Our wedding quickly became the best day of my life. The only other day that gave this one a run for it's money was the day Kuzma officially became mine. After our brief moment alone, we were pulled into some pictures by the photographer before we made our way to the reception. I was barely able to pay attention to everyone else running around the hall because Morgan had my sole focus. It became evident pretty quickly too as everyone who was trying to get my attention. I just couldn't take my eyes off of my wife in her wedding dress. Wife.

Morgan and I only untied the Rushnyk when she had to run to the bathroom while we were mingling with our guests. Instead of putting it down, I simply put it around my shoulders and continued to work the room. When Morgan did return, we had our first dance together in the middle of the hall to Can't Help Falling In Love that was covered by Kacey Musgraves. The song was slow and we were able to sway back and forth to the music as it played through the hall.

"I can't believe I'm finally a Donovan." Morgan said quietly in my ear. Tears rushed to my eyes as I pulled a bit away from her to be able to look in her eyes.

"Morgan, you've been a Donovan since we bought the house together." I said gave her a smile.

A single tear fell from Morgan's eye and I quickly wiped it away before pulling her in for a kiss. The song came to an end and before either of us could say anything, Morgan's father was standing next to us asking for Morgan's hand for a dance. I willingly gave her over to him and walked to the edge of the dance floor to let them have their moment together as I reach into my pocket to pull out the dog tag Dominic put in there before the ceremony. The metal cut into my hand as I watched them smile and dance around the floor, wishing I could have my own father here with me for this moment.

Before I could wallow alone for too much longer, I felt a hand grab my elbow and I looked up to find Peyton standing in front of me. She gave me a tight lip smile and uncurled my hand that was tightly clenched around the dog tag and took my hand in hers.

"I know it's not the same, but would you like to dance?" Peyton asked.

I could only nod as I tightened my grip on her hand. Peyton led me over to the dance floor, not far from Morgan and her father before I wrapped my arms around Peyton, holding tightly onto the dog tag. We stayed close together for a few moments before I was able to get it together enough look at her.

"I don't say it enough, but thank you Peyton. Thank you for being there for Dominic and I while dad couldn't be, especially now. Thank you for being an amazing roll model for the way you treat mom like she is a queen. It's something that has always stuck with me and something I want to do now myself, now that I have wife of my own. So just thank you for being the best bonus mom I could have ever asked for." I said with tears in my eyes.

Peyton shed a few tears after I finished speaking before pulling me for a tight hug. When she pulled away I wiped a tear away from her cheek only for her to catch my hand and hold onto it.

"Well, thank you for being the best daughter I could have ever asked for. You know how to treat your women Dani, you always had, the question was always could you two put your issues aside to let love in. Now you finally have and it's been so beautiful to watch. I also think I'm not the only one who wants to get a dance in with you." Peyton said and gave me a tight hug before she stepped back for Dominic to take her place.

I wrapped my arms around my younger brother and held him close for a few long seconds before I pulled away enough to tuck the dog tag into his breast pocket. Once I finished, we settled into a sway dance again to another song I couldn't think of the name to right now.

"I'm thinking of asking Dina to marry me, any advise?" Dominic said in my ear and I couldn't help the proud smile flash across my face.

"Make it meaningful. It doesn't have to be some big grand display or gesture, just make sure she knows how much you love her, okay?" I said and happened to find Morgan dancing with her mom around the floor.

"Understood Sergeant First Class." Dominic said and spun me out into the waiting arms of my mother. It took a second for it to skin in that I was in her arms before I pulled her in for a hug.

"It seems like everyone is getting in on the dancing tonight." I said and put my arms around her back.

"It's not every day your daughter gets married, everyone is going to want to dance with her and her beautiful bride, Dominic is actually with her right now." Mom said and pointed the pair out to me. I couldn't help the smile that took over my face when Morgan tilted her head back and laughed at something Dominic said to her.

"Did he tell you he wants to propose to Dina?" I asked relaying the latest news.

"No he certainly did not. Looks like Peyton and I are going to have another bet set up." Mom said.

"Hey, I want in!" I said.

"Sure thing chicken. You know, you did really good with Morgan. I'm really happy to have another daughter." Mom said and gave me a warm smile.

"You know, she told me earlier tonight she was so happy to finally be an official Donovan." I said.

