Coming Out Of The Closet

(The first installment of the HEROES AND FRIENDS series)

Sky Greywolf woke up with a bright sunbeam on her face. She rolled over and, not aware of her surroundings, fell right off the bed. She was up now. Sky wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked around. Now she knew where she was. After three days of hard work, decorating and organizing, her new home had started to look more livable and less of a disaster area.
The day before she had stayed up late to sort through a huge pile of paperwork. That was a mistake. Half way through the task she fell asleep and it ended up as two piles, one on the bed and one on the floor. Her graceful nose dive to the ground landed her on the other pile.
It's going to be one of those days...
Sky shook her head in defeat and got off the floor. She decided a nice hot shower would work out all the kinks in her body that she accumulated over the days, plus the ones she added to this morning.
The hot water burst out of the shower head. Sky loved strong and powerful streams of water. As she soaped up to get off all the gunk she had stumbled into as she tried to clean up the place, she started to drift into thought.
Sky had just moved to Carson, California because of a great job offer she couldn't refuse. At the age of 26 and single, she felt in need of a change. She was sick of her boring life in Chicago. When this editor job came up and offered good benefits, she couldn't resist.
Sky didn't even mind where her new house was located. In fact, she never even rented a house much less owned one. With all the noise around, you'd wonder if anyone could live on this street. Only a few houses stood among the businesses and industry. Right across from her was an industrial plant that spewed out unusual noises twenty four hours a day. Down the street was a fire station. Who knows what hour the sirens would wail past the house. Sky, on the other hand, was used to all of this. Plus, when the company offered to help her buy a home she was not going to be picky about it.
Sky had just wrapped a towel around herself when the phone rang. She ran into the front room to get it. After she picked up, Sky headed to the front closet to get some clothes. She dropped the wet towel on the floor, stepped inside the front closet and...WHOOSH!
***
Around the same time Station 51's "A" shift had just begun. Everyone was sitting in the kitchen drinking their morning coffee. Johnny Gage came walking in.
"Good morning all! Isn't it a glorious day?" John proclaimed.
"Hot date last night?" Chet inquired.
Before John could answer, the Station's tones went off. Over the speaker, the dispatcher announced that a woman was trapped just a few houses down from the station.
As everyone scrambled to the vehicles Johnny joked aloud, "Should we walk it, Cap?"
"Sure thing, Pal. You can haul all the equipment while you're at it too," Captain Stanley replied. He saw the smug look on Johnny's face disappear.
The squad and engine exited the station, but they barely accelerated up to the speed limit before reaching the address for the call. It was a one-story house. Cap, John and Roy exited their vehicles. After Roy and John gathered their medical gear, they went up to the front door, with Cap waiting for them at the top. As he knocked, Cap loudly announced, "Fire department!"
"Come on in..." A muffled voice replied.
Roy opened the unlocked door and all three of them entered. A baffled look came across Roy's face as he saw no one. "Where are ya, ma'am?"
As the rest of the crew came inside to see if they could help, the front closet door started to rattle. "I'm in here!" Sky started to bang on the door.
John approached the door and examined it. "Uh, ma'am, we got a call for a woman trapped. Are you stuck in there?" John fiddled with the door knob but the closet remained locked.
"Listen, when I got out of the shower I heard the phone ring. After I answered it, I came in here to get my clothes. I think a gust of wind blew the door shut. Now it's locked and I can't get out! Luckily, I had the phone with me.
All the guys saw the white phone line snake across the floor and disappear under the closet door.
"All right. You just hold on and well get you out. Are you hurt at all?"
"No, just stuck in here."
"Okay." Roy noticed a tiny keyhole on the door. "Miss, it looks like you need a special key for this door. Do you know where it is?"
"I'm sorry, I don't. I just moved in and I'm still trying to get the feel of the place. All of the keys given to me are sitting on the kitchen table. Try those." Sky squirmed a bit.
