By the Numbers by Chris Owen and Tory Temple Page B

6. Come by at 5:30."
    "See you then. If you try to cancel I'm ignoring you and coming anyway." Almost immediately that was followed by another text. "Missed you."
    Trey read both texts twice before he sent one final message. "If we're not here, wait for me. Missed you too."
    And he had, really. Three days in a row was the longest he'd gone without seeing Deuce and getting a good night kiss, if not more, for a few weeks. Deuce was good at giving more.
    Feeling better already despite the lack of sleep, Trey got up and went to the kitchen to announce guests for dinner. "Hey, my roommate's gonna come by for chow." He spoke to the crew of the other engine. There were three separate crews on shift at the same time: one for each of the two fire engines and then the one for the fire truck. Tonight was the truck's turn to cook.
    "He better like ribs," Jack Sheridan announced. "They're on sale." The paramedic grabbed his wallet and shouted for the rest of his crew to hurry up, he was leaving for the store.
    Trey knew Deuce liked ribs because they'd barbecued some last week together, and then devoured two whole racks. Both of them had had indigestion that night, but neither of them regretted it. "Get corn!" he yelled after them, and then went to find his captain.
    Chance was in his office, going over time sheets. Trey knocked once on the open door. "Company for chow. My roommate. Uh... and dogs."
    "Sure." Chance nodded and highlighted more paperwork. "New roommate?"
    "Yeah. Temporary. He's a nice guy."
    "Fine by me. Tell Jack, though. The truck's cooking dinner."
    "Yessir, I did. Thanks." Trey nodded at him and turned to go watch some television in the front room, but the familiar sound of two chimes interrupted that plan.
    "Engine Eleven, go into service. Myocardial infarction at 5097 Hummingbird Trail. Engine Eleven, please report." The soft, automated female voice was unchanging, no matter what the call was. Her nickname throughout the department was "Bitchin' Betty", and Trey often wondered if she'd herald the end of the world the same way, in a pleasant, unchanging tone.
    Chance sighed and abandoned the printouts at his desk. He rose and joined Trey in their walk to the garage. "Third heart attack today. They're dropping like flies over there in Golden Years." The assisted living retirement community was a frequent call for Station Eleven.
    "Busy day means busy night." One night at a time, he could handle. But his third working day in a row made Trey dread the coming evening. All he really wanted right now was to be at home with a beer in one hand and the remote in the other, preferably with Deuce next to him on the couch.
    "Probably." Chance sounded indifferent about it, as he did about most things. It was what made him a good captain, Trey supposed. He was calm and never raised his voice, but people liked him and responded to his orders. The fact that Chance was gay always amazed Trey, too. The man kept quiet about it, though he and his longtime partner were definitely not in the closet. Tucker was a fireman over at Station Nineteen, and Trey figured most people didn't know they were together. The fire department as a whole wasn't a place where you announced your orientation, anyway.
    They ran their call and got back to the firehouse in time for Trey to take a fast shower and put on a clean department T. All of them went through at least three a day, so it was a good thing there was a washer and dryer in the garage.
    Just as Trey was finger-combing wet hair, Aaron Burnett stuck his head into Trey's dorm. "Your buddy's here," he said, thumbing over his shoulder. "Are those your dogs?"
    Trey shoved his feet back into his work boots and rose from the bed. "One of them," he replied. "Well... okay, I guess all of them are, for now." He grinned at Aaron and went to find Deuce. The day had just improved by a mile.
    "Q! Get out of that!" Deuce was standing in the open bay door, shaking his head as Q sniffed her way around the edge of the