I don’t even know where to begin. To be honest, it still doesn’t seem real.
Me, Mateo and Idris-we’ve been fighting fires together for almost six years. Same shifts, same station, same jokes. We always laughed that our lives seemed to run in sync. But none of us were ready for it.
All three of us found out we were going to be fathers just a few months apart. My wife, Noelle, was due in mid-March. Mateo’s girlfriend, Callie, was pregnant-she could go into labour any day. And Idris and his husband had just signed the adoption papers for their newborn son.
But the most unexpected was ahead-all of our babies were born within 24 hours. One hospital, one floor, our partners’ rooms in a row. The nurses laughed, saying they’d never seen anything like it. We even took a photo in the corridor – holding our babies wrapped in nappies, ourselves in jackets with the station logo.
Everyone said it was perfect- like a scene from a film. But no one knew what happened two hours after that photo.
I was just getting a coffee from the machine when I got a text. From Callie. Mateo’s girlfriend. Short and curt: ‘I have something to say. In person.’
At first I thought she was just stressed out about the first few days of motherhood. But when I glanced through the glass at Mateo-he sat rocking his daughter, completely unsuspecting-something in my stomach clenched unpleasantly.
I still haven’t responded. Just sitting there, staring at the screen, thinking about how much one conversation can ruin everything we’ve been building.
Should I even open this door?
The phone shook in my hand, as if to remind me that time was running out. The corridor smelled of antiseptic, and a nurse walked past with a pile of sterile gowns. Suddenly, Noelle called me-she was lying in the room, leaning against the pillows, lulling our newborn son to sleep.
Before I went in, I looked at the screen again-Callie’s message felt like it was taunting me.
Finally, I stepped into Noelle’s room. She, of all people, could read my face.
What’s wrong?’ she asked quietly.
I shook my head, forcing a smile.
Work stuff,’ I lied, looking down at the floor.
Noelle nodded, though it was obvious she didn’t believe me. But she was tired, so she didn’t press. And I felt guilty-I didn’t want anything to mar this first day with our son.
I leaned over and kissed her forehead and whispered that I’d be back soon. Then I picked up my phone and dialled back:
‘Coming.’
I found Callie sitting on a bench in the corner of the maternity ward waiting room, near a large window overlooking the car park. Her face was tense and she was clutching a half empty bottle of water in her hands. When I approached, she inhaled sharply, as if she’d been holding her breath before, waiting for me to appear.
Hey,’ I said calmly. – What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?
She nodded, tears glistening in her eyes.
She’s perfect. It’s… it’s not about her. It’s about us. Well, not like that,’ she added hastily, blushing. – It’s about the station… and what happened a few months ago.
I felt dizzy. Did something happen during the call and she found out about it? Was she worried about Mateo and me? I suddenly felt like a fool for being the first to think of some kind of love triangle. Now I saw that she wasn’t in that state at all-she was clearly shaken by something else.
Do you remember that big warehouse fire in the autumn? – Callie asked quietly. – The one that some of you spent a couple of days recovering from?
I nodded. That was a tough call-fire was creeping up the walls, the building was about to collapse. We got off with minor injuries, but two of the guys from our station had to undergo further tests for smoke poisoning.
Callie fiddled nervously with the bottle cap.
I lied to Mateo about something to do with that fire. There were rumours at the time that your team had activated the security protocols too late. I don’t remember the details, but I told him I was sure you did everything by the book.
Her voice shook.
The truth is, I saw the report. I have a friend in city government. There was a discrepancy in the timeline that could have led to disciplinary proceedings. But there wasn’t, because the station captain kept it quiet.
I got a loud heartbeat.
You didn’t tell Mateo about this?
She shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.
I just didn’t want to alarm him. You’ve been through enough. And then we found out we were pregnant, and there was so much joy… I felt like if I brought it up, I’d ruin everything. And maybe put some people at risk. So I stayed silent.
I exhaled slowly, relief flooding through my body. This wasn’t a betrayal or something that would ruin our friendship. This was internal station drama. And yet, I could see how hard it was for her.
Why are you telling me this now? – I asked, trying to hide the tremor in my voice.