"Daniella, that girl has been a Donovan since you had me meet her when you guys graduated basic together. The way she looked at you even back then, I knew that she was going to be someone special to you. Who knew it would only take fifteen years later for you two to get married." Mom said with a smile.

I pulled mom in for another hug then. She knew as much as I did that Morgan was always going to be someone important to me. Who knew Morgan would mean this much to me though. Mom pulled away from me first and just when I thought I was done dancing for the time being, Kuzma took moms place. I couldn't help but smile as I took his hands in mine and we started to move back and forth.

"Have you seen Logan yet? I know he is roaming around the room somewhere." I said to him.

"Yea, I'm going to be sitting with him for dinner. I just wanted to tell you that you and Morgan looked very pretty together." Kuzma said and gave me a smile. With one tight hug, he was off chasing after his buddy and I was finally alone on the dance floor.

It was then that the DJ opened the floor for everyone else and it didn't take long for the rush of Gold Team to come and pull me over to the bar for some shots. After my third in five minutes, I pulled the Rushnyk off my neck and placed it with my jacket over my chair so I wouldn't get either messed up before rejoining the team.

I tried not to be with the team for long because I knew if I did, I would be drunk in no time and I wanted to remember tonight in all it's glory. After another two shots, I finally broke away from them enough to get back out onto the dance floor and I was able to find my wife in the middle of her friends. Once they saw me get close, they all cheered and pushed me closer to Morgan. That's how we spent a lot of the night, in the middle of the dance floor, slinging drinks from friends and just spending our first few hours as a married couple together in a room full of love.

As the night started to run long, Mom and Peyton took Kuzma and Logan back to their hotel room for the night so we could all have the night off from parenting. Most of our other guests were working there way out of the hall when Annabelle came over to me and put her hand on my lower back to get my attention. We walked towards the bar and just stood together for a few moments in silence before Annabelle spoke.

"I do have to say that I have missed being your CO. Working with Rob has been perfectly fine and I don't have any complaints but I really miss having you around Daniella, more then I thought I would when you first told me that you wanted to switch out." Annabelle said as she took hold of a beer bottle from the bartender. I waved him off when he offered one for me as well as I reached my limit a while ago.

"What can I say, I'm irreplaceable." I said and gave her a cheeky smile.

"I think it's more then that Dani, working with you always put a smile on my face, we were always two pea's in a pod and I didn't realize how much so until you weren't under my command anymore. I'm coming up on year 25 of service and I think I'm finally seeing an end to all of this." Annabelle said.

"What are you saying?" I asked sensing this conversation is about to take a more serious turn.

"I'm hanging up my boots at the end of the year, getting to see you come so full circle and be so happy now that you aren't in camo anymore is starting to have me realize that I really should start to want to live life outside this three foot world." Annabelle said looking down at her beer.

I turned around to the bartender and asked him for two shots of vodka. Once they were put down in front of me I took them both and handed one to Annabelle. Her eyes were watery when she looked over at me but I forced her to take the shot from my hand. I held up the little glass and together we down the alcohol. After the glasses were empty I put them both down on the bar top and pulled Annabelle in for a hug. When I pulled away from her, I took a deep breath.

"I'm not going to lie and say it was easy because it wasn't. Those first few months working at Sniper School, I questioned every decision I made that put me there. But being away from Gold Team made me see how much out of life I could get, not having to worry about being spun up at a moments notice, having a steady work schedule and getting to be there for my kid and now wife. It's something I have come to love. I know it will be a big change for you when you are officially done but you know that I'm always going to be here with you for the long haul boss." I said and gave her a smile.

Annabelle groaned and pulled me for another tight hug before she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and walked me over to her wife. We got to talk for a few minutes before I had to go say goodnight to a few of our guests. Then finally Morgan and I were the last ones left in the hall. Everyone already left for the night and the caterers were cleaning up when we finally found our way up to our suite for the night.

We decided fairly early that we didn't want to have a honeymoon. So in exchange for that, Moms were going to watch Kuzma for a few days so Morgan and I could get some time alone together. Those days were spent mostly in bed together, just relishing in that feeling of being newlyweds. Not long after the wedding, Kuzma started up again in school and Morgan went back to work.

Now that my retirement was official, I got access to my trust fund from dad so once again I didn't feel a rush to find a job. Morgan was making good money now and I got a few large exit checks from the Army for left over vacation and sick time not used and a lot of backpay. So for now, I just became a soccer mom. Kuzma is playing for a travel team while also playing in a fun league with school friends. When I wasn't shuffling him and his friends around, I was able to pick up some odd jobs from current active and retired soldiers building guns.

