After a surprisingly bumpy tram ride between terminals, Dina and Ellie stepped off into the organized chaos of Concourse A.
"Ok, that thing felt like it was designed by a roller coaster engineer," Dina laughed as they followed the signs toward the brewery.
"I thought we were about to be cleared for liftoff," Ellie agreed.
A few minutes later they arrived at Breckenridge Brewery.
The restaurant felt like a small slice of Colorado tucked inside the airport. Dark wood beams framed the space, televisions quietly played sports highlights above the bar, and warm amber lighting reflected off polished wood tables. A field stone fireplace crackled along one wall, giving the brewery a cozy mountain-lodge atmosphere despite being surrounded by busy travelers dragging suitcases past the entrance.
"Wow, this is actually really nice," Dina said as they stepped inside.
"You should see the one in Littleton.”
A hostess greeted them and led them through the restaurant.
"Are you guys okay with a table by the fireplace?"
Dina and Ellie exchanged a glance.
Moments later they settled into a booth beside the fire. The warmth felt especially welcome after the air-conditioned chill of the plane.
They immediately picked up a menu and for several minutes neither spoke, just the occasional page flip and thoughtful hum.
Finally, Ellie sighed. "This is a problem."
Ellie pointed at her menu. "I want a burger, but I keep coming back to the mozzarella sticks."
"It means you're looking at the menu like a twelve-year-old. I'm with you on the burger though."
"What’s wrong with mozzarella sticks? They're delicious."
"And?" Ellie asked looking genuinely confused why that wasn't reason enough. "What are you getting?"
Ellie considered this. "The giant pile of nachos topped with like a pound of cheese?"
“So, if it’s not fried it’s ok…” Ellie shook her head in mock offense. “The double standards are strong at this table.”
A chuckle bubbled out of Dina's chest.
Dina narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"What if..." Ellie's grin appeared. "What if we stop pretending to be responsible adults for a minute?"
Dina immediately started smiling. "I'm listening."
"We get both the mozzarella sticks and the nachos...and we share."
Dina stared at her for a second, then pointed. "That is the smartest thing you've said all day."
The waitress arrived before either could change their mind. After a brief debate over beer selections, they each ordered a tall draft along with both appetizers and their entrees.
After the waitress left, Ellie leaned back in the booth looking extremely pleased with herself.
"You know what, I think we made excellent choices."
Dina smiled. "I think you're mostly excited about the cheese sticks."
Their beers arrived a few minutes later. Tall, frosted glasses crowned with a layer of foam.
Ellie tilted hers in Dina's direction.
"To layovers?" Ellie suggested.
Dina smiled. "To layovers."
Their glasses clinked together and they sipped.
Neither of them knew it yet, but this lull between connecting flights was rapidly becoming the best part of their trip.
The dinner rush had started to pick up around them, but neither Dina nor Ellie seemed to notice.
Their entrees had arrived twenty minutes ago, yet both were eating slowly, more focused on the conversation than their burgers. The easy rhythm they’d stumbled into on the plane had followed them to dinner.
Dina had discovered that Ellie was surprisingly easy to talk to once some of her nerves had settled. Every answer seemed to open the door to three more questions.
Ellie took a sip of her beer and tilted her head. "So, what do you do?"
Dina looked up from her fries and smiled. "I'm a nurse. I work primarily in the ER but sometimes float to the ICU if needed.”
Ellie's eyebrows lifted immediately. "Wow, talk about an intense job."
Dina laughed, blushing slightly. "It can be."
Dina snorted. "Okay, it usually is."
Ellie laughed. "That's more believable."
Dina leaned back in her chair. "No two days are ever the same. One second you're treating someone with the flu who insists they're dying and the next you're helping stabilize someone who actually is."
Ellie's expression softened slightly.
Dina continued. "And honestly," a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, "I love the randomness of it."
Ellie grinned. "I knew you were going to say that."
Ellie shrugged. "Just a feeling."
“It’s nothing bad, you just seem like the type who's comfortable operating in complete chaos."
"Ok that's surprisingly accurate, I'll give you that one," Dina laughed and Ellie pointed at her triumphantly. "But seriously, I love it."