Mike Stoker nodded and headed towards the kitchen. He was the key specialist of the group.
"By the way, my name is Roy DeSoto. What's your name?" Roy tried to keep Sky occupied.
"I'm Sky. Sky Greywolf. I'd shake your hand if I could," She joked. "Um, Roy...I think I need to tell you something..."
Mike came back with a ring of keys and attempted each one on the lock. Roy leaned up to the door. "Mike here will find the right key in a moment." He then backed off and took a stance next to Cap and the rest of the crew.
"But wait! This is so embarrassing..." Sky sighed.
"This happens more than you think, Sky," Captain Stanley reassured.
"Got it," Mike announced as he opened the door.
"NO!" Sky shrieked. As the door swung open she ducked to the side. "I'm not dressed is what I've been trying to say."
All the guys instantly turned around to avert their eyes. Cap pulled off his turnout coat and tossed it backwards towards Sky's direction.
"Thanks..." Sky grabbed the coat, wrapped it around herself and ran into the bedroom. When they heard the door click closed, all the guys started to silently snicker. Noone dared to crack a joke about Cap's coat...at least not in front of him.
Ten minutes later and dressed, Sky came out and carried the turnout coat folded over her arm. She approached Hank and presented it to him. "Thank you..." she looked for the name on the coat, "Captain Stanley." She smiled warmly at him.
"That's okay, Sky." Hank blushed. He secured his coat, snapped to attention, scooted his crew out the door and radioed dispatch that Station 51 was available.
"You should get yourself a good key ring for all of those keys," Mike advised.
Sky smiled, thanked all of them, and closed the door.
***
A few day later at the station...
"I'll get it," Stoker announced as he heard the back door buzzer ring.
All the rest of the guys sat around the table, each with their own part of the daily newspaper. Stoker opened the door and saw a woman waiting, "Hello. Can I help you?"
"Hi! Remember me? I was the poor woman who was held hostage by her closet?" Sky joked. "May I come in? I have something for all of you."
"Yeah, sure. I remember. Come on in." Mike moved to the side to let Sky enter.
Mike led her into the kitchen.
"Hey guys. Look who's here." Mike then went over to the stove to pour Sky a cup of coffee. Everyone else turned to see Sky.
"Hi all! I guess you're wondering why I'm here?" Sky held a Tupperware container in her hands.
"Well, hi there. Sky, is it?" Cap stood up, shook her hand and offered a seat.
As Sky sat down, she continued, "I had to thank you all for saving me. You were all my knights in shining armor."
All the guys blushed as this woman complimented them. Knowing that she was a very close neighbor made the single guys excited. Competition was definitely in the near future. You could almost see the mental notebooks across their faces.
"Anyway, I made this for all of you as a token of my appreciation." She pulled off the plastic top and exposed a freshly baked German Chocolate cake. Sky held it out for all of them to see. "I hope you like cake!"
Before Sky could put the cake down on the kitchen table, Chet and Marco had already grabbed plates, forks, and a knife. Sky eyed Mike and moved towards him. When she was in ear shot she touched his arm and said, "Could I talk to you for a moment?"
Mike nodded and followed her out to the apparatus bay.
"I want to thank you personally for finding the right key for me the other day." Sky dipped into her pocket and pulled out something shiny. "Here, take this. It's kind of a cute little gag I saw. It had your name on it," she giggled.
She handed him an over-sized fake skeleton key ring. Mike chuckled. "Thanks. I'll use it for the engine keys."
"Glad you like it. Listen, I have to run. Tell the guys thanks again for me. I'll see ya around." Sky smirked as she walked to the back door.
Stoker admired the key ring she gave him.
Before Sky exited the door, she turned around. "Oh...and ah, tell your Captain...Stanley I think it is? Well, tell him that I think I looked good in his turnout coat."
They both laughed as Sky left.
I cant wait to tell the guys this one... Mike went back into the kitchen for some cake.
***
End of installment one.
Continue to installment two, The Picnic.
Log Book