As fall started to roll in, I started to pick up more commissions from female soldiers looking to build better long guns and I even started to offer private lesions to those who were looking to earn there sniper tab. It felt good to have a purpose again helping the next generation. Annabelle also started to make more regular appearances at the house as her time started counting down. She officially put in her retirement paperwork and her last day in camo will be December 31st. But with the end in sight now, I can tell she is having a hard time accepting the end.

With those thoughts in mind, I had Annabelle start coming around on shooting sessions and to a lot of soccer games when Morgan was working to give her something to do outside of work. I loved having her around, but it also made me nervous, nervous enough that I brought it up to Reneé when I saw her. When I finally had the chance to bring up that I noticed Annabelle around some more now that retirement was in sight, Reneé sighed and told me to just keep an eye on her. One thing we tried not to talk about to much was my personal relationship with her wife. We tried not to bring it up as it hit a little too close to home for Reneé and I also don't know if Annabelle has ever spoken to her at length about all of the things she has done while serving. Of course there were times when I couldn't avoid it, so I just had to think for an extra few seconds before I spoke.

But in other news instead of two appointments a week, I have shifted to having one appointment a week with Dr. Fasching. I'm at a point now that I felt comfortable enough dropping the time I see her. I've been putting in the work and it's really starting to pay off. Nightmares are almost non-existent now and my general anxiety about triggering things has really started to take a decline. I do have medication I could take if something comes up but that's always the last resort option.

Before either of us knew it, Kuzma turned 12. For his birthday, all he wanted to do was go to the aquarium to watch the fishes swim in the tank. I couldn't help but smile at his request as he pointed out the different fish that are tattooed on my arm. So the weekend of his birthday, Morgan, Kuzma and I took a trip to the aquarium and let him lead us around. Most of the trip, Kuzma pointed out all the different fish and told us all about them. Morgan and I held hands and just stood behind my son as he rambled on all day. The only time he finally quieted down was when we got to the big fish tank in the middle of the aquarium. He sat on the floor in the middle of the room to have the best view of everything. But the time we wrapped up the day, I knew he was wiped from all the talking so Morgan and I took turns basically holding him up. He started to perk up a bit when we let him pick out some new things from the gift shop as this birthday present.

Once Kuzma's birthday weekend ended, Thanksgiving came and went. Then December started to roll through without much stopping it. This year, we were able to make the trip up to North Carolina to see my moms. I also wanted to go to them this year because Dominic was getting really serious about proposing to Dina. He hasn't told me when he was going to do it, only that it was going to be soon which led me to believe it would be when we were home for the holidays.

When we got there, it wasn't long before Kuzma was begging me to take him over to Mallory's house to see Logan. The pair are still connected at the hip even though they spend most of there time apart. When I pulled up in front of there house, Kuzma barely let me stop the car before he flung himself out the back seat to run to his friend who was already waiting for him in the front yard. Mallory just waved from the door as I pulled away to leave them to there play date.

Christmas was spent at mom's house with Dominic and Dina coming in for dessert after having dinner with her family. It was then that Dina actually invited all of us over her house for a New Years Eve party to meet her family. Once we all agreed I couldn't help but shoot a look to Morgan. Dominic has to be proposing to her on New Years and if I'm right, I'll be winning the bet we having running between Mom, Peyton, Morgan and myself.

The week in between Christmas and New Years was spent relaxing at home with moms. They didn't have much going on right now and it was nice to spend some time with them again. When I wasn't at home, I did have a few lunches with Mallory to catch up. We don't talk as often anymore but at least once a month we have a face time date to see how the other is doing. She told me that she asked Tori to move in with her and she said yes. Then she went into detail about how Troy and Shane are going to be moving out to there own apartment a bit closer to where Troy's office is. But then she dropped the biggest bomb and told me that her and Troy are finally getting divorced. It was a quiet thing, when she realized how serious she was getting with Tori, she wanted to be all in with her and to do that, she had to really let go of Troy. It was a big step for them and it made me happy to see my friend really move onto this next big step in her life.