She thought about it, considering carefully. "The teamwork."
Ellie nodded immediately. "I can understand that."
"I love being part of a group where everybody knows exactly what needs to happen," Dina gestured with her beer. "When a trauma rolls in, there's no confusion. Everybody moves, everybody has a role."
"And I love the problem solving," Dina's eyes brightened as she spoke. "Someone comes in and all you have are symptoms or bits of information, and whatever story they can give you, and you have to figure out what's actually going on."
Ellie listened attentively. "Like a detective."
"Exactly," a laugh escaped Dina. "And every once in a while, you get to genuinely make someone's day better...that's the best."
Then Dina rolled her eyes dramatically. "Well, most days."
Dina took a sip. "Of course there’s exceptions."
"Not everyone can be saved," Dina said sadly, then groaned. "Ugh, and dealing with firemen."
"Isn’t that normally the part nurses look forward to?” Ellie asked with a chuckle, glass paused half way to her mouth. “What’s wrong with firemen?"
Dina shook her head. "Those meatheads are the bane of my existence sometimes."
"I'm sensing a back story here," Ellie smirked, the smile tugging at her lips growing increasingly difficult to suppress.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they’re great at spraying stuff with a hose, but it’s been my experience that they kinda suck with the medical side," Dina shrugged. “Half the time they roll in, give the world's shittiest report, dump the patient on us, and disappear."
Ellie took a drink to hide her amusement.
"Patient doesn't feel good," Dina deepened her voice dramatically. "'Vitals are somewhere between alive and dead.'"
Ellie nearly choked on her beer.
Dina laughed and handed Ellie her napkin. "I swear, if their ego isn't getting stroked or women aren't fawning over them, they're not interested."
For a split second, something flickered across Ellie's face. Like someone trying very hard not to laugh.
Dina narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"Nothing, it's just funny," Ellie replied with a shrug.
"That was definitely not nothing."
"It was," Ellie said, picking up her burger and taking another bite.
Dina popped a nacho in her mouth and leaned back in her chair.
“What made you want to become a nurse?”
“Well, you have a choice,” Dina smiled, “there’s a short answer and a long answer. Pick your poison.”
“Long answer,” Ellie grinned instantly.
Dina laughed softly. “When I was twelve, I played a lot of soccer.”
“I can see that, you seem athletic,” Ellie smirked, eyes gleaming. “What position did you play?”
“Sooo much running,” Dina made a pained face, shaking her head.
“My team qualified for this big tournament a few hours from home,” Dina began, glancing out the window for a moment, remembering. “My parents couldn’t get the time off work, so I rode up with one of my teammates.”
Ellie nodded, listening intently.
“Late in the semifinal game,” Dina continued, “I went in for a loose ball at the same time as another girl.”
She unconsciously touched the side of her forehead.
“It was a pretty nasty tackle. I don’t remember much after I hit the ground.”
“A concussion?” Ellie grimaced softly.
Dina nodded. “Yeah, a pretty bad one.”
“Bits and pieces,” Dina smiled faintly. “I remember waking up in the emergency room completely confused.”
“My head was pounding. Everything was too bright and loud. I didn’t know where my parents were.”
Ellie’s expression grew sympathetic.
“My teammate’s family wanted to stay until my folks arrived, but they had small kids of their own to take care of.”
“So eventually you were by yourself?”
“Yeah, for a while,” Dina nodded. “There was this nurse…”
She smiled at the memory.
Ellie noticed the way Dina’s face brightened.
“She knew my parents were still a couple of hours away.” Dina looked down at her hands. “She could’ve checked on me every now and then like she was supposed to, but…”
A warm smile spread across Dina’s face. “Whenever she had a free minute, she’d sit and talk with me.”
Dina laughed. “Everything. Soccer. My dog. School. What I wanted to be when I grew up. Anything to keep my mind off everything going on.”
“She even brought me a grape popsicle after the doctor said I could finally have something.”
Dina shook her head. “It probably took her thirty seconds to grab it, but to a scared twelve-year-old, it meant everything. I still remember how relieved I felt every time she walked back into the room.”
