I couldn’t understand how she could leave like that without even a goodbye. Herb was right, and it’s time to respond to the tug. We finished out t...e day walking the line to make sure there weren’t any hot spots that would flare up before heading back to the station. Tonight was the end of my shift, I’d be headed home when we got back to the station, and I was off for the next couple days. I told the guys I’d see them on Friday and grabbed my duffel and headed to my truck. I walked into the. You have to know yourself before we can truly know each other.”“Wasn’t it Anala who taught you that?”“Yes. And I wrote pages and pages and pages on intimacy in Volume 9 of my journal. Why don’t you read it again? And take it to heart this time.”She frowned, “I’m afraid.”“Who isn’t? Life is scary! But if we let our fear paralyze us, we end up miserable for our entire lives. And that’s what you are right now - miserable. You may be the best young trauma surgeon in the country, but you are not a. He waved back but kept studying the strangers without smiling.Fran walked around to where Tim was waiting. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed his hand and they walked up to the front door of the red brick house. Tim looked at the bricks and was reminded of another building at a small airport in Louisiana.The couple stood at the door, each taking comfort in the other's touch. Fran reached for the doorbell, but her finger paused just over the button. She had a last thought that she was about to. I watched the partnership of Sharon and Jim with interest. They seemed to care for one another and work well together. I noticed that Jim could handle her wit and enjoyed trading puns with her.We loaded our homemade sleigh and hauled it home. It was a clear, sunny day though the temperature never rose above twenty degrees. There was very little melt. I thought and told Misty that, just perhaps, winter would be ending.Two days later, we were hit with another blizzard. After all, it was still.