He swallowed and nodded.
“You’ve got this.”
He nodded again, and I watched as he took his time, unraveling the hose and getting it tied up to the hydrant.
“We’ve got water,” I yelled to the rest of the squad.
Eric led the way across the street to the house. I entered the home behind him and looked around. From the looks of it, the fire had started in the kitchen.
“She’s gonna kill me,” a shirtless man shouted from my right, carrying a basin filled with water.
I grabbed him by the arm. “You need to get out of here.”
“I can’t.” He tried to pull away. “I have to put it out.”
My patience started to thin.
“What do you think we’re here for?” I asked.
“My girlfriend loves this house. She’ll kill me if it burns down.”
He attempted to pull away again.
“Listen, either you get the hell out of here or I’m carrying you out. Either way, you need to vacate the premises before we can put this fire out.”
“Let’s go, buddy,” Emanuel said from behind me, stepping in to grab the guy so I could assist Eric with the fire.
Once they cleared the room, I was free to make my way to the smoke-filled kitchen. I zeroed in on the stove. It was, likely, the source of the fire.
“Looks like he was trying to cook, and shit got out of control,” Eric yelled through his mask.
I nodded and grabbed my chemical extinguisher to help put out the flames. Luckily, the fire hadn’t spread to any other part of the house.
Once the flames were out, I used my hatchet to break a window to vent the smoke and gas. “It was just him in here, right?” I asked into the intercom strapped to my chest.
Carter’s voice registered through the speaker loud and clear. “Roger that.”
I sighed, relaxed my shoulders, and exited the house behind Eric, making sure to keep the door open to keep the smoke venting. Fresh air filled my lungs and I savored it as I removed my mask. I glanced around and saw the guy from the house seated on the edge of the ambulance, his face covered with an oxygen mask.
“It happened so fast,” he said through the mask as I approached. He looked up at one of the police officers who’d arrived on the scene. “One minute I was cooking the bacon, and then the phone rang. I ran down the hall to get it. I was on the phone for only five minutes.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Daisy’s gonna kill me.”
“More likely, she’ll be grateful you’re still alive,” one officer said.
He shook his head. “She loves this house. She just renovated the kitchen. I was trying to surprise her. I’m not supposed to be back in town until tomorrow night, but I wanted to do something special for her, you know?” He looked at me, the officers, and the rest of my squad with pleading eyes. “I hate cooking. She says I’m terrible at it, but I’ve been taking classes to get better for her.”
I grunted, causing a few heads to turn my way.
Eric elbowed my side.
“Don’t start,” he murmured.
I threw up my hands in mock surrender and shrugged.
“I guess love makes us do crazy things,” the man added.
That comment forced my hand. I couldn’t hold back. “Yeah, like burning down your girlfriend’s house.”
“Don...” Carter said.