Ellie was quiet for a moment. “So that’s when you knew?”
“I realize she probably didn’t remember me after a few days, but sixteen years later,” Dina said with a small smile. “I still remember her.”
Ellie looked at her thoughtfully. “That’s pretty incredible.”
Dina nodded. “She didn’t save my life, but she made one of the scariest days of my childhood feel a lot less scary.”
“I remember thinking…if I can do that for someone else someday, that’ll be a life well spent.”
Ellie smiled warmly. “I think Heather would be really proud to know she inspired another nurse.”
Dina returned the smile. “I suspect she inspired more than me.”
A reflective silence fell over the table.
“Can I ask you something?” Ellie asked after a few moments and Dina smiled.
“Good luck, right?” Ellie chuckled. “What took you to Boston if you’re from LA?”
Dina paused, a faint grimace crossing her face.
Ellie immediately noticed. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s ok,” Dina smiled faintly then made a face. “I was going through a bad break-up.”
Ellie’s expression softened, “Ughhh, I’m so sorry.”
The simple response carried enough recognition that Dina knew Ellie wasn’t just being polite.
For a moment they sat in companionable silence. Neither seemed to feel the need to rush through it.
Eventually Dina shrugged.
“I just needed to get away for a bit. Everything reminded me of her.” Dina absently ran her finger through the frost on her beer mug. “My apartment. The coffee shop we always went to. Hell even the grocery store.”
She shook her head. “So I booked a flight and disappeared for a couple weeks.”
Dina shrugged. “It wasn’t California…and I wanted to get far away from her.”
“She cheated.” Dina looked down at her plate for a moment then shrugged, though the hurt was still evident. “It is what it is.”
“No. It sucks,” Ellie shook her head.
That earned a small laugh from Dina. “You’ve been there?”
Ellie nodded solemnly. “Twice.”
“Ouch,” Dina’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s the worst.
“It really is,” Ellie nodded, taking a sip of beer, “I don’t understand why people can’t just be honest with one another.”
Dina smacked her palm lightly against the table. “Thank you! I’ve been saying that for months!”
“Right?” Ellie matched her.
“If you’re unhappy, say you’re unhappy. If you want out, leave, but don’t lie and sneak around,” Dina said, shifting back in her chair.
“I know the natural thing to do is blame yourself, but—” Ellie leaned forward, green eyes holding browns and her tone grew serious. “It wasn’t your fault.”
The statement caught Dina off guard. She blinked. “What?”
Ellie held her gaze. “What she did to you, it wasn’t your fault.”
Dina tilted her head. The certainty in Ellie’s voice surprised her.
“It’s always the cheater’s fault,” she gestured with her beer. “Never the…” Ellie paused, looking upwards in exaggerated thought, “cheatee?”
“Cheatee?” Dina smirked, “I think you just invented a new word.”
Ellie settled back into her seat, the humor disappearing from her voice. “My point is, the person who cheats is the one making the choice to burn it all down.”
“She chose to betray your trust, you didn’t make her do what she did.” Ellie shrugged. “There are always better options. Relationship really aren’t that complicated.”
Dina found herself nodding. “What is complicated is rebuilding trust after somebody does that to you.”
“I think that’s the part that makes me the angriest,” Ellie said, her eyes meeting Dina’s, “you don’t hurt people like that.”
The conviction in her voice was unmistakable and Dina felt something tighten in her chest.
“Especially if you claim to love them,” Ellie continued, shaking her head. “It’s such a cruel thing to do.”
Dina stared at her for a second, not because of what she’d said, but how she’d said it. The complete certainty that nobody deserved that kind of treatment. That the betrayal was not a reflection of Dina, but of her ex.
“You’re surprisingly wise for someone who thought about eating mozzarella sticks for dinner.”
Ellie barked out a laugh, nearly choking on a fry. “Says the girl who made a sizeable dent in a buffet sized tray of nachos.”
Dina grinned, “As I recall, I had help making that dent…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ellie smiled, popping a few more fries in her mouth.
A comfortable silence settled between them again.
Then Ellie tilted her head slightly.
