“I’m fine,” Tom interrupted, his voice carrying the authority that had made him an effective leader for so many years. “This is my town, my responsibility.”
Lucy could see there was no point in arguing. She knew that look. She had seen it countless times during their high school years when Tom set his mind on something. Instead, she made a decision that surprised even herself.
“Wait,” Lucy called out, hurrying back toward her office. “Let me get my medical bag. If you’re both going to be stubborn about this, someone needs to be there who can handle medical emergencies.”
Five minutes later, they were racing through the streets of Sandpiper Shores in Rad’s police cruiser, sirens wailing and emergency lights flashing. Lucy sat in the back seat, her medical bag clutched tightly in her lap, watching the familiar landscape blur past as her mind raced through potential scenarios they might encounter.
The campgrounds came into view first, and Lucy could see the organized chaos of emergency response already in motion. Fire trucks were positioned strategically along the perimeter, their crews working with practiced efficiency to establish containment lines. Forest rangers directed evacuees away from the danger zone while EMTs set up a triage area near the parking lot.
“There’s Carmen,” Lucy observed, spotting her as she worked alongside the EMT team, giving orders in a calm, authoritative way.
They parked near the command post that had been established in the campground’s main pavilion, and Lucy immediately went to work. The triage area needed additional medical support. Other medical professionals had responded to the emergency call as well.
“Dr. Tanner, thank goodness,” Carmen said, looking up from a young camper she was treating for smoke inhalation. “We’ve got mostly minor injuries so far, but with this wind picking up, things could get complicated quickly.”
Lucy nodded, pulling on gloves and grabbing supplies from her bag. The next hour passed in a blur of medical assessments, wound care, and constant vigilance as the fire crews worked to contain the blaze before it could spread toward the populated areas of Sandpiper Shores.
Through it all, she found herself stealing glances at Fire Captain Willa Parker, who commanded her team with the kind of calm authority that inspired confidence even in the most dangerous situations. Lucy could only imagine how difficult this must be for Willa, fighting forest fires so close to the anniversary of her husband’s death in similar circumstances.
But Willa never faltered, never showed anything but complete focus on the task at hand. Watching her work, Lucy felt a surge of admiration for the younger woman’s strength and professionalism. This was what leadership looked like under pressure, what it meant to put duty and community above personal pain.
As the sun began to set and the fire crews finally reported the blaze was contained, Lucy allowed herself a moment to catch her breath and survey the controlled chaos around them. Tom was coordinating with the forest rangers, his bandaged head a reminder of how the afternoon had started with something as simple as a collapsed shelf. Rad was managing crowd control and communication with the state emergency management office.
As Lucy worked, her mind kept sending flashes of another fire ten years ago that had raged through the forest and campgrounds. An uneasiness settled in her stomach, and she tried to shake it off. Lucy told herself that she was just being overly sensitive as she’d worked a long shift and had been asked out to dinner by her high school sweetheart. That, with the looming tenth anniversary of the forest fire that had rocked Sandpiper Shores to the core, had her and everyone else in the town on edge. But as she looked up and saw the firefighters, that eerie feeling crept up her spine once again.
12
WILLA
The acrid smell of smoke and burning timber filled Willa’s lungs as she surveyed the chaos unfolding in the forest just north of Ember Lake Memorial Campground. The orange glow of flames danced between the pine trees, casting eerie shadows that made her stomach clench with memories she’d spent ten years trying to suppress.
This wasn’t the same fire. This wasn’t the same place. But the sight of her firefighters moving through the smoke-filled darkness, the sound of radios crackling with urgent communications, the familiar weight of command responsibility on her shoulders—it all felt horrifyingly familiar.
“Captain Parker,” Lieutenant Spencer’s voice crackled through her radio. “We’ve got the eastern perimeter contained, but the wind’s picking up from the southwest.”
“Copy that,” Willa responded, forcing her voice to remain steady and professional. “Redirect Team Three to establish a firebreak along the ridge. We can’t let this thing jump the creek.”
She pushed the memories deeper, focusing on the tactical situation in front of her. Her team needed her to be their leader, not a widow haunted by ghosts from a decade ago. There would be time for emotional processing later, when the fire was out and everyone was safe.
The sound of approaching footsteps made her turn, and she felt a familiar flutter of relief when she saw Ace jogging toward her, already dressed in full firefighting gear.
“Ace,” Willa called out, genuinely grateful for his presence. “I didn’t call you.”
“Heard the dispatch on the scanner,” Ace replied, falling into step beside her as they moved toward the command post. “Figured you could use an extra pair of hands.”
Willa nodded, immediately shifting into operational mode. Ace had been a smokejumper for eight years before returning to Sandpiper Shores, and his experience with wildfire suppression made him invaluable in situations like this. More than that, his calm presence always seemed to ground her when things got chaotic.
“I need you to take Team Two and work the northern flank,” she said. “The terrain gets rough up there, and the one crew is still getting used to forest work.”
“On it,” Ace confirmed, already moving toward the staging area where the additional firefighters were gathering their equipment.
Before Willa could follow him, she spotted Police Chief Morrison approaching with Detective Dillinger and Dr. Tanner. Tom looked pale despite his determined expression, and she noticed the white bandage visible beneath his police cap.
“Chief, Detective,” Willa greeted them. “Dr. Tanner, it’s good to have you here. We’ve got a ten-year-old asthmatic who lost her inhaler in the evacuation. She’s struggling.”
“Where is she?” Lucy asked immediately, her medical bag already in hand.
“Triage area, near the main pavilion,” Willa directed. “My Aunt Carmen is with her.”
