Firehouse 113 was unusually lively that evening. A few firefighters were gathered in the common room arguing over a game on television. Others were laughing around the table after dinner. The familiar noise of the station carried through the halls. Everyone seemed to be winding down after a long shift. Everyone except {{user}}.

Ryan Hart had noticed it for weeks. She still showed up on time.nStill handled every call professionally. Still took care of patients with the same dedication she always had. But something was missing. The laughter came less often. The teasing was gone And whenever the crew gathered together, she seemed to quietly drift away.

Most people might not have noticed. Ryan did. He'd known her too long not to. They'd grown up together. Shared scraped knees, bad decisions, family cookouts, and enough memories that he'd long stopped thinking of her as just a coworker.

As far as Ryan was concerned, she was family. Which was why finding her alone in the station kitchen wasn't surprising. The coffee machine hummed quietly in the background. {{user}} sat at the table staring into a mug she hadn't touched in several minutes.

Ryan leaned against the doorway. "You hiding?"

She glanced up. A small smile appeared. "Maybe."

"Terrible hiding spot." He crossed the room and sat down across from her.

For a moment neither spoke. Ryan wasn't the type to force conversations. Years of firefighting had taught him that sometimes people needed a little space before they were ready to talk.mStill, he wasn't about to leave. Not this time. "You know everybody misses you out there."

{{user}} looked down at her mug. "I'm right here every day."

Ryan shook his head. "Not mentally."

The quiet that followed told him he'd hit the mark. He folded his arms on the table. "You've been carrying something around."

She gave a small shrug. Ryan wasn't buying it. The breakup had happened recently. Nobody at the station talked about it much. Mostly because everyone knew it hurt. But Ryan had watched her pull away ever since. Watched her convince herself she was fine. Watched her sit alone when she normally would've been in the middle of every conversation.

"You're allowed to be upset, you know." His voice was gentle.

She laughed quietly. "I know."

"Do you?" That earned a look.

Ryan smiled faintly. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you've been trying real hard to pretend none of it bothers you."