New Years Eve finally arrived and before I knew it, Peyton was driving us all over to Dina's families house. From what mom told me about her family, her parents are both nice as they have met before for lunch here and there and a few dinners, her father served in the Navy and she has two older brothers on active duty in the Marine Corp. It made for some pretty easy conversation when we got there to talk about some old war stories. Morgan and I were able to ease into the night with everyone and things seemed to be going well. As it got closer to midnight, Kuzma gravitated towards the middle of us, my arm around his shoulders while Morgan was holding his hand.

But then it happened. My eyes have followed Dominic all night, he looked calm but had a nervous energy about him. Then finally he pulled Dina out onto the back patio while everyone else was watching the count down on TV. As everyone started to count down from ten I pointed to get Morgan's attention and she turned just in time to watch Dominic get down on one knee and pull a box from his pocket. I could barely hear everyone yelling Happy New Year as I watched Dina nod her head up and down and watch as Dominic slipped a ring onto her finger before she jumped into his waiting arms.

Morgan pulled me into a tight hug and I felt like crying. My little brother is getting married. Once Morgan pulled away I gave her a hard kiss to celebrate ringing in another year together before we made our rounds around the room. Just as I finished getting pulled into a hug by Dina's dad, Dominic and Dina came back inside smiling like crazy people.

"We're getting married!" Dominic yelled and I couldn't help the few tears I shed as I watched them so happily together. I was the second person to pull him into a hug after mom of course and wish him congratulations. We stayed at Dina's house a little bit longer then I thought we would have to celebrate with the newly engaged couple before Kuzma really started to melt down with how tired he was.

After the New Years celebration, it was hard to leave North Carolina. We all just wanted to stay longer to spend time with them. But unfortunately, time waits for no one. Morgan had to go back to work while Kuzma started school again. The beginning of the New Year was slow for me. Didn't have many commissions or lessons on the horizon. Annabelle is officially retired and she decided to take Reneé on a two week vacation to Europe to celebrate.

Once the new year settled in, I started to make a few phone calls to the lawyer I used for Kuzma's adoption hearing to get the ball rolling to have Morgan legally adopt Kuzma. We talking about this over Christmas and if anything were to happen to me, I wanted Morgan to care for him. Not that I don't doubt that my mothers would be able to handle raising him, I wanted Morgan to do it as she has been like his second mother. Morgan quickly agreed and told me she saw Kuzma has her son already, so it was about time we just made everything official. Our lawyer told me that there wouldn't need to be a hearing for this, just filing out a bunch of paperwork. Once the decision is granted, Kuzma's paperwork will all be adjusted for the change.

While our lawyer was working on that for us, I ended up having all this free time on my hands. So, I went to the local VFW Hall and started the process to join. The application was simple and the man taking all of my paperwork as efficient. After he finished up all of my paperwork, he showed me around the hall and pointed out the different meetings they held in the hall every month for veterans. There really wasn't much going on today, so I just grabbed a few pamphlets about there meeting times when a flyer caught my eye. It was a recruitment poster for new job openings as fire fighters on base. I grabbed one of them and pulled it off the wall and took it home with me to look at. It didn't take me long to pull up the official job posting online. After a few phone calls to the recruiter, I had an interview lined up for tomorrow. The rest of my day was spent struggling to putting together a resume, which only had one thing on it.

Later, when Morgan got home and saw me stressed starting blankly at my laptop, she stepped in to help take the blunt words I already had down and transform them into useable skills and past experiences. Once she was done, all she did was kiss me on the head and told me she'll get Kuzma from school today before I was alone again. After she was gone, I had to run upstairs and get my uniform together for tomorrow to make sure everything was in order. When Morgan came home with Kuzma way later then when school would normally let out, it was with a pizza for dinner. We all ate together and spent the night curled up on the couch watching a hockey game.

The next morning, Morgan took care of getting Kuzma to school while I got dressed and ready for my interview. The drive onto base was familiar enough that it put me a bit at ease. When I got to the fire station, the recruiter I spoke to yesterday was waiting for me. He took a look at my very thin resume and asked me some basic questions before we got out of the office and walked around to the apparatus floor. He showed me all the trucks and gave me a little information about what they are for and some of the tools they use. During the tour, I could feel other eyes on us, as he explained, they were always on duty and if they got a run, he would have to go.

As the tour continued, we walked through the rest of the house, he showed me the kitchen and rec room before showing me the bunk room, they pull 24 hour shifts and if they need sleep, they have beds here to do so. Even though we ran into other fire fighters, he didn't introduce me to anybody, which was fair, I was so focused on everything he was saying, I wouldn't have remembered anybody's name anyway.

