the squad have become more like brothers than coworkers to me. Now I can see myself here for the long run, and getting that lieutenant's position alongside Tanner would be the culmination of all my hard work.

The physical test was a cake walk, and I passed it weeks ago. But the written portion is still standing in my way, so reluctantly, I bypass my bed and grab my training manual.

Deep inside my bag, my phone starts buzzing, making me immediately anxious. I don't even have to look to know who it is. There's only one person who would call me during a shift, and the realization makes my heart sink.

"Trina?"

"She won't stop crying for you, Ryan. It's been going on all night. I think you better come home." She's exhausted, and there's a new urgency in her voice that leaves me a little worried.

I run my fingers through my hair in exasperation, a lump growing in my throat. I know I should go home to her, but it will put me on the ropes with Morgan, and I can't keep taking advantage of my friendship with Tanner. There's only so much slack they can give me and I've pretty much run that well dry in the weeks since Hallie came to live with me.