“So, did it work? The distance?”
The question wasn’t intrusive. Just curious.
Dina considered it for a moment. Thought about the long walks she’d taken through unfamiliar neighborhoods. The museums. The bookstores. The quiet mornings with coffee and no expectations.
The space. The distance. The chance to just breathe.
Finally she nodded, a small smile appearing on her face. “Yeah, I think it did.”
Ellie’s expression softened. “Good.”
Dina looked down at her glass. “I didn’t realize how badly I needed the reset until I got there.”
“Sometimes you don’t,” Ellie nodded. “Sometimes a change of scenery does wonders.”
Dina glanced up. The understanding in Ellie’s eyes felt genuine. Not forced. Not performative. Just someone who’d been through enough in life to recognize when another person needed room to heal.
For a moment neither spoke then Ellie lifted her beer. “To fresh starts?”
Dina smiled and tapped her glass against Ellie’s. “To fresh starts.”
The clink echoed softly between them.
And for the first time in months, the phrase didn’t feel like something she was trying to convince herself of.
She took a long drink from her mug, watching Ellie over the rim.
“So what were you doing in Boston, anyway?”
Ellie swallowed a bite of food. “I had a continuing education seminar.”
Dina looked at Ellie, knowing the woman had to know what the next question was, but decided to play along. “Which is?”
Ellie looked down at the table, hesitating for a fraction of a second before looking back up.
“What would you say if I told you I’m a firefighter?”
Dina blinked. “I would call bullshit…”
A smile tugged at the corner of Ellie’s mouth as she rolled up the left sleeve of her hoodie.
Ink covered most of Ellie’s forearm, but tucked among the larger pieces was a smaller tattoo.
A standard fire department shield.
The traditional Maltese Cross shape whose center scramble contained a crossed halligan bar, helmet, axe, and ladder. Another halligan and ladder adorned the right side of the shield while a fire hydrant occupied the left. The details were crisp despite the tattoo’s modest size. Below it, sat the number of a station—32.
"Oh my god,” she said lowly and dropped her head into her hands. "Oh my god…I'm so sorry…”
Ellie lost the battle and burst out laughing. “It’s ok."
"No, its not,” Dina groaned. "I insulted your entire profession for like five minutes."
"It was closer to seven—"
Ellie's laughter filled the booth and for some reason, Dina couldn't help but join in. “Really, I'm not offended.”
Dina leaned in to have a closer look. The tattoo was obviously older than some of the others, the lines softened slightly with age and wear.
Ellie nodded. “It’s the first department I worked for in Wyoming.”
Dina studied her for a moment and suddenly several things clicked into place.
How did I not see it before?
The easy confidence. The strength she’d noticed when Ellie had lifted her duffel bag and backpack earlier without seeming to think about it. Hell, even the way she carried herself. She was used to being of service to others.
But she’s not like the firefighters I’ve run into.
Dina chuckled before she could stop herself.
“What?” Ellie asked with a curious smile.
“Nothing, just a lot of things make sense now.”
“What does that mean?” Ellie laughed.
Dina gestured vaguely. “The whole…” she motioned toward Ellie, “you.”
“That’s not very helpful.”
Ellie’s grin widened. “Actually, I don’t.”
Dina rolled her eyes. “The firefighter thing, it suits you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Good,” Ellie replied, taking a drink of her beer. “In your defense, I’ve worked with some womanizing scumbags who used the fireman angle to add notches to their bedposts. They’re douche bags. I've also witnessed some pretty shitty patient handoffs so I get your frustration.”
Dina shook her head, still smiling. “Still.”
The conversation paused while the server stopped by to drop off another round. Once they were alone again, Dina rested her elbows on the table.
“Your first station was in Wyoming? Is that where you're from?”
A small smile spread on Ellie's face. "Yep, it was my first station but I actually grew up in Boston."
"Really?" Dina took a sip from her fresh beer. “What made you move halfway across the country?"
For the first time that evening, Ellie's expression faltered, but only momentarily and it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
"My mom passed away when I was 14."
The words were spoken softly, but Dina still felt a wave of sympathy. "I'm so sorry."