When we got back into the office, we went over a bit more of my history in the Army. Nothing major, just timelines and why I left. He went into details on the physical fitness test I would have to take and pass before a psych evaluation and medical clearance I would have to get before even being considered to be appointed to the academy. Before I left for the day, he gave me all the paperwork I would need to be filled out before the date for the PT test at the end of February.

After I got home, I felt a new drive in me. Something I haven't had since my early days as a Ranger. After a physical and getting the all clear from my doctor, I came up with a fitness plan. I started lifting again with Monica, went on runs with Felix and I started to feel myself losing some of the weight I've put on since leaving the Army and gaining back the muscles I had before.

When I told Morgan about my plan, all she did was ask if there was anything she could do to help me. Some days she would join me on runs. Most days I went myself but now that Annabelle was back from her vacation, she would join me for a run before I went to lift with Monica. By the time the physical fitness test came in February, I blew all the others that were there out of the water and actually got the highest score of the day.

The start of March came with good news. All of our paperwork was approved by the judge and Kuzma was now officially adopted by Morgan. It was such an exciting moment that we went out that night to celebrate it. Even though we have been a family since we got home from Ukraine, everything is finally official.

The start of March also came with working with an investigator and getting everything else in order before I was officially accepted into the fire academy. I had to get special permission from the fire district for me to attend the academy as I was past there age limit. But the investigator told me that once they mentioned my name, it didn't take long for the board to vote for approval. Once that vote came down, I got the final paperwork with all the dates and information for me to start the fire academy. It was such a great day and news that we all went out that night for dinner to celebrate.

But the good news also came with some bad. Since the Fort Benning Fire District was so small, I would have to go to the state academy for training. The academy is in Atlanta, two hours away. It put a sour taste in my mouth when I realized it. A few weeks before the academy start date, the three of us took a drive up to Atlanta for the week so I could get a lay of the land and possibly track down a place to stay for the next four and a half months during the week.

I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to find a place. The three of us ended up touring four different places, some in the price range, others not, but none of them were places I could see myself living in. Then finally we went to one last place, I found this listing in a local paper I grabbed when we got some snacks from the grocery store. When we pulled up, I had a good feeling about it.

We met Abel, the home owner and he showed us around the space which was the first floor of his house. He made me feel at easy and also quickly clocked my Ranger hat which is something hard to do these days. The one I've been wearing lately is a camo hat with a flat Army green 75th Ranger Unit beret flash on the front of it. I've only had other service members be able to know what it is and it made me smile.

Morgan had to run outside to take a phone call while I ended up hammering out a deal with Abel. The offer he extended was right in our price range and he was good with this only being a short term lease. When Morgan came back, I knew from the face she was sporting that we needed to go so she could handle something for work. I told Abel when I'll be moving in and he gave me his phone number and a key for the front door before we were back on the road to Fort Benning.

The start of April brought the beginning of my stay in Atlanta for the fire academy. Leaving Fort Benning felt like I was ripping my heart out of my chest. Having to watch Morgan hold onto Kuzma as he was crying while I drove away is something I think will always stay with me for as long as I'll live. It brought back some flash backs of me leaving him on Cosima's fathers farm in Ukraine. But there was nothing I could, only clench my jaw and remind myself that this time I'll get to go home and see him and call him whenever I wanted. Getting settled in the apartment didn't take long once I got there and Abel had me come upstairs when I was done for dinner.

It put me at ease a little more getting to take a look at his place. It was also then that I saw Army retirement plaques hanging on his walls. We talked a bit about our service over dinner and I learned he served during the Persian Gulf War, both in Desert Shield and Storm and an NCO. He climbed the ranks quickly during six months he was there and was going to get out after serving ten years, but then 9/11 happened and he stayed for another five before he was traveling in a Humvee that hit an IED that cost him his left leg above the knee. Abel medically retired after that, not committing to even finish reporting when he woke up in the hospital.

I couldn't help but not share about my own somewhat recent war experience in Ukraine and leading my team through some of the campaign. When I finished up telling him about my time over there, I caught Abel just smiling at me. He told me he already knew and disappeared. When she came back, he was holding a copy of the old news paper with my face all over the cover. The photo's feel like they were from another life time. It will be three years this winter. I flipped the paper over not wanting to see it anymore. Our dinner ended not long after that.

