Hey, Jude [9-1-1 fanfic]

Chapter Seven

"Come on and twist a little closer now,

And let me know that you're mine"

- Twist and Shout, The Beatles

In the distance, I hear the ringing of my phone, muffled in a cotton cloud. It rings for a long time before I realize it's not a dream and wake up for good.

But, when I finally open my eyes completely and manage to grab my phone, it's not making any sound anymore. I can see on the screen that I just missed a call from Howard. And it's barely 7 a.m. I came home after my shift at 2 a.m., so I grumble a little and let my head fall back on the pillow. Then, I come back to my senses and start getting worried that my best friend would try to contact me this early.

Before I can call him back though, I receive a text from him.

"Are you home?" I read. I'm not used to Howard calling me this early, and even less needing to stop by unannounced.

Even more worried, I immediately text back: "I am. What's going on?"

I barely have enough time to get out of bed before I receive another text. I open the curtains and rush to my phone while biting my nails.

"Nothing serious, don't worry. I'm on my way."

That's it. No clue about why he's coming to my place at dawn. His text does nothing to put me at ease and I lock the screen so I won't call him in panic. To distract myself, I hurriedly take a shower to be presentable when he'll be here.

I still have my hair in a towel when someone knocks on the door. I've put on the first shirt and pants I could find in my closet and I haven't eaten anything yet. Howard got here very quickly, which makes me even more worried.

I almost run to the front door to open it and find out why he's mysteriously coming to see me. On the threshold, my best friend seems perfectly fine. He's wearing a dark blue polo and jeans. He looks up and smiles to me. His appearance settles me a little, he seems to be doing okay.

"Howard! Please, come in." I hurriedly step aside to let him pass before closing the door behind him.

As usual, he goes straight to one of the barstools in my kitchen.

"Is everything okay?" I quickly ask, almost nervously bouncing on my heels.

Howard takes a minute to look at me and seems to finally realize how scary his enigmatic texts were. He opens his mouth without releasing any sound, and then finally answers.

"Oh, you didn't have to worry about me. I'm fine!" He says before standing up to hug me.

Relieved, I relax a little and hug him back. But I can't entirely get rid of the feeling that he came here for one specific reason.

"And everyone at the firehouse?" I ask, unable to believe everything is alright. "No side effects?"

Howard steps back and sits again. "Everybody is fine. I didn't came here to give you bad news. Bobby is checking on everyone twice a day and I'm checking on Bobby." He appeases me. "Hen was still a bit anxious the next day, but it faded over time."

I nod, lost in my thoughts. "Okay. I'm glad to hear that! But if things aren't getting better for Hen, she needs to see someone!" I reply.

"Thank you, Doctor." He states with sarcasm. I just can't help it.

I'm losing my patience, I can't take it any longer. "So, tell me what you're doing here!" I say as I'm anxiously wringing my fingers.

Howard pretends to be offended. "Am I not allowed to come and see my best friend?" He asks me with a hand on his heart.