Ellie offered a small nod. "It was a long time ago."
A moment passed before she continued.
“My dad wasn’t around and my mom was pretty much all I had so I headed west. A good friend of hers owns a ranch with his brother so I went up there for a while."
Ellie’s smile grew immediately. "Yeah, for about 10 years, it was really hard work but they’re great people, they took me in like I was their own. It’s breathtaking, the mountains, the valleys…"
Dina couldn't help smiling too. "You really love it, huh?"
"I do." Ellie leaned back in her chair. "The first time I saw the mountains, I was done for."
Dina laughed. "Just like that?"
"Just like that,” Ellie's eyes lit up as she talked. "You can drive for hours and barely see another person."
There was a new warmth in Ellie's voice now that Dina hadn't heard before, almost a reverence. The kind people got when talking about something they genuinely loved.
"So how did ranch work turn into firefighting?" Dina asked.
Ellie frowned. "There was a wildfire near one of the neighboring towns."
Dina's eyebrows lifted. "A bad one?"
"Yeah, it was pretty bad," Ellie nodded. "It got close enough that people were worried it was going to take out a large chunk of land, destroy livelihoods.”
She picked up a fry from her plate.
"I ended up volunteering with some of the support crews."
Dina watched her. "What was that like?"
Ellie thought for a moment. "Terrifying."
That made Dina laugh. "That's quite the honest answer."
Ellie smiled. "It was exhausting. Chaotic. Fucking hot, but exhilarating."
"It was," Ellie's smile widened. “But somewhere in the middle of it all, I realized I'd fallen in love with it."
Dina tilted her head. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Ellie shrugged. “I loved being outside. I loved the teamwork. I loved feeling useful.”
Something about the way she said it made Dina’s chest tighten.
“What happened once the fire was out?”
“I signed up for classes through the department,” Ellie laughed. “My friends thought I’d lost my mind.”
“But I kept going.” Ellie took a sip of her beer. “Got certified. Became a woodland firefighter…then I decided I wanted to do it for real.”
Dina laughed. “Weren’t you already doing it for real?”
“Not completely. I was still a volunteer, but to be hired on at the department, I had to get my degree,” Ellie explained. “So, I went back to school for Fire Science and my paramedic certification and license.”
A softer smile appeared on Ellie's face. "It's the best job I've ever had."
For a moment Dina simply looked at her.
The confidence. The obvious passion. The way her eyes brightened whenever she talked about the things she cared about. It was difficult not to be impressed.
"What do you love the most about it?"
“Besides the annual calendar shoot?” Ellie asked sarcastically, feeling satisfied when Dina laughed and flushed slightly before smacking her playfully on the arm.
“I'm being serious, you ass...”
Ellie looked down at her glass for a moment before answering. "There's a lot of things..."
"I love the people I work with."
"They became family pretty quick, much like your colleagues in the ER I would imagine."
"Oh absolutely, you spend so much time together it’s hard not to be."
"And every call is different." A laugh escaped Ellie. "Sometimes annoyingly different."
"I feel like there's a story behind that."
"There is, hundreds actually."
Dina grinned. "I want at least one."
Ellie pointed at her. "That's a dangerous thing to say."
"I'm willing to take the risk."
Ellie shook her head, smiling. "In all seriousness though," her expression grew more thoughtful. "I just like helping people."
The simplicity of the answer made Dina's chest tighten unexpectedly, knowing full well where Ellie was coming from. It's why she became a nurse in the first place.
"When someone calls 911, it's usually one of the worst days of their life."
"If I can make that day a little less awful..." Ellie shrugged. "That's enough for me."
For a moment neither spoke.
The noise of the restaurant filled the silence.
Then Dina smiled. "That's a pretty good reason."
Ellie returned the smile. "Yeah, it’s the same reason you do what you do."
Dina found herself smiling, realizing she wasn't just impressed by what Ellie did. She was impressed by the way she talked about it and could easily relate.
The obvious love she had for her work. And judging by the slight warmth creeping into Dina’s cheeks, that realization was becoming a bit of a problem.
“That’s kind of incredible.”