The first week at the fire academy was like hell. My body was sore in places I haven't been since I went to Ranger school all those years ago. I barely wanted to make the drive home. But I did it and was glad to sleep in my own bed that weekend with Morgan pressed tightly to my side. Kuzma wasn't far from my side the entire two days. Morgan told me about how he was getting really quiet and wasn't as bubbly as he usually is.

When I had to go back to Atlanta after the weekend was over, it was hard to leave. I almost quit seeing how upset it made Kuzma as I was leaving. It was late when I got back to Atlanta but I still called Morgan and spoke to her for a few minutes. I brought up treating these months like a deployment and she quickly agreed that it will probably be the best thing for Kuzma right now. Me constantly coming and going wouldn't do him any good with the end of school year right around the corner.

So with that decided, I stayed in Atlanta. It sucked that I was going to be losing out on spending the summer with Kuzma but there was nothing I could do now, I had to see this through. I did come back home for his soccer championships. There was no way I was missing out on that game, no matter how tired and how much homework I had to do. It was a bright moment in my month away.

Living with Abel was the only bright spot in these months away. We talked a lot about life, having deep meaningful conversations, some I wish I could have had with my own father now that I'm out of the service. He brought me with him to VFW meetings at the hall near his house and it was nice to get to be in a room full of veterans to take my mind off of missing my family.

But finally, the middle of August came and it was graduation weekend. I was so happy to finally pack up the apartment and have Kuzma and Morgan come up for the ceremony and for family weekend. They would get to see a few of the different things I learned over the course of the academy and would get to play around with a few stations we set up. It was nice to have them both here getting to play around with the fire hoses to knock out fake fire.

Then the moment we were all waiting for, graduation day. Morgan and Kuzma cheered loudly as I walked across the stage and received my diploma and additional awards for being the valedictorian of the class. When the ceremony was over, we were dismissed to our families and I quickly found Morgan and Kuzma waiting for me. Then to my surprise, Abel was standing not far from them. We got a bunch of pictures together before I changed out of my uniform, collected my new bunker gear and loaded everything into the car. Saying goodbye to Abel was bittersweet but I knew that this wouldn't be the last time I've heard from him. After one final hug, Kuzma hopped into my car for the ride home as we left Atlanta behind.

When I got home, it was to a little surprise party of my moms, Dominic, Dina, Annabelle and Reneé. They couldn't make it for the actual graduation ceremony, but were here for a few days for us to spend together. It was nice to spend the time with them after not seeing them for a while. The weekend was spent in good spirits with the door open to all of our other friends coming around since I got home. Getting to see everyone after spending so long away felt like I was truly coming home.

I had a week off before my first shift at the fire station so I got to spend it making up for lost time with Morgan and Kuzma. The pair not far from me as we spent most of that week just relaxing at home and going to watch Kuzma play soccer at practice. It was a nice reprieve from the last couple months of hard work.

My first shift starts on a Sunday. The department here has there shifts broken up in 5 day tours with four complete days off after. So I'm going in today at 7am for my first 24 hours shift. Come 7am on Monday I'll be off for the day then go back to work at 7am on Tuesday. This repeats with another day off then one more day on before four full days off, then the cycle starts all over again.

So after a nice quiet breakfast with Kuzma and a long kiss goodbye with Morgan, I left for my first shift. I knew getting to the fire station I would be I'll be the probie for a while until I earned my stripes. I pulled into the parking lot and took a spot to the back. I didn't really know what to bring with me for my first shift so I threw some older clothes into an old army duffle with some toilet trees and put it in my car with the fresh bunker gear I got when I graduated.

I put my duffle over my shoulder, put my helmet on my head, threw my turnout coat over my shoulders and carried my pants in my hand as I made my way to the door. Just as I got to the door, someone pushed it open for me. When I looked up, I saw the captain who interviewed me holding the door open. He gave me a smile and held the door open wider. I thanked him and he showed me where I should put my gear as I'll be riding on his rig, the Engine. Dave walked me through the house and showed me which bunk I'll have while on shift and my locker to store some stuff. By the time we were done, he pulled me into the supply room and started to issue me some of the stations gear to have and wear on shift.

Once he gave me everything, I was kind of left to my own devices. So I started to unpack my duffle a bit to see what I actually put inside of here. I pulled out some of my clothes so I can really settle in when I found a container of cookies. I couldn't help but smile when I pulled the note off the top of the lid. From K and I, hopefully it will help you make some friends. Morgan only signed the note with a heart. I decided to change into one of the new shirts Dave gave me before I took the container and and left the bunk room.

When I got to the kitchen a few of the guys were already cooking so I just sat the container down on the table and walked over to introduce myself to them. Everyone seamed pretty welcoming and nice and gave me the rundown on some things. Once I mentioned I brought homemade cookies, it seamed to get them more on my side.

The peace didn't last long as the alarm sounded for a motor vehicle accident. Everyone waited to see which trucks were being called and when I heard them call out Engine 601, I turn around from the kitchen and rushed towards the apparatus floor with everyone else. I jumped into my bunker gear and hoped into the empty seat in the Engine cab before the truck rolled out. When we got on scene, Captain Dave told me I'll just be observing this week and grabbing tools as needed. I stayed close to him and watched and the rest of the crew got to work setting up a hose line as there was smoke coming from the cars engine area while the rescue squad evacuated the victims that were in the car.

When they were clear, the Engine team moved in and popped open the hood of the car and soaked the engine to prevent it from catching fire. Once the captain was satisfied, he called for the water to be cut and for us to start packing everything up. I was released from the captains side to help out with packing the hose away on the truck. By the time we got back to the fire house, it was already pushing noon and the crew dove right into the cookies I brought with me. I ran to the bathroom to get myself cleaned up and when I got back into the kitchen, I was being pulled in line to help make lunch.

Lunch was just simple sandwiches and most of the guys helped point out where everything in the kitchen was stored. Once everyone had something to eat, I got to work on cleaning everything up. Just as I finished and was about to sit down and eat, the alarm sounded again. This time the call was for ambulance so I got lucky. I tucked into my lunch and stayed quiet to listen in on everyone else's chatter around the table.

After I was finished with lunch, I went back up to the bunk room and really unpacked my duffle bag. I put most of the clothes I brought with me into my locker and taped five pictures onto my locker door. The first was of Gold Team that was taken at my retirement party. The second was from our wedding day. Morgan and I on the alter with Kuzma tying our hands together. A third was of Dad and I from my early days in the Army, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. The fourth is a photo from the New Years Eve party with Mom's, Morgan, Kuzma, Dominic, Dina and I all wrapped together. And the last was from Kuzma's last birthday, him sitting in my lap wrapped in my arms in front of the fish tank. Morgan surprised me with that one when we got home. I think it's my favorite of the two of us. Having these little pieces of home here will help get me settled in.

When I was done, I went back downstairs and walked onto the apparatus floor. I wanted to get familiar with where the tools were on my new truck so I took the time now to open up every compartment. As I was half way through the walk around, the alarms went off and I pack everything up as I heard them call for the Engine. I was the first one ready and on the truck when everyone else came rushing out to get ready.

Captain was impressed and I couldn't help my smile as we drove down to the house. Turns out it was just a false alarm, smoke alarm went off as the homeowners were cooking. We stayed for a few long minutes to make sure all the smoke cleared out of the house before went back to the fire station.

The rest of my first shift was actually pretty boring. There was only one other call that we had which was at 8pm as I was finishing cleaning the dishes from dinner. It turned out to be a carbon dioxide detector alarm that went off. When we got there, we found the family stumbling around outside from a long exposer. A few more ambulances were called to take them to the hospital as we vented the house to clear it out. Turns out it was coming from a gas leak so we waited for the gas company to come and cut the gas for now until the leak can be fixed in the morning.

By the time we got back to the station it was late. Most of the crew fought over the showers while I went back to finishing the dishes. By the time I was done, I was able to get into one of the showers and change to try and get some sleep. As I laid down in the bunk room, I felt like I was back in the army, on a mission somewhere overseas, and I had to sleep with the rest of the team for the night. It was something I was going to have to get used too.

There wasn't any other alarms overnight and before I knew it, it was already 6am and my first shift was almost over. I set an alarm for 6am so I could be up and move my gear out of the way for the incoming shift. As I changed and packed my bag to leave a few of the guys are starting to get up as well. I made my way downstairs and started a fresh pot of coffee for those who want it before I made my way over to the truck floor and moved my gear before going outside to pick up the papers. When I was done I made myself a cup of coffee before going upstairs to grab my gear as the clock hit 7am. I waited for the captain to clock out before I followed after him.