Ellie looked slightly embarrassed. “It’s really not.”
Ellie shook her head, laughing softly. “You know, you’re very generous with compliments.”
Dina smiled into her beer.
Maybe. Or maybe Ellie just made them easy to give.
“What made you leave Wyoming if you loved it so much?”
Ellie’s expression grew thoughtful.
“I loved the mountains, the forests… all of it. I loved working wildland fires. There’s something incredible about being out there with your crew, miles from civilization, everyone relying on each other.”
“But after a while,” Ellie continued, “I realized I missed taking care of people.”
“I still wanted to fight fires, but I missed responding to medical calls. We didn’t get many where I was, maybe an occasional horse bucking or a hiker with a sprained ankle. I missed feeling like I could make a difference one person at a time.”
“So why California?” Dina asked.
Ellie laughed softly. “It happened kind of on accident.”
“Well now I’m curious,” Dina laughed.
“I had a buddy from one of my wildland crews who’d moved to Los Angeles. One day he called and said his department was hiring so I figured why not?”
Ellie shrugged. “I flew out, took the physical agility test, interviewed, and somehow they offered me the job.”
Dina smiled. “’Somehow?’”
Ellie chuckled. “I still don’t know what they were thinking.”
“So you packed up your life and moved?”
Ellie thought for a moment. “A little, it was a big leap. Kind of a culture shock at first.”
She smiled to herself. “But I’ve learned that some of the best things in my life have started because I said yes to something that scared me.”
Dina found herself considering that.
After everything that had happened with her ex, she’d been hesitant to trust anyone new, even casually. Yet here she was, sharing a meal with someone she’d met entirely by chance.
Ellie took another sip and pointed the glass lightly in Dina’s direction. “Alright, enough about me.”
“I’ve spent the last twenty minutes talking.”
“So, you’ve had interesting things to say.”
Dina laughed. “That’s debatable.”
“They’re interesting to me,” Ellie leaned back in her chair smiling.
Dinner had stretched comfortably longer than either of them had expected.
Nothing but crumbs sat between Dina and Ellie. Somewhere over the last two hours they'd lost all concept of time to the easy conversation and banter that flowed freely.
Dina was in the middle of telling a story about Kat accidentally setting off her apartment's smoke alarm making a grilled cheese when Ellie's phone buzzed on the table.
Ellie glanced down out of habit, the smile immediately disappeared from her face.
Ellie frowned at the screen. "Our flight’s been canceled..."
Dina instinctively reached for her own cell as Ellie read aloud.
"'Flight 274 to Los Angeles has been canceled due to a mechanical issue with the aircraft. Rebooking options will be sent shortly.'"
A second later her phone buzzed with the same notification.
Ellie let out a long breath and leaned back in her chair.
A few more taps brought up the airline app.
Dina groaned. "The next flight isn't until late tomorrow morning."
For a moment they simply stared at each other.
Around them, other phones were beginning to chime as passengers received the same alert. A collective wave of frustrated groans spread through the restaurant.
Ellie drained the rest of her beer and looked around the room, gesturing to their waitress for the check.
Dina's attention remained on her phone, her thumbs moving rapidly across the screen.
“There's a hotel attached to the airport," she reported. “But they don't accept bookings online…we should head over there before everyone else does.”
A quick glance around the brewery revealed several travelers staring at their phones with similar expressions of annoyance. A few were already gathering their bags. Others were making phone calls.
The cancellation news was spreading.
The waitress returned with the check folder and Ellie snatched it before Dina could. She opened her mouth to protest, but Ellie shook her head.
“Nope, not happening,” Ellie said, throwing a few bills inside the folder and snapping it shut.
“You're a pain in my ass, you know that?”
Ellie just smiled overly sweetly, tucking her wallet away.
Dina pointed toward the terminal beyond the restaurant. Dozens and dozens of travelers were already moving with purpose.
Ellie looked at the growing crowd and hefted their backpacks onto her shoulder and gripped Dina’s duffle bag again.
She looked to Dina, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. “Do we run?”
Dina laughed and nodded. “We run.”
And together they joined the race to beat the rest of Denver Airport to the hotel.