When I got home, Kuzma was waiting for me at the door and I pulled him into a hug. We had our breakfast together and I brought him to school. I wanted to try and be as involved with him as much as possible right as he is starting high school this year. He has done really well at middle school so Morgan and I are hoping for an easy transition over to the bigger school. But it has us both nervous.

As I got home again, Morgan was waiting for me in the kitchen. Smile on her face as I pulled her into a hug. We talked about my first ever shift before she had to go to work herself. I spent the rest of the day cleaning up the house a bit before I went to pick up Kuzma.

Life moved on from there. I started to get into a routine with my new job, Morgan's continued work with the Army, Kuzma's new school and soccer schedule. Before I knew it, my six month probationary period ended and I finally got my full shield. It was a great feeling to walk into work and find the ugly neon orange gone and in it's place the black front plate with the truck number on it. It did come at a cost though, I work all the holidays this year. Thanksgiving, Christmas day, New Years Eve. It put a damper on things but it was outside of my control. Most of the senior guys took the time off and I couldn't. So the three of us celebrated all three days in one when I got to my 96 after the holidays.

Before I knew it, it was summer again and my first year of working as a fire fighter was in the books. I've learned a lot so far and only have one burn to show from it. It happened on a car fire run. We were trying to get a hose line set up when something in the trunk exploded. It shot through the back windows and hit my arm where the sleeve of my turn out coat was pushed up. Turns out the driver was transporting fireworks and mortars and didn't tell anybody because he didn't want to get in trouble for the amount he had on him. Lucky, the rest of the team was able to put out the fire pretty quickly after I got burned.

This year, we had a pretty fun summer. Kuzma wanted to take the summer off from playing soccer and after talking about it with him for a while to make sure this was what he really wanted, we agreed. So instead, we took a few trips to the beach, visited my moms and we even managed a week long trip to Disney because I was able to switched shifts with two guys so I got another two days off.

We also got to celebrate Dominic and Dina's wedding. The pair wanted to get married in a simple ceremony on the beach at sunset. At first they wanted to do a tropical destination wedding but when they looked into the actual cost of everything, they relocated it to a hotel in Myrtle Beach. Dominic asked Kuzma to be his best man and I couldn't help but tear up when Kuzma told us. I wished that we lived closer together so they could really get that Uncle Nephew bond that was already there. The ceremony was beautiful. The weather turned out to be perfect for a late August day.

Morgan was dressed in a beautiful blue sundress while I went with a simple white button down and khaki pants without shoes. I think that was the best part of the whole ceremony. It's taken some time, but I finally feel like I reclaimed the beach from all the negative memories I've associated to it. Doctor Fasching definitely needs a raise after all of our sessions together for helping me achieve this moment.

Morgan and I sat quietly behind moms and watched our boy present Dina's ring to Dominic. He had such a huge smile on his face and I couldn't help but lean into my wife just getting to soak in the moment. Once the newly dubbed bride and groom kissed, we all threw white rose petals as they walked back up the aisle. Instead of following them out Kuzma came over to Morgan and I and we pulled him into a hug.

The reception was taking place right after the ceremony in one of the smaller ballrooms the hotel has. Everything was beautiful. They went with a simple color pallet and a few candles for centerpieces. The DJ was playing a good mix of music as he got all of us out onto the dancefloor. When he slowed things down for the first dance for Dominic and Dina, I couldn't help but pull Morgan into me. As they finished up the first song, he opened the floor to anybody else wanting a slow dance.

Morgan took my hand and pulled me out onto the dance floor before wrapped her arms around me. I held her close to me and sighed, content.

"I feel like our wedding was only yesterday." I said in her ear.

"You're not alone." Morgan said and I pressed a kiss to her temple. It didn't take long before Kuzma got into the middle of us, wanting to be included and we couldn't deny his request. The rest of the wedding was a blur of drinks, dancing and a ton of photos. I couldn't help but look out onto the rest of the dance floor and smile at how fully my life finally feels.

a/n: the long awaited final chapter of this work. it's actually a joke because there is going to be another part of this book because I couldn't fit everything I actually wanted to include in this chapter alone so I had to split it into two parts. I'm currently writing the second part now. the only thing I can promise is that you'll get it eventually. hope you enjoyed this little look at what Dani, Morgan and Kuzma's life is turning into. song on the side is a cover of Elvis' can't help falling in love by Kacey Musgrave's.

original post date: April 1